Developing a strategy is important from the outset because it articulates the guiding principles and long-term vision of an organization or brand. The strategy underpinning a UX project will shape the overall goals & what the organization is hoping to achieve with the project, how success should be measured, and what priority it should have in the overall picture.
Competitor Analysis
Analytics Review
Stakeholder Interviews
Complex projects often require significant user and competitor research, while smaller projects like startup websites may not need research other than informal interviews and a survey.
Content Audit
User Surveys
Contextual Interviews
The aim of analysis is to draw insights from data collected during research. Capturing, organizing and making inferences from the "what" & can help UX designers begin to understand the "why" By communicating these understandings back to end-users, UX designers can confirm the validity of their assumptions.
User Testing
Use Cases
Storyboards
Personas
Card Sorting
The design phase of a UX project is both collaborative and iterative. It involves input and ideas from many people and also cycles back upon itself to validate ideas and assumptions. The design phase also builds on the user feedback loop established in previous phases to put ideas in front of users, gather feedback, refine, and repeat.
User Testing
Sitemap
Low/High Fidelity Wireframe
Low/High Fidelity Prototypes
During production, the high-fidelity design is fleshed out, content and digital assets are created, and the product is validated with stakeholders and end-users through testing sessions. During this phase, my role shifts from creating and validating ideas to collaborating with developers to guide and champion the vision.
User Testing
A/B Testing
Beta Launch
The phases listed above often have considerable overlap. As I learn more about the problem, audience, stakeholders, and constraints, it may become necessary to revisit earlier research, gather additional user feedback, and/or try out new solutions.