Strand 2 (Design): UX/UI Design Process — From Research to Usable Interfaces

User Experience (UX)

The end-to-end quality of a person’s interaction with a product or system, including ease of accomplishing goals and overall confidence.

User Interface (UI)

The specific set of screens, controls, visuals, and interaction patterns that a user interacts with in a product.

Vision in UX/UI design

A clear statement of what you’re building, who it’s for, and why it matters; crucial to prevent feature list product design.

Target users

The specific audience that a design is aimed at, including their context and needs.

Journey mapping

A structured view of the user’s experience across stages; helps identify pain points and opportunities.

Information architecture (IA)

How content/features are grouped and labeled in a product.

Wireframes

Simplified layouts showing structure and hierarchy of design without final visuals.

Prototype

A representation of a product that users can interact with, ranging from low-fidelity sketches to high-fidelity mockups.

Iteration

The process of continuously refining a design based on feedback and testing.

Focus testing

Structured sessions where users complete tasks while being observed to identify usability issues.

Beta testing

Releasing a near-finished product to a limited audience to catch issues before full launch.

Affinity mapping

Grouping observations into themes during the analysis phase of research.

Recognition vs recall

Recognition is easier than recall; users find it simpler to recognize familiar options than to remember them.

Conditioning in UX

Behavior shaped by the consequences of actions; positive outcomes encourage repetition of actions.

Heuristic evaluation

A structured review of an interface to identify usability issues based on established heuristics.

Visibility of system status

Users should always know what’s happening in the system; improves trust and interaction clarity.

Match between system and real world

Using language and concepts familiar to the user to improve comprehension and reduce confusion.

User control and freedom

Allowing users to undo actions and cancel processes, reducing anxiety and promoting exploration.

Consistency and standards

Following established conventions within a product and across platforms to reduce cognitive load.

Error prevention

Designing systems to prevent errors before they happen, rather than just providing error messages.

Flexibility and efficiency of use

Supporting both novice and expert users, improving productivity over time.

Aesthetic and minimalist design

Avoiding irrelevant information that competes for the user’s attention to improve focus and comprehension.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Providing clear, specific, and constructive error messages to enhance user experience.

Help and documentation

Offering easily accessible help when needed, focused on user tasks.

Conditioning

Influence of feedback on user behavior; positive reinforcements lead to repeated actions.

Prototyping

Creating interactive models to test ideas and gather user feedback.

Design Methodology

A structured approach to planning and executing design work, affecting project outcome and adaptability.

Top-Down design

Designing by starting with the big picture and drilling down into details.

Bottom-Up design

Starting with small components and assembling them into a larger interface.