A/B Testing for Websites: How to Design Tests for UX Wins
Digital Marketing 7 min read
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Home Blog User Experience DesignFull Guide for Creating a User-centric and Lean UX Design Process
What exactly makes up a user-centric and lean UX design process?
Due to its importance in improving conversions on websites and mobile applications, many developers today put user experience (UX) design as a primary focus.
In theory, a UX design is a process of creating seamless and simplified interactions for app and/or website users. In simple terms, it makes it easy for users to navigate through your digital branding hubs.
While there are many steps involved in developing a user-centric UX design, the aim of lean UX is to help developers scale fast – developing versions of an interface that get better with each iteration.
Happy users lead to a number of benefits for app and website owners, among which include:
Lean UX design, as the Interaction Design Foundation defines it, is a process that puts less focus on deliverables and puts it rather on obtaining feedback from users as early as possible.
It applies the principles of Lean project delivery which allows developers and designers to create iterations of prototypes based on direct user feedback while the design is being built. This allows for a more fluid approach as opposed to Agile which only gathers feedback after the “final” product is released to the public.
From a high-level perspective, this approach to UX design and development involves the development of assumptions or hypotheses on which improvements are staked on. It’s much like your elementary school lesson on the scientific method:
Some benefits of adopting a Lean UX design process include:
As mentioned above, a Lean UX design process generally involves research, prototyping, and gathering feedback. But that’s just a high-level view of the entire process.
Below, we elaborate on these steps so that you can start adopting them into your UX design and development endeavors.
The first step in the Lean user-centered design process is user research. During this step, a team of experts is gathered and tasked to learn about your intended user’s wants, needs, and behavior.
They will conduct various investigations which will include one or more data collection methods like surveys, focused group discussions, app or website evaluations, and others. It will also involve the use of data analysis tools like Google Analytics to help give researchers and designers accurate insights into how your end-users are expected to interact with your apps and/or websites.
The team then uses this information to create user personas, which are fictional representations of the target user.
After gathering information about the user, the researchers will then begin collaborating with engineers and designers to write user stories and personas.
User personas, in a nutshell, are fictional representations of your end-user. These are based on the information gathered during the user research phase. These stories help the team stay focused on the needs of the user throughout the design process.
User stories, on the other hand, are short descriptions of a feature or functionality from the perspective of an end user. They provide insight into how a user might interact with a particular feature and ensure that the UX is consistent throughout all aspects of the product.
FURTHER READING: 7 User Story Examples to Guide Your Fintech Mobile App’s UX
Next up is designing prototypes. This step is where the design and engineering teams develop a minimum viable product (MVP) or prototype that is exposed to users for testing.
This is where the process circles back to gathering feedback only that, in this stage, it involves an initial iteration of your app or website product they can interact with. Exposing this initial product to users then allows the team to get feedback on how well or badly your prototype meets your end-user’s needs.
This step can be repeated as many times as needed to get the best version of your products as possible as experimentation and iteration are encouraged by Lean UX design. The feedback that is accumulated over time is then used to build towards the final product that will be published and promoted to a wider audience of users.
Some products will have as little as three iterations before it’s ready for the final adjustments, while others will require more than ten. But remember that, no matter how many iterations you need to do, the priority is the satisfaction of the user.
If this goal is not met, then iterate, iterate, and yes, iterate again.
This may sound like the most tedious step of all, but the rewards that come with them are well worth it. Work smart and accurately based on what your data insights tell you, and you will never release a bad product.
User-centric and Lean UX design is essential when it comes to developing useful and effective app and website products. This is because it ensures that the user is taken into account during the design process, which can lead to a better user experience overall.
On top of these three steps, remember that the Lean UX design also involves soft skills such as:
Are you currently using a Lean UX design process in your organization? If yes, what are your best learnings from them? Share them with us on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. We always welcome a healthy exchange of ideas.
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