I'm a ux designer and a professor in hci.
It looks like there is still a lot of confusion between UX and UI. UX is not just what concerns the interface.
UX is a process with different phases:
- an exploratory phase, where the designer interviews the stakeholders, analyzes the current product (if it is a redesign), makes a benchmark of the competing products and services;
- a research phase, where the designer involves actual or potential users to understand their needs, goals, their knowledge, their behaviors; she does interviews, observations, and uses methods like the laddering, the free listing, the card sorting, the task analysis and so on
- the raw results of the research are documented in a number of deliverables:
* personae
* scenarios
* customer journeys / experience maps
* conceptualizations
* taxonomies and navigation trees
- the research is translated into the design of the product, producing wireframes or low fidelity prototypes, designing the macro and the micro information architecture, the interaction, the navigation;
- a design system should be adopted and / or developed, identifying the components, the colors, the typography, the tone of voice
- a high fidelity prototype applies the design system to the low fidelity prototipes
- everything should be tested with the users, in different moments: competitive testing (to test the competitors' products), exploratory testing, confirmatory testing; prototypes should also be evaluated to verify the conformity to the standards and to the design system / style guides;
This is UX design (different experts will describe it in slightly different ways, but the structure remains the same).
I'm obviously aware that this process would be a big effort for a side project. But it's very important to keep in mind that this is the right approach, and in the long run, the process will decrease the risk of failure.
Good set of guidelines and thanks for sharing. But in reality not all projects can afford to go through this routine.
The following is what i believe works for most time sensitive projects. It would be better to set a top level vision for the UX and give it to proven people to deliver. UI/UX is something that everyone in an organization can have an opinion very easily so your goal should be to satisfy end user and not everyone in the company. Take it as early as possible to beta testers and if your initial vision for UX is solid - it would take few iterations to get it correct.
If you don't mind, could you explain what HCI is in your view as well? I think that's another discipline related to CS/UX/Design but is still quite distinct to those who understand it best.
- an exploratory phase, where the designer interviews the stakeholders, analyzes the current product (if it is a redesign), makes a benchmark of the competing products and services;
- a research phase, where the designer involves actual or potential users to understand their needs, goals, their knowledge, their behaviors; she does interviews, observations, and uses methods like the laddering, the free listing, the card sorting, the task analysis and so on
- the raw results of the research are documented in a number of deliverables:
- the research is translated into the design of the product, producing wireframes or low fidelity prototypes, designing the macro and the micro information architecture, the interaction, the navigation; - a design system should be adopted and / or developed, identifying the components, the colors, the typography, the tone of voice - a high fidelity prototype applies the design system to the low fidelity prototipes - everything should be tested with the users, in different moments: competitive testing (to test the competitors' products), exploratory testing, confirmatory testing; prototypes should also be evaluated to verify the conformity to the standards and to the design system / style guides;This is UX design (different experts will describe it in slightly different ways, but the structure remains the same).
I'm obviously aware that this process would be a big effort for a side project. But it's very important to keep in mind that this is the right approach, and in the long run, the process will decrease the risk of failure.