Journey from Design Research to UX Design (Part -2)

Research has always benefited the business through informations like user’s perceptions, how the user feels or thinks about a system, helps business to check what kind of user they are targeting and changes, they require to do the right business.

Whereas for the designers, UX research provides the required content, features, user behavior, design opportunities, suggestion, and inspiration for a system. This is how it helps to build a user base for a business.

Post design research, interface design comes into play which consists of various working methodologies like process flow, task flow, mock-ups, wire-framing, usability, etc.

The designer creates a process flow on the basis of UX research. In the process flow, user perception is used to define the scenarios. Based on these scenarios designers design a task to match the user’s mental model in the system. It helps in building a proper ecosystem and communication among the stakeholders.

Features Listing & Requirements

After task analysis designers can add features, useful suggestions, inspiration, and design opportunities to add the x-factor which are analyzed by the researchers.

The whole process is summed up by a low fidelity wireframe. A low fidelity wireframe consists of the gist of the screen which is done on paper with a pen. So that early usability of the system could be done.

Mobile: Bill Payment Wireframe

This helps the designer to know that are they on the right path ? or if not they can make changes on the basis of the user’s feedback. After the mid-fidelity wireframe is generated with the prototypes the usability testing is done to validate the system. Post validation iteration is done and the designer creates mockups; This gives a visual feel of screen interaction which is done by visual designers.

Visual Design: Car Discovery App

We won’t say this is not a lengthy process to opt but without research, the design could not be implemented. The journey from research to design is worth it if we see the drawbacks of not doing the research.

The design created without user perception generally not connected with the user and the chances of failure is much more. As after a negative outcome, we have to start from initial which is more time and cost consuming.

The UX research helps a lot in understanding what a user wants and how he sees the usage of a system. And with research, the chance of conversion ratio is high in comparison to the cost applicable in the research.

So for a better system, one should give preference to Design Research before implementing the design.