5 Common Problems with the UX Process (And Tools that Can Help)
The User Experience process is an essential piece of the customer service puzzle. The process involves enhancing customer satisfaction by streamlining the usability and accessibility of your product as the customer uses it. Here is a list of five common problems with this process and some tools to help you regain control of your projects.
1. Desynchronicity In Your Team
When a team is desynchronized or poorly managed, the UX process becomes even more difficult because the team is not working on the same page. This includes your client as well, which should be considered a member of the design team.
In order to combat this type of ineffectiveness, there are a number of tools available to rally your team each day. You can use a traditional huddle or meeting before work begins, but we’ve compiled a few online resources that are a bit more effective.
Basecamp is a “basecamp” for your employees to meet, communicate, and be held accountable for their part in a project. The platform allows for easy project assignments and collaboration between remote or in-office team members.
No more sifting through group emails or sending a chain email to everyone on the team. The interface has its own communication feature so that your team can focus more on production and less on sending emails.
Team collaboration has never been easier with Trello. Providing a platform which allows your team to create lists, project boards, and even priority cards, Trello makes the team synchronicity process easier than ever.
Easily assign and prioritize tasks and set deadlines with Trello’s easy to use interface. Use this tool to ensure deadlines are clarified and met, and everyone on your team knows their part in the project.
2. Differing Methods Among Team Members
So you’ve organized a team of experts to work on the UX process for your project, but you’ve run into an issue. Each of your team members has a different way of doing things.
While you should absolutely encourage individuality among your team members, you also need to set a standard for those involved in the project so that the project comes first. The team is there to do a job, and to do this everyone must be on the same page.
Set standards in the design process, and make deadlines and team member expectations absolutely clear. Using the team collaboration tools we’ve listed above can assist in putting your team on the same track to creating high-quality products.
3. The Project Has No Roadmap
If your project is poorly managed and has no roadmap or general outline of how the finished product will be delivered, the development process will suffer. This is where wireframe tools can help.
Wireframe tools can assist in creating a basic outline of the software you’re creating, unifying the team and your client and providing a basic concept of your final design.
This process is effective at reducing confusion and increasing the productivity of the team as a whole. A good wireframe sets up your project for success by reducing errors early in the process and allowing for real-time edits.
4. The Developers Forget To Think Like A User
The UX process can often be so labor intensive and focused that the developers forget to think like the users themselves. It’s important to remember who you’re designing for and how they will interact with your product once it’s completed.
UX involves mapping out different users and their journey through your system. You’ll need to keep good navigation in mind and put yourself into the user’s point of view. Does your landing page display an effective message or CTA? Is the app or website easily navigated, with a navigation bar and labeled tabs or links?
A quality wireframe tool can also help map out these issues. Wireframing is an essential part of designing an effective user interface and making the design process flow smoothly.
Some of the top wireframing tools are Moqups, Axure RP, and Mockplus. Each of these tools provides an interactive interface with additional team collaboration and sharing tools that will encourage team cooperation and flawless design.
5. Uncertain Feasibility
There are times when an idea can be large, sound great, look great, and genuinely seem like a legitimate solution to a problem, but turn out to be something nobody needed in the first place.
When you have a client that wants certain aspects of a project designed in a particular way that is not user-friendly of cost-effective, it’s important to ask certain questions.
Feasibility refers to the question of “can we do this?” Is it feasible to implement this design, on this budget, for this price? Can the client afford it, and can the company deliver it? Are the designs too complex or the cost to implement it too great?
The most valuable designs fall in the middle of the spectrum between feasibility (can we do this?), desirability (does anyone want this?) and viability (should we do this?). This is where the most profit and usability is found, and so it’s your job to ask the clients these questions during the design process.
Decide how much time, money, and how many team member will be required to complete the project. The client should complete market research beforehand to ensure the product will be desirable and serve a valuable function.
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