My design process

One of the first questions I get when talking about being creative is “What is your design process?” Every design project is unique, but over the last decade, I have refined a repeatable yet flexible process that consistently yields positive results for businesses.

Discovery

Is this actually a problem? How does it impact users? What is the full context?

Crafting bespoke solutions to complicated problems requires a deep understanding of the problem, the people involved, and the desired outcome. I often say “if a clear solution isn’t presenting itself, we likely need more data…” and this shows in my process. I have developed and executed discovery research plans including (but not limited to) stakeholder interviews, user or customer interviews, surveys, product-data analysis, and even full design workshops.

“As a UX researcher, I’m used to having to advocate heavily for user-informed design, and I simply did not have to do that with Iain...

- Sarah

My design process

One of the first questions I get when talking about being creative is “What is your design process?” Every design project is unique, but over the last decade, I have refined a repeatable yet flexible process that consistently yields positive results for businesses.

Discover

Crafting bespoke solutions to complicated problems requires a deep understanding of the problem, the people involved, and the desired outcome. I often say “if a clear solution isn’t presenting itself, we likely need more data…” and this shows in my process. I have developed and executed discovery research plans including (but not limited to) stakeholder interviews, user or customer interviews, surveys, product-data analysis, and even full design workshops.

Design

The design phase of any project is often where the magic happens and is always the most exciting to me! After a thorough analysis of all the data available, I start an iterative process based on collaboration. My first mockup will often be a crude wireframe that may not look flashy but is often a powerful conversation starter to bring the team together on an end solution.

Validate

Solution validation research is focused entirely on one thing: Confidence. I perform user validation on new designs to be able to take stock in the confidence we, as an organization, have that building this solution will actually solve user problems and, in the long run, make the company money.

Build

Something that stands me apart from other designers is the care and craft I put into empowering the company to execute on validated designs. I work seamlessly with engineering resources to break down a complex design into actionable pieces. I partner with product management to prioritize those pieces in an order that delivers value to customers every step along the way.

Measure

Data strategy can be one of the easiest things to overlook when thinking of building a product. However, as you make changes and iterate on your product, it is incredibly important to have a fresh supply of data about how your users are actively using the product.

Discover

Discover
Discover

Design

Design
Design

Validate

Validate
Validate

Build

Build
Build

Measure

Measure
Measure

Combine domain knowledge

Gather all the expertise currently in the organization to quickly get up to speed on our problem space, our users, and our currently identified areas of opportunity.

  • Perform 1-1 interviews with domain experts throughout the organization.
  • Facilitate workshops and workshops with product leadership, C-Suite executives, and subject matter experts to bring alignment throughout the company

Gather quantitative data

I communicate with a variety of departments and team members that are connected closely with our customers, all to learn about their interactions and gather stories about users' experiences.

Qualitative user interviews

I take the combined domain expertise and quantitative data and set up interviews with various users to better understand their experience and the "Why?" of their needs.

“As a UX researcher, I’m used to having to advocate heavily for user-informed design, and I simply did not have to do that with Iain. He readily employed my findings and would often collaborate with me to create excellent research plans.

Iain intuitively understood the need for research and would incorporate research into his process, despite pressing deadlines and an occasionally chaotic sprint schedule.

We even co-created a workshop for understanding and prototyping internal processes at our enterprise organization (which is not an easy feat).”

- Sarah, Senior UX Researcher and Strategist @ Accela

Design

How can we solve the problem? Is the design accessible?

The design phase of any project is often where the magic happens and is always the most exciting to me! After a thorough analysis of all the data available, I start an iterative process based on collaboration. My first mockup will often be a crude wireframe that may not look flashy but is often a powerful conversation starter to bring the team together on an end solution.

Accessible from the start

One of the most critical aspects of product design is ensuring all of our users have equal and fair access to the value the company provides. There is an entire specialty dedicated to accessibility, and I make sure these resources are available and utilized by the design team.


Sometimes, this means ensuring UX best practices are followed, like color contrasts, font sizes, spacing, etc. At other phases of the product development life cycle, this means ensuring the individual components are technically accessible and that the engineering team has built the interface as inclusively as possible.

Inclusive iteration

Designers, engineers, product management, sales, and support are all included in the design process.
‍
I tend to kick off the work by sharing the research data with the team. Then, starting at low-fidelity wireframes and working up to high-fidelity prototypes, each design iteration incorporates feedback from across the company.

Enable brand harmony

An often overlooked aspect of a user's product experience is the harmony of the company's brand. From marketing throughout the product and even into documentation or support, maintaining a consistent visual brand builds users' trust in the product, enabling the entire business to thrive.

“I loved working with Iain. His elusive ‘unicorn’ skill set complimented my design skills perfectly.

He combines his knowledge of research, design, and engineering with his passion for user-centered design to guide creatives (like me) to produce great work. In the end, he articulated my designs to engineers flawlessly.

I always welcome the opportunity to work with Iain again, and strongly recommend him to anybody that gets the chance.”

- Jeffery, Senior User Interface/User Experience Designer @ Accela

Validate

Problem solved? Is it usable?

Solution validation research is focused entirely on one thing: Confidence. I perform user validation on new designs to be able to take stock in the confidence we, as an organization, have that building this solution will actually solve user problems and, in the long run, make the company money.

Moderated user testing

As a UX staple, my foundational form of user validation is by executing moderated usability studies. Based on the needs of the team, I create a series of tasks for participants to complete on a version of the product or utilizing a design prototype.

I observe a variety of participants completing these tasks one at a time, closely watching areas where they struggle, the confusions they bring up as part of the flow, and asking follow-up questions throughout their experience. I synthesize the data from these tests and turn them into actionable insights for the product development team.

Remote unmoderated testing

One of the biggest hurdles of moderated user testing is recruitment and scheduling sessions. As part of my async and remote first working style, I utilize unmoderated user studies.

These tests are structured in a very similar fashion moderated studies with one distinct difference: I have provided a series of tasks in written form and asked participants to record themselves taking the test.

This style of testing has many advantages, including getting results back very quickly and opening up my schedule to focus on other design tasks.

“Iain is one in a million. Never before have I worked with someone so supportive and empathetic.

His expertise and the quality of his work are admirable and inspiring, and I know he’s still always working hard to improve.

Put Iain on any team that needs a thoughtful, talented leader and he’ll knock it out of the park.”

- Jasmine, Senior User Experience Designer

Build

How do we build this? Can we iterate while still delivering value?

Something that stands me apart from other designers is the care and craft I put into empowering the company to execute on validated designs. I work seamlessly with engineering resources to break down a complex design into actionable pieces. I partner with product management to prioritize those pieces in an order that delivers value to customers every step along the way.

Embedded in the sprint

From waterfall to agile, SCRUM to Shape Up, I work tightly with engineers, product managers, and all of the other members that make up a successful feature team.

Engineer-friendly deliverables

I partner closely with engineers in various ways to ensure the end deliverables of the design process are in the best position to enable development.

I bring the development team early in the design process to avoid surprises. I create easy-to-understand redlines, design assets, and comprehensive interactive prototypes and ensure constant availability during the build process.

Measure

What value did we deliver? Is it being used? Did it change other behaviors?

Data strategy can be one of the easiest things to overlook when thinking of building a product. However, as you make changes and iterate on your product, it is incredibly important to have a fresh supply of data about how your users are actively using the product.

Customer shadowing and testing

As the product starts to get into the hands of users, I strongly encourage doing site visits to watch users use the product in their natural habitat.

Every time I have done this, I have walked away with a wide variety of insights: 

  • Usability hiccups that weren't caught during testing now that the participant is not in ideal or pristine circumstances.
  • Areas of opportunities by observing the rest of the world around the user while they attempt to perform necessary tasks as part of their day-to-day.
  • Additional user data to inform personas and share with the broader organization to build empathy and understanding.

Data strategy

Work with data and analytics specialists to create and implement a strategy to capture usability data from our current users in the wild.

Cross-company validation

Close partnerships with sales

One of the most important measurements of success for any product can be found in its market fit. The business development team can be a goldmine of information around if a product is facilitating customers' needs, if the experience is meeting their expectations, and if even if the brand is resonating throughout the entire funnel.

Open comms with Support

The customer support team contains a wealth of knowledge in relation to product design. Their team is the first point of contact with existing users, meaning they have a fresh understanding of where users are getting stuck, areas of the product that go unnoticed, and even what features customers' expect but aren't getting.

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