L01 Receiving and Interpreting the User Experience Design Brief PDF

L01: Receiving and Interpreting the User Experience Design Brief Tuesday, 29 October 2024 8:39 am Topic 1: UX Design UX Design - a multidisciplinary field that focuses on creating products, services, or systems that provide meaningful and satisfying experiences to users. Its goal is to ensure t...

L01: Receiving and Interpreting the User Experience Design Brief Tuesday, 29 October 2024 8:39 am Topic 1: UX Design UX Design - a multidisciplinary field that focuses on creating products, services, or systems that provide meaningful and satisfying experiences to users. Its goal is to ensure that when people interact with a digital or physical product, they have a positive and enjoyable experience, accomplishing their goals with ease and satisfaction. UX vs. UI Designers UX Designer UI Designer Interaction designer Visual Designer Charts the user pathway (user journey) Choose color and typography Plans information architecture Plans visual aesthetic Expert in wireframes, prototypes, and research Expert in mockups, graphics, and layout UX as a multidisciplinary field 1. Project Management - how a project and its resources are planned, organized, executed, and monitored. 2. User Research - understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations by using observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies. 3. Usability Evaluation - understanding the users' ability to learn and use the product to achieve their goals and their satisfaction with the process. 4. Information Architecture - organizing, prioritizing and presenting information to users in order to meet their needs and achieve the business's goal. 5. User Interface Design - anticipating users' needs and designing the interface to meet those needs. 6. Interaction Design - creating engaging interactive systems. 7. Visual Design - making the interface aesthetically pleasing and aligned with the brand goals. 8. Content Strategy - writing and curating useful content that drives user attention and patronage 9. Accessibility - considering how persons with disabilities can access or benefit from a site, system, or application. 10. Web Analytics - collecting, reporting, and analyzing website data to guide the improvement of products and services. Considerations in UX Design 1. Why, What, and How of Product Use Why delves into the users' motivations for choosing the product. Why do users use the product? What focuses on the product's capabilities. What functions does it offer, and how do these meet the users' needs. How examines the user interface's accessibility and aesthetic appeal. How does the design facilitate an effortless and engaging user experiences. 2. Consumption or use of the product - understand how users interact with the product in real-world scenarios, ensuring it fits seamlessly into their daily routines or workflows. TESDA UX Design Page 1  workflows. 3. Pleasure, enjoyment, and efficiency of the user - Balance enjoyment and productivity to create an experience that not only meets users' needs but also exceeds their expectations, making every interaction with the product satisfying. 4. Whole process of acquiring , owning, and troubleshooting the product - Consider the entire lifecycle of user interaction, from the initial discovery and acquisition of the product to ongoing use, maintenance, and eventual troubleshooting. It’s about making every phase as smooth and hassle-free as possible. 5. How to make the use of the product intuitive, smooth, and pleasant - Craft an experience where the product is not only easy and natural to use but also make tasks more enjoyable. The goal is to ensure that users can navigate and utilize the product's features without friction, making their experience pleasant and rewarding. User Experience Honeycomb Made by Peter Morville that set the standards of a meaningful and valuable UX. According to the framework, information must be: Useful - The product must fulfill a need or serve a purpose for the users. It should offer functionality or content that users find beneficial in their personal or professional lives. Usable - Ease of use is the key. The product should be user-friendly, with intuitive navigation and interaction design, so that users can achieve their goals without frustration. Desirable - The design elements, such as branding, identify,, and aesthetics, should evoke emotion and appreciation. It's about creating a product that users will want to TESDA UX Design Page 2  evoke emotion and appreciation. It's about creating a product that users will want to use and engage with because of its appeal. Valuable - The product must deliver value not only to the user but also to the business or organization providing it: For users, this means the product should enrich their lives or work in some way. For businesses, it means that the product should contribute to the success of the company, whether through direct revenue customer satisfaction, or brand loyalty. Findable - Users should be able to find what they're looking for, whether within the product (like a feature or information) or finding the product itself through search engines. Information architecture and search engine optimization (SEO) play significant roles here. Accessible - The product must be accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, including those with disabilities. This means designing for various needs, such as visual, motor, auditory, and cognitive. Credible - Users must trust and believe in the product. Credibility can be established through accurate content, transparent practices, endorsements, and a professional presentation. Stages of UX Design 1. Research - entails studying the actual users' needs, motivations, and issues, as well as the client's needs and goals in order to develop a product that is relevant to the target users. UX research complements brainstorming and ideation since it provides the essential foundation for making informed decisions in developing the product. 2. Design - At this stage, the design team shall do the following in this sequence: ] 1. Build user flows 2. Conduct wireframing and prototyping 3. Create the visual design. 3. Testing - A design team goes back and forth between this stage and the design stage since UX design involves a more interactive nonlinear process. This allows flexibility in adjusting the design should be there be concerns or issues with the first design made, leading to a thoroughly vetted UX that is ready to be implemented. 4. Implementation - During this stage, the design team will collaborate with the development team and turn their design into a fully functioning product. This is why it is important for the development team to also be involved in each stage of the UX design process. TESDA UX Design Page 3 Principles of UX Design User-Centered Design - UX products must be designed with the needs, behaviors, and preferences of the users in mind. Understand and prioritize user goals to create a product that is intuitive and valuable. Usability - Prioritize usability to make the product easy to learn and use. Minimize cognitive load, streamline workflows, and ensure a straightforward and efficient user experience. Consistency - Maintain consistency in design elements, terminology, and interactions throughout the entire user interface. Consistency helps users build a mental model of the system and enhances predictability. Hierarchy and Information Architecture - Establish a clear information hierarchy and well-organized information architecture. Prioritize content, guide users through the interface logically, and make it easy for them to find what they need. Accessibility - Design products that are accessible to users of all abilities. Ensure that the interface is usable for individuals with disabilities, incorporating features like alt text for images, keyboard navigation, and other accessibility best practices. SUMMARY OR TAKEAWAY FOR THIS TOPIC: User Experience design is a multidisciplinary process of creating a product that caters the users' needs that delivers an ease to the user and accomplish its goals (business wise and product wise). What makes it multidisciplinary is it is concerned to different parts or process of creating a product. From brainstorming a product, identifying its pain points, opportunities, or acquiring the need of the user in order to deliver a product that can cater this need. This discipline has four stages: Research, Design, Testing, and Implementation. It is worth noting that this stages are not strictly linear and can go back and forth during the testing stage. I also noticed how important collaboration in UX design especially when collaborating with the development team as they should be part of the process from stage 1 because it is important to take the perspective of the development team if the idea is feasible and attainable. It is also important when it comes to the principles of UX Design the accessibility part. We are not just creating a product that caters people who are able to navigate the product, we also want to cater people with disabilities and we must consider in developing a product on how we can make it easy for them to navigate and use our product. QUIZ Link to Quiz: Lesson 1 - User Experience Design Topic 2: The UX Design Brief Design brief - serves as the roadmap and reference document throughout the design process, ensuring clarity and alignment between the client, designers, and other stakeholders. It ensures that the designers understand the project's objectives, key requirements, restraints, and opportunities as provided by the client. TESDA UX Design Page 4 Components of a Design Brief 1. Project Name - This is briefly tells you what the project is and who it is for. 2. Company Background/Overview - This will allow you to connect the project with the big picture and adjust the design with the brand's look and feel of your clients want to maintain. Look for key information, such as the size of the company, what it does, key services, and products offered. There might be also be company values, brand keywords, and unique value propositions. 3. Target Audience - Detailed information about the intended users or audience of the product or experience. This may include user demographics, behaviors, preferences, and needs. Users personas or profiles that provide a deeper understanding of the target audience. 4. Project Objectives - Clear, measurable project goals that outline what the project aims to achieve. Specific objectives that support the overall goals, such as improving user management, increasing conversion rates, or enhancing user satisfaction. 5. Timeline - a project timeline with key milestones, deadlines, and checkpoints for progress evaluation. 6. Project Scope and Deliverables - A description of what is included in the project TESDA UX Design Page 5  6. Project Scope and Deliverables - A description of what is included in the project scope and what is excluded. A list of expected deliverables, such as wireframes, prototypes, design mockups, user flows, or usability test reports. Identifying the Creative and Technical Requirements Technical Requirements - focus on the functional and performance aspects of the user interface, ensuring that it meets technical standards and operates effectively. Platform Compatibility - the design must be compatible with different operating systems, and platforms, adhering to their respective design guidelines and best practices. Responsive Design - the design must adapt well to different screen sizes and resolutions. Accessibility - compliance with accessibility guidelines to make the design usable by a wide range of users, including those with disabilities. Consider color contrast, test size, and screen reader compatibility. Performance Optimization - Fast loading times and smooth interactions, considering bandwidth, and device constraints. Creative Requirements - it emphasizes the visual and design elements that contribute to a positive user experience and align with the brand's identity. Visual Style - the unique and distinctive aesthetic characteristics that define the overall look and feel of a product or brand, e.g. modern, classic, minimalist, retro, etc. Branding Elements - The company's logo, colors, and typography that maintain brand identity. Imagery - Images and illustrations that enhance the overall visual experience and reflect the project's purpose and target audience. Iconography - A set of intuitive and recognizable icons for various features and actions to enhance usability and clarity. User Interface (UI) Elements - Design elements such as buttons, menus, forms, and navigation components to ensure ease of use and seamless interaction. Typography - fonts that are legible and represent the brand identity. Product References 1. Features and User Flows 2. Wireframes Mockups Topic 3: Conducting UX Research Research provides us with the information and details that will help us meet those requirements, such as the profile of users, their behavior, goals, motivations, and needs. UX Research Methods 1. Surveys and Questionnaires - create simple surveys or questionnaires to ask users about their preferences, challenges, and what they want to achieve with the product or service. 2. Interviews and User Testing - talk to users one-on-one and observe how they interact with a prototype or existing product. Ask open-ended questions to understand their goals, experiences, and any difficulties they encounter. 3. Contextual Inquiry and Observation - Observe users in their natural environment to see how they use similar products or services. Take notes on their actions and challenges to understand their needs better. 4. Analytics and User Metrics - analyze data from tools that track user behavior, like website or app analytics. Look for patterns in how user navigate and interact with the interface. TESDA UX Design Page 6  the interface. 5. Competitor Analysis - Study competing products or services to see what they do well and where they fall short. Look for opportunities to improve upon their user experience. 6. User personas - create fictional representations of different user types based on research. These personas help guide design decisions by representing the characteristics, goals, and needs or real users. 7. User Journey Mapping - Map out the steps users take when interacting with the product or service. Identify areas where they might face challenges or where improvements can be made. 8. Storyboarding - For each step or key moment in the user journey, create simple sketches or frames. These sketches represent the user interface screens or key elements involved in the interaction. 9. Online Communities and Forums - Participate in online communities or social media groups where users discuss their experiences. Listen to their feedback and learn from their discussions. Conclusion or Takeaways from Topic 2 & 3: In a design brief, the UX designer will use the brief as their guide towards the journey of the product being made. The brief will be their references to the goals and key elements the designer must know before proceeding to creation. The design brief also helps the user experience designer to know its target audience helping them to cater the right process and interaction design needed for the product. There are several parts of a design brief namely, the title of the project, the brand/company's background or overview, the target audience, the project objectives, the timeline, and its deliverables. When it comes to a design brief there are two requirements that the UX designer must consider: The technical requirements and its creative requirements. In technical requirements, the interaction designer must consider the following: Platform Compatibility, Responsive Design, Accessibility, and Performance Optimization. These considerations ensure that the product meets the technical standards and operates effectively. In creative requirements, it emphasizes the visual and design elements of the product. These are the following considerations: Visual style, Branding Elements, Imagery, Iconography, UI Elements, and Typography. And in order for us to meet these requirements, we must conduct research to know what must be done. There are different methods on getting the information we need to comply to the requirements needed in the brief. Different methods of research garners different insights from different aspects so it is better to conduct them all in order to have a strong foundation and information. TESDA UX Design Page 7