A Guide to UX Design and Development: Developer’s Journey Through the UX Process (Design Thinking)

Gain a thorough understanding of the two pillars of any User Experience project: the mission and the process. The mission is to keep the user in mind at each step or milestone as the developer progresses through the project. The process is how that mission is accomplished through collaboration and the use of research, design and development technologies. This book walks you through a developer's journey through the UX process, from start to finish. A Guide to UX Design and Development concentrates on the intersection of what is called “DesignOps” and “DevOps.” That intersection is where collaboration between all members of the team, including stakeholders and clients, occurs and neither DesignOps nor DevOps can go beyond being considered just buzzwords if they instead silo design and development. To highlight the UX Mission and illustrate the responsibility developers also hold for the user experience, authors Tom Green and Joseph Labrecque take you through a hypothetical project involving the development of a parking app for a municipal parking authority. As the book progresses, they concentrate on the developer's journey through the whole project from discovery to product release. In this journey, you will see how developers can make an impact and contribute to the user experience. This will include such topics as why there is a need for both a user journey map and a technical journey map. The authors explain why prototyping is not as complicated as it is made out to be because it is simply an early low-cost and disposable minimal viable product that gives the developer a deep understanding of the project's intent in support of the UX Mission. You will also explore the creation and use of design systems and why the developer's role is just as important as the people who create the design system. The role and responsibility of the developer in user testing is discussed in the context of a variety of testing and assessment methods conducted to achieve the UX mission. Finally, you’ll gain an understanding of how design and development deliverables are negotiated, prepared and sent out for research at each step of the process, and how the developer is involved. What You Will Learn Understand the evolving role of the developer in a team-based environment Learn the five stages of the UX process Discover the importance of collaboration and communication with stakeholders, designers, and developers at every stage of the process Learn a variety of design and development documents created during the UX process Who This Book Is For Developers and designers involved in the UX Process, as well as developers trying to make sense of the confusing amount of information out there regarding their role in the UX process. Table of Contents About the Authors About the Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The UX Project Progress The UX Mission Why UX Projects Fail Enter the UX Mission The Collaborative UX Process A Brief Review of the UX Process Discovery and Problem Definition Scope and MVP Definition UX Design UI Design Development Deep Dive into the UX Process Conclusion Chapter 2: Defining the Problem Why Research Is Important for Developers Foundational Research Is Necessary The Research Process Is Continuous Research and Systems Impact Artifacts and Deliverables The Developer’s Role in the Research Phase Conclusion Chapter 3: Determining the Scope and MVP Why Scaling Our View Matters Product Purpose and Reason to Exist Enduring Value in the Minimum Viable Product Determining the Minimum Viable Product Generate New Ideas Grounded in User Behaviors Conclusion Chapter 4: The Prototype Why Prototype? Accessibility First The Current State of Prototyping Lean UX Rapid Prototyping Straight to Code Agile and Prototyping What to Prototype? Low Detail, Low Functionality Low Detail, High Functionality High Detail, Low Functionality High Detail, High Functionality Conclusion Chapter 5: The Design System Library The Single Source of Truth Where Do You Start? Taking Stock of What You Have The Pattern Inventory The Color Inventory The Typography Inventory The Asset Inventory Design Tokens Naming Tokens Conclusion Chapter 6: The UX Design Process First, What Is UX? What Is UX Design? Dancing Between Data and Design Setting the Scene with Research UX Design Is a Team Sport Artifacts and Deliverables Project Documentation User Research Deliverables Design Deliverables Testing Deliverables User Testing Is an Iterative Process Conclusion Chapter 7: The UI Design Process UI Design Is a Team Sport The Design Language Getting Started with a Design Pattern Library Creating Content Imaging Line Art Animation Video and Audio Pulling It All Together with Prototyping Software Figma UXPin Conclusion Chapter 8: Development Opportunities for Discovery in Development Interactions Between Designers and Developers Looking Back to Get Ahead Organizational Tooling and Sharing Data Test Often and Pivot as Needed Conclusion Chapter 9: User Testing Why Testing Is Important User Testing Usability Testing Some Testing Methods User Tests Usability Tests Preparing to Test Two Low-Cost Testing Methods Conducting a Test Using a Paper Prototype Conducting an A/B Test It Is All About Context Conclusion Chapter 10: Developer Handoff All Platforms Are Not Created Equally Bringing the Design System and UI Elements Together The Front End and Back End Come Together Front-End Considerations Back-End Considerations Nothing Is Ever Finished Conclusion Chapter 11: Release into the Wild and Beyond A “Good Enough” Product Release Early Adopters and Initial Feedback Making Use of Analytics Post-launch Product Road Map and Planned Features Conclusion Index