Working over the years in user experience, I couldn’t help but noticed the lack of a truly descriptive UX process. Either the stages are serial and non-iterative, which is not actually anywhere near true , or they are shown as serial items with some iterative stages (but then they fail to show the overlap in stages).
To fill the gap, l I made my own UX process, comprehensively broken down, that I use as a basis for forming UX processes in the different organizations I work with. The diagram below is the Cone Trees UX process and it is based upon the reality of how UX stages work. Do note in many organizations, one UX consultant will fulfill many of the roles mentioned in the ‘UX Roles’ column. I will be updating the details below from time to time since this is work in progress. Feel free to use, share and let me know of your comments and questions. I hope you enjoy it and can use it well.
Whichever way you look at it, be it waterfall or agile, the User Experience (UX) process can be broken down into the following distinct phases:
- Planning
- Research
- Analysis & Synthesis
- Defintion
- Design
- Validation
Stage 1- Planning
| Primary UX activities | UX roles | Collaborators | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|
| UX planning: UX activities to be mutually agreed upon with with project team leads so these activities are reflected as part of the project management plan and project schedule | UX lead, User researcher, Information architect, Interaction designer, Usability analyst, Content strategist | Project manager, Project team member leads | UX plan |
| Secondary UX activities | UX roles | Collaborators | Deliverables |
| Noting down UX lessons learned | UX lead,User researcher, Information architect, Interaction designer, Usability analyst, Content strategist | Project team members | UX lessons learned document (draft, may or may not necessarily for sharing at this stage) |
Stage 2: Research
Stage 3: Analysis & synthesis
Stage 4: Definition
Stage 5: Design
Stage 6: Validation
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