The UX methodology: an important issue for the success of the project

By Laure Gabrielle Chatenet

A successful user experience (User eXperience: UX) depends heavily on the UX methodology adopted to achieve the project's objectives. This methodology is based on a user-centered approach that relies, upstream, on an in-depth analysis (UX research) of the user's needs. This is done in order to match the UX/UI design work to the end-users' expectations.

Simply employing the right methods that coincide with the company's objectives to develop a profitable methodology to create an optimal user experience.

UX research methods

UX research is a crucial step in understanding the end-user's behaviors and needs, as well as the context of product use. There are several quantitative and qualitative techniques for conducting conclusive user research.

Quantitative research methods

A/B Testing

A/B testing consists of testing two versions of the same user interface, slightly modified, in order to determine which version performs better in terms of conversion. This is a significant way to optimize the profitability of a web page, which allows you to deliver a better user experience and attract them to the conversion tunnel.

Heat MapHeat maps allow to analyze the interaction of the user with the digital device, through the inspection of different actions, such as :

the scroll (scroll map),
the cursor movements,
the mouse clicks (click heat map),
the eye movements (eye tracking).

The heatmap allows you to determine the most engaging areas that capture the user's interest. On this basis, it will be easier to propose the appropriate optimizations to improve the user experience.

User testing

User testing consists of having the target user test an action scenario (which illustrates the user path). This is done in order to observe the way he interacts with the interactive system and to bring out the real usability flaws that prevent him from having a fluid experience.

Qualitative research methods

User interviews

User interviews are a simple technique to identify the needs and motivations of the users, in addition to the various obstacles that hinder the efficient use of the digital product. This technique makes it easy to collect a large number of spontaneous and realistic answers, which help to understand the target user.

Ethnographical studies

The ethnographic study is conducted by an ethnologist who makes immersive observations of the context of use and the needs of the target users. This is done in order to fully understand their needs and to determine the difference between what they say and what they actually do.

Focus Group Discussion

The focus group aims to bring together all the participants (with different profiles), with the objective of collecting several divergent opinions concerning the company's product. It is about conducting an investigation, based on the organization's objectives, in order to boost their critical sense to highlight the design flaws. This workshop also aims to stimulate their sense of creativity to discover innovative optimization ideas.

Capian: a tool adapted to UX researchers

Capian is a powerful online collaboration tool that helps UX researchers more easily detect irritants in user interfaces. This allows them to prioritize optimization proposals in order to create a better UX. This tool facilitates these tasks :

Heuristic Evaluations: These are used to inspect usability issues that degrade the performance of the ihm interface, while referring to a standard evaluation grid, following the example of Nielsen heuristics.
UX audits: They consist in performing detailed UX assessments of the usability of a digital interface, based on customized or predefined ergonomic rules such as the Bastien and Scapin criteria. These analyses are effective in optimizing the usability of a digital interface.
A digital roadmap: is a holistic mapping of business and product objectives. It provides all stakeholders with a high-level view of the methodology and resources to be engaged to solve the problems encountered and optimize the user research stage.

Methods for defining project objectives

Establish the persona files

The persona is a fictitious profile of a qualified potential customer (the customer the company is planning to reach). This archetype gathers a heterogeneous set of information: demographic and psychological data, interests, motivations, objectives, etc. Personas contribute to :

optimize the user journey and provide a better user experience.
Create personalized messages, according to the characteristics of the relevant model type, to attract it directly to the conversion funnel.
Optimize the segmentation of the target population.

The UX benchmark

The UX benchmark represents a meticulous study of

of competitors' practices, with the objective of optimizing the competitiveness of the company's product. It consists in making a comparative analysis, in order to :

Emerge good methodologies adopted by competitors. This helps the company to come up with creative ideas to provide a new competitive advantage, allowing it to stand out from the competition.
Explore usability flaws that should not be replicated in UX design.
Conduct strategic intelligence to develop an eminent innovation approach.

Capian: an effective solution for defining project objectives

Capian provides the stakeholder team with a remote collaborative workspace. This valuable service delivers several benefits:

collaborate seamlessly in real time. Exchanges between collaborators are done in an iterative and rapid manner. Thus, the management, distribution, assignment and prioritization of tasks can be done in a more structured and clearer way for all stakeholders.
Establish a clear road map in a collaborative manner. This road map provides a common and explicit vision to all collaborators regarding the stages of the UX project and the strategy to be implemented to achieve the expected goals.
Dissolve any ambiguity that may hinder the definition of the planned objectives. Through real-time collaboration, collaborators can more effectively discuss, dissect and adjust proposed ideas.

Idea generation methods

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a creative ideation workshop that favors the generation of a considerable cloud of innovative ideas, allowing to bring effective solutions to the identified problems. This method is based on the principle of free expression of thoughts, in order to collect spontaneous and instinctive ideas without destructive judgment.

Brainwriting

Brainwriting is a variant of brainstorming, whose objective is to boost collective thinking to create the maximum number of thoughts in the minimum amount of time. To do this, 6 participants are brought together, each of them proposes 3 ideas on a sheet of paper (after 5 minutes), in response to the problem to be addressed. Hence the name 6-5-3 method.

Each member passes his or her sheet of paper to the person next to him or her to write down 3 additional or more detailed thoughts that expand on the ideas already stated. This handing over is repeated until each participant returns the sheet of paper on which he or she proposed his or her first thoughts.

Six To One

The Six to One is a co-creation workshop dedicated to unlocking collective creativity and inventing innovative wireframes, in the context of a website development or redesign.

Each member proposes 6 different proposals in a short time. In a second step (One Up), the participants have to combine in a single sketch the best wireframes established in the previous step.

In the final phase, the participants present their sketches to the facilitator, to discuss them, refine them together and select the best performing models.

Capian: a powerful tool for idea generation

Capian ensures a structured and rapid discussion between all stakeholders. They can propose their ideas directly on the platform, comment on them and optimize them in real time. The tool offers all the necessary tools (moodboard, brainstorming, etc.) for :

Annotate and share design ideas more efficiently. With Capian, concerned professionals can eliminate the need for a thousand and one meetings to come up with the best optimization solutions.
Rendre l’étape d’idéation plus fructueuse et plus conviviale.

Design methods

Card Sorting

Card sorting is an information architecture method used to prioritize the pages of a website. This activity is performed by the target user (or a group of users), in order to organize the content of the site according to his mental model.

Each participant is given a set of cards (each card represents an ihm interface) and is asked to put them together into distinct groups and label them with a short phrase. Then, they are asked to group these groups of cards into larger groups and so on, until the overall site hierarchy is obtained.

Creating prototypes

The prototype is an interactive model that models the visual aspect and the functioning of the final interface, in order to test them before the actual development of the digital device. This way, the end user can have a clear idea of the main principles of navigation and interaction with the site. He can also ask for adjustments and add other functionalities.

The prototypes are optimized in an iterative way, until the versions most adapted to the client's expectations are obtained.

Capian: a crucial tool for UX designers

The Capian tool is very effective in strengthening the synergy of the UX design team and harmonizing their collaboration. With this tool, UX designers can fully concentrate on their core business of UX design, thanks to the facilities offered by Capian. Indeed, each UX designer can :

Easily capture the element to be inspected in the UX prototype, from the Chrome extension, while browsing the site (or app).
Annotate your captures, prioritize and share your recommendations with colleagues and clients, for instant discussion and improvement.
Accelerate and optimize the design of prototypes aligned with client needs.

UI design methods

Create a style guide

The style guide gathers all the instructions and UI elements that make up the visual identity of the brand, such as: typography, colorimetry, font sizes, shapes of certain components (oval, rounded or rectangular buttons, etc).

This document serves as a crucial communication tool that aligns all stakeholder teams, regardless of their discipline: UI/UX design, sales, customer service, etc., on the same guideline for the development of the corporate identity.

MoodBoard

The moodboard is an inspiration board that helps UI designers boost their creative ability and look for the best design ideas (represented by inspiring images). These suggestions help to create a coherent, innovative design that matches the new trends in UI design.

The moodboard is also an effective communication medium, which allows the development of visual identity in a collaborative way. It also allows for the design of user interfaces based on the client's recommendations, by including them in the ideation sessions.

Capian: a tool for UI designers

Like UX designers, the Capian tool offers the same features to UI designers, with the goal of facilitating their design task and optimizing their collaboration. With Capian, they can :

Quickly capture the areas to be optimized in the graphical interface, comment on them and immediately discuss the planned improvements with their employees and customers. This entire process is done online in a single space. This ensures better coordination in the work and results in the design of interfaces that meet the customer's expectations.
Save valuable time in communication with team members. This helps to deliver on time and prove the credibility of the brand to the client.

Last word

A well-structured UX methodology is the guarantee of a successful design project. This approach encompasses all the human resources (UX researchers, UX designers, developers, web integrators, UI designers, POs, etc.) and intangible resources (survey techniques, prototyping, graphic design, etc.) for the design of a powerful site or application that offers a pleasant experience to the user.

Capian is one of the unavoidable tools to improve the work of the actors involved. This tool is based on the principle of real-time collaboration in a single workspace. This guarantees a more fluid communication and a faster progress towards the desired objectives.

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