Empathize. Define. Ideate. Prototype. Test.

(Repeat)

Why Design?

I believe that the foundational purpose of design should be the well-being of human beings. The reason UX design exists is to focus on the user, the humanness, of design and make sure that what is produced is made for real people with real abilities and disabilities. With this in mind, designs are never perfect. As we find more innovative and effective ways to serve people, what we make should mirror those developments. Iterate, iterate, iterate.....

The "Why"

What's the Problem?

Not to be a negative Nancy, but......

This step in designing is an opportunity not to rag on previous designs or problems, but instead to look for even better, more innovative, more inclusive, more accessible design options. This part is exciting to me because by entertaining some seemingly crazy ideas and leaning toward a curious and teachable mindset, some groundbreaking changes have occurred in UX that will affect generations of designs. I love looking at how other designers are solving some pretty wicked problems and celebrating their ingenuity.

User Personas

I love this part! (To be fair, I love a lot of parts in UX design, but this one is especially meaningful). There are few things better to get the creative process going than using actual data, put into story form, to make one story fit the needs of the most users possible. I believe that a lot of culture is built off storytelling and this is one of the reasons that UX design is so impactful. "Make an app" --bleh, "Make an app for a single mom, trying to juggle raising three children, a full time job, and a desire to give back to the community." --sign me up! This stage in the design process is very helpful to orient oneself and remember the purpose of design--the user.

It's Personal

Make some drawings of rectangles with some boxes and lines...

Call it wireframing or trying to get a passing grade in preschool, this stage of the design process is extremely helpful to get a steamer ship of ideas out onto paper.

Putting Pen to Paper

Digital Wireframes

This is a great time to clean up designs a bit without going crazy. All designs are made in Figma.

Early Iterations of Lo-fi Prototypes

Shall we call this the PSAT?

Testing early iterations of apps is equally important to the functionality of the final product, but they can feel like a pretest in some ways. (One could argue pretests are more important for learning than the actual exam though, so...)

Hi-Fi Prototypes

This stage in the design process is satisfying because the app is starting to look and act as it would when launched. The process of design is far from done though, some might argue that UX design is never done, even after the first version of the app is launched. Continually looking for ways to update the design, make it more accessible and inclusive, and work out any unforeseen bugs are all future hills to summit.

TRADESIES

GoCamp!

E4E

Shhh, Test in Progress...

If only all tests were designed to improve the test-taker's interaction and the most constructive tests were the ones where we got the most answers "wrong".

Be right teachable

It is extremely important to acknowledge when designs need changing. Taking critiques as the benefit that they are can help remove any personal feelings about the design and improve the overall experience of the app.

Added more connections ✅

Changed font ✅

Changed the button color to draw more attention, changed shape to more uniform CTA shape, and made the font distinct from the one used for descriptions ✅