Research process
1. Understand the Problem
Identify the root cause and user needs, values, and expectations.
Get out in the field to understand how people are using and thinking about your product or service.
Lyft Driver
I took a few rides to understand the challenges of a Lyft driver and found out most drivers start out driving at night then switch to day driving. Night drivers encounter drunk and contentious passengers. I'd switch too.
2. Gather Data
Once I have a clear understanding of the problem, I dive into the available data. Collect both qualitative and quantitative data, identify patterns and themes to extract meaningful insights.
If there's no data, I go and get it. I need some intelligence to better understand the problem. Surveys, online testing platforms, customer interviews, quick team workshops, or hallway studies are quick ways to get informed.
Redbox research lab
I built a research lab to test kiosks, desktops, and portable devices to get a feel for the experiences. We even used paper prototypes to mimic flows of early ideas. I led over 200+ studies on a dedicated kiosk in my lab, running weekly research sessions that included A/B tests, concept evaluations, final design reviews, and production screens. Designers and product managers benefited from an optimized research practice.
3. Learn from Competitors
A competitor analysis helps you learn the patterns and gaps in your product experience. I love copying products because I'm following Jabob's law, which states that users prefer interfaces that function similarly to other familiar sites prioritizing consistency over novelty.
Tru-Stile
While visiting a Masonite facility, the lobby had a framed before and after photo. Surprisingly, this idea never made it to the website. I copied the Tru-Stile functionality and made it into a component to be used throughout the site to help users see the difference a Masonite door enhances the room.
4. Define Personas
Personas anchor all decisions to a project and keep it on course to delivering a product that solves user pain points. Without established personas, risks are high in delivering wrong solutions.
Empathy Mapping
When I'm comfortable with the amount of data, I conduct empathy map workshops with stakeholders to discover pain points and opportunities. This exercise feeds the UX Strategy.
5. Journey Mapping
Included in the persona development process is the popular journey map. This is pretty robust one, but I've moved to a simpler approach to journey homepage, sign up flows and any other experience to capture user sentiment as they experience the content.
The Movie Experience
My research team at Redbox put together this journey map after interviewing 45 customers in 3 specific demographic segments. The results were so well received, the CEO placed a copy in her office.
6. Wireframes
Wireframes are the connective tissue between the business strategy and the real world. These are the blueprint to a digital product helping users navigate and engage with the site.
ADT Thermostat Redesign
After completing the competitive analysis I used the lean UX method for continuous discovery to make the thermostat accessible to people with hand disorders and vision impairments. I partnered with a visually impaired customer to guide the design direction.
7. Prototyping
Once the initial flows and wireframes are complete, I create prototypes for testing. These range from simple click-through models to highly dynamic prototypes. When appropriate, I use the SUS quantitative scoring model to evaluate design quality.
Redbox Kiosk Ratings
Users disliked star ratings overlaying box art, as it obscured the artwork they wanted to see. To address this, the star ratings were relocated to the title details page.
8. Test & Learn
Without testing your ideas you have no clue what users think. The purpose of these studies sharpen product-market-fit increasing user acceptance.
ADT Pulse Usability Session
Allan, one of our usability testing participants is completing the assessment form after his usability session. The post-its on the wall are groupings of common issues discovered during the study. The issues were prioritized with the PMs and added to their roadmaps.
9. Develop & QA
Tweaks are made after the studies and comps are moved ready for Dev Mode for the developers to pick up. Developers are kept in the loop early on the project so they can contribute their ideas before reaching them.
Google Inspect
In this Walgreens design, I'm using inspect to check the precision of the live product to the Figma designs.
10. Measuring UX
I created this UX strategy to prioritize design requirements and capture KPIs. I put this together with stakeholders to align on outcomes.
Common UX/Biz KPIs:
Behavior - e.g. Abandonment Rate
Attitude - e.g. Ease of use
Revenue - e.g. Conversion rate
Loyalty - NPS rating (NPS)
Satisfaction - Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Usability - e.g. Super-Q or SUS
11. Monitor performance
Improving the customer experience is never done, and there's a ton of tools that track design performance.
Measurement Tools
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Amplitude (analytics)
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Fullstory (user videos)
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Hotjar (heatmaps)
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SMErush (SEO/keyword tracking)
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JotForm (Customer Feedback)
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UserTesting.com (UX Experience feedback)
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NPS (Sharability)
