Design Philosophy
Every designer follows the well-known UI/UX process. From my experience, I have identified key principles that inform and guide my design process.
Build great teams
People are the magic. They must feel supported, understood, and free to explore and make mistakes. Great teams are the safety net so we can grow and learn. Relationships built on trust, inclusion, and collaboration lead to better solutions and great products.
Get early buy in
Connect with the stakeholders in support, sales, marketing, and development and ensure your plan fits their priorities and if there's anything you need to address.
Collaborate with your team
Boosting collaboration fosters innovation and refines project solutions. It also keeps the team informed and engaged. Projects become enhanced with fresh perspectives.
Sketch first
Technology can get in the way of ideation — what font, color, corner radius — too much, too early. Pencil and paper are immediate and flexible and allows ideas to flow.
Adding too much visual design can distract from discussing information architecture, page structure, and user tasks. Wireframes showcase the entire user experience, allowing key stakeholders to validate the feasibility of the design.
Wireframe for clarity
Building a working prototype, even for partial task flows, helps define the visual design and subtle details, transitions, animation timings and visual elements. This can be used as the source of truth for implementation and QA review.
Build prototypes
Building solid relationships with development teams is crucial for smooth software development. Designers must proactively communicate, review builds, and guide designs throughout the process, resulting in fewer surprises and a better understanding of underlying issues for effective communication within the team.
Integrate with development
Support QA
Designers should do their own QA testing for interaction and visual refinement. Focusing on small details can ensure tight alignment with the original design and vision.
Be retrospective
It's crucial to conduct a post-project review. This allows teams to discuss challenges, improve future processes, and create a more streamlined, less stressful workflow. Sharing knowledge during these retrospectives fosters cohesion and trust among all involved teams.