When you’re working in product design or product development, the first phase of a project is the same for anything, because you’re going to be starting with a blank slate. In a way, you want to feel like you don’t know anything, and you can explore what the field is.

You look at other comparable products. You try to talk to experts. You look at users and what they’re currently using. That exploration phase can go all over the place. For example, if the client is a factory, and they make things out of glass, then you already know that the solution is going to be something made out of glass. But if it’s an entrepreneur who has some new invention, then you have to look at that in a different way.

Either way, the basic thing is that you need to look at everything with an open mind. And really, the fact that you don’t know anything about it yet is a really big advantage because a lot of the time, people who think they already know everything actually miss all of the good ideas.

When you start a project, you really need to be sure that you understand what else is out there. You need to understand the parallel projects or products and understand how whatever the thing that you’re making or designing, whether it be an object or system or experience, fits in.

Also, is it something that’s really needed? Is it something that really stands out? Do you need an object? How does it work? How does it fit in with that structure? These are all questions to ask yourself that will help you come up with the way that it’s used, the way that it looks, the way that it’s priced, and how it fits into the marketplace.

Really, what it comes down to with both product design and product development is doing your research, and understanding what’s out there and what’s needed.

You can learn much more about these concepts, as well as a wide variety of other lessons and concepts related to both product design and development, with online product design education. Choosing to do your learning online is by far the most convenient way of getting a quality product design education.

In the next stage, you add a little bit of dynamics to your prototype to figure out what is the best way to create this conversation. You start by looking at different elements, including animation, colors and images. By adding dynamics, you can also start to go to the specific person that you’re designing for to seek more input. After all, at that stage, you want to have a very specific scenario in mind as well.

UX Design Prototype Feedback

When you go to a person and you design a system, such as a map for a person who wants to go from Point A to Point B, the user flow that you create should have a very specific scenario so that you can have a person try out your system or the prototype. For example, they might try out one that has colors, one that has animation or one that is dynamic in other ways. The user can actually try to use that system to help them go from Point A to Point B.

If they’re successful, your prototype is successful. If they’re not successful, and more often than not they won’t succeed with your UI in the first few stages of the prototype’s design, you have to ask yourself: Where did they come across a UX problem? Did they fail when they tried to press a button because they interpreted the button as text and not as a button? Did they fail because they interpreted the image as something that conveyed too much information and looked more like text? Did they fail to enter the information into a text box because the text box was just too small?

These are the things that you can identify in your UI design with a digital, high-fidelity prototype. When you allow this type of interaction with one or more users, the results convey to you the exact areas in which your prototype is failing. You then have to decide how best to reverse course and quickly refine the prototype so that you can try again to see if a user can accomplish that task.

As you’re learning through your online UX design education studies, a prototype gives you the ability to do something that you don’t have to fall in love with and can even throw away. A prototype allows you to more successfully get to the goal of designing a simple pleasurable application.

“An agile workflow is all about iteration and moving quickly”, Camara explains. The best way to go about agility when working on a UI assignment is to implement design sprints. Design sprints are typically two-week spans in which you are to complete as much as possible before moving on to the next sprint. Waterfall, however, is a process that’s based more on phases. So, when carrying out this process, you would then be working through your project by completing each phase at a particular time. Also, there is no specific timeframe for each phase, but as you get through them, you would essentially be making your way through the finish line as well.

Ultimately, agile development refers to the division of labor, the division of milestones, and the kind of path that is taken from A to Z. You can learn about this entire process in detail through online UX design education.

Why an Agile Workflow Is so Beneficial Nowadays

The old-school way of doing it called for designers to take six months, a year, or even three years before having something new to show. And though we can keep that as an ultimate goal, agility proves to us that by conquering smaller milestones on a regular basis, you will always have something fresh to show. In fact, your software might not even be finished, but you can still present some of its workings rather than leaving the engine open until all of the parts are ready. As you develop your UI design, you can say, “Hey, this part of the engine is that”, or “This part of the engine is already done”, allowing your productivity to be known as you work towards the completion of your UX design.

Working little by little will help you to paint the perfect picture or narrative because your creation will be constantly testing itself against the people who will soon be using it.

So, the idea of having something to show, whether it’s your funders, your current group of test users, your classmates, or even an active research group, gives you the unique advantage of receiving consistent input so that you will have a better idea as to which path you’re taking and what it’s meant to do. That kind of invaluable UX feedback will help you stay on track and put you on a greater level of success.

UX Designs Essentials expert, Jo Gulliver, on design language, a communicative tool that helps designers create visually coherent designs.