When tackling design tasks, I believe it’s important to allow the project to define the process, not the other way around. My goal is always based on the objective of the project. Below is a log list of how I like to do this, but no project has followed this full order.
I believe it’s super important for user to have a great experience from the moment they view the first logo, and that can’t happen without a consistent look, feel, tone, etc. If I’m starting my branding and marketing efforts from scratch, I normally start with a name, mainly due to URL availability (we all know all of the good names are taken). I then proceed to logo design, which leads me straight into a style guide. This ensures that the user flow from marketing to product is a seamless experience.
I love building the marketing site and onboarding experience from scratch, using HTML/CSS/Javascript/Jquery. Although not all projects start from scratch, having a custom built CMS has proven to be the best choice. From there, I move onto product research, design, and definition.
When it comes to research, I generally split everything into 4 categories. Discover, Explore, Test, and Listen. It’s a pretty common strategy, but it allows me to ensure products are actually solving users problems. These methods, although common, never seem to happen in order. The stage of the product, the size of the company, the timeline, all factor into what research happens when. In hopes to explain my UX process, here is an example of my UX process.
Discover
Explore
Test
Listen
Once I’ve worked with users, I then begin defining the product. I’ve had extensive experience in building a wide variety of products, but one thing seems to be consistent. Bringing developers/builders into the conversation early and often has provided the greatest ROI when it comes to building a great product.
I believe that my greatest strength is bridging the gap between executives/stakeholders, and product developers. Whether it’s the Wu Tang Clan, the largest architecture firm in the world, or fast growing tech companies - I always find myself in the middle, defining and designing products. I’ve learned a lot of lessons in my days, and thankfully, I’ve had the chance to get my hands on a lot of great products.
That’s what I believe makes me and my process unique…