I recently finished reading Introduction to design thinking by Uijun Park. So here is a detailed summary!
This book talks about the 5 steps to design thinking, that any UX designer must follow, and also explains some design principles. So let's get to it!
5 steps to design thinking
Step 1. Empathise
UX design is about solving problems that users experience, so you need to understand your users to discover what problems they are experiencing.
- User demographic research: to define the target user
- In-depth interviews: to learn what problems users are facing with the product
- Usability test: to understand which part of the product is difficult to use
- Analytics: use user traffic analytics to see which parts of the product need improving
Step 2. Define
"Finding a good problem is more complex than coming up with a good-looking design result." - Uijun Park
- Prioritise which problems to solve
- Let the whole team participate in choosing which problem to solve first
Step 3. Ideate
"Itβs more likely that a better idea comes up when multiple people with different perspectives having a deep discussion, and validation with users and market, and refinement." - Uijun Park
- Derive various diverse ideas that could potentially solve the problem
- Can be useful to have other departments participate (like developers, sales...)
- Brainwriting: writing down ideas on a piece of paper within a set time, then have everyone share their ideas
- Sketch workshop: participants sketch ideas in a set time, to come up with creative solutions
- Vote to select best ideas
Step 4. Prototype
"Now, you will need to create a prototype of ideas to test with the user or to simulate with an internal team member." - Park, Uijun. Introduction to Design Thinking
- Low-fidelity prototype: Sketch
- Mid-fidelity prototype: Wireframe
- User-flow: defines a user's steps to complete a task on the web or app.
- High-fidelity prototype: UI design
Step 5. Test
"The test in design thinking can be done before and after release. You donβt need to have a fully functioning product to get user feedback." - Park, Uijun. Introduction to Design Thinking
- Pre-development test: saves time and money
- Usability test: let users test the prototype
- Post release test: measure user traffic, conversion rate, and other metrics to evaluate whether your product has achieved initial goals
- Analytics: compare to the data you gathered in step 1
UX design principles for beginners
PRINCIPLE 1. CONSISTENCY
- Creating a consistent and predictable user experience across all aspects of a product, such as the layout, visual design, and interactions.
- Following established design patterns and guidelines,
- Using consistent language and terminology,
- Maintaining a cohesive visual style
PRINCIPLE 2. AFFORDANCE
- Making it intuitive for users to know how to use a product just by looking at it.
PRINCIPLE 3. MENTAL MODEL AND CONCEPTUAL MODEL
- Mental model: expectations that users have for a product, based on their experience, training, and knowledge
- Conceptual model: the experience or interface that a product provides
- Aim to strike a balance between users' mental model and the conceptual model
PRINCIPLE 4. MAPPING
- Designing interfaces or displays that make the results of operating the control device predictable for the user
PRINCIPLE 5. INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
- Organizing and structuring digital content to make it easier for users to find what they need
- Organising content in a logical and intuitive way.
PRINCIPLE 6. USER INTENT
- High user intent: the user knows well what they want to do and can follow a specific procedure to complete their task when they enter a website to buy a product.
- Low intent: users have a rough idea of their goal but do not know what specifically they need to do to achieve it.
- Important to consider both high and low user intent and design to satisfy both types of users.
Here it is guys! I read this book wanting to improve my design skills, and it did not disappoint. Again this is only a detailed summary, and the book contains so much more, with case studies and lots of tips and examples, so if you liked this post, I really recommend that you get the book!
Top comments (2)
This sounds very interesting and super useful, I'll have to pick up a copy.
Thank you !