November 27, 2019
UX-Giving: The Tools, Techniques and Processes We're Most Thankful For
By Ward Andrews
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The UX tools and techniques that work best depend on the person using them. Our team of designers, developers and strategists each has a go-to set of tools, tricks and processes they rely on to build meaningful user experiences. Here is what we are most thankful for this holiday season.
What UX Tools and Techniques Is Our Team Most Thankful For?
As a team with diverse backgrounds, our ideation tools and processes are just as varied as we are. From paper sketches to IPEVO cameras to GitHub, here is how each of us gets the work done.
Jessie Marman: Candid Feedback in the Research Process
In the Zone Music: Electronic music and jazz. No lyrics. Thankful For: Candid feedback in the research process. Ideation: Write it out on paper.
Jessie's first step on any new project is to write. Using a rough combination of empathy mapping and customer journey mapping, she gets as many ideas on paper as possible before moving into Sketch. The writing process helps her conceptualise the exact UX challenge a client is facing, while also surfacing the root challenges underneath a user flow or design.
Once things are planned on paper, she relies on direct feedback from users to refine the experience she is building. The best feedback comes from rapid prototyping and a research process that makes end-users feel comfortable during testing.
"It's important to let subjects know that we aren't testing them, we are testing the design."
"It's so important to get candid feedback to ensure my vision as a designer is the same as what the end-user envisions. I love it when an end-user isn't afraid to give honest feedback on something I have designed."
Michael Sidler: IPEVO Camera for Real-Time Collaboration
In the Zone Music: None. Usually on client calls or meetings. Thankful For: IPEVO Camera. Ideation: Plan it on a big canvas.
Michael's design projects happen on a much larger canvas than Jessie's, literally. Our early-stage affinity mapping exercises use paper rolls that cover entire walls of client conference rooms, and Michael often finds himself ideating with entire rooms of information.
From there, he communicates workshop findings and conveys next steps to internal and external teams, using his strategy drawings to translate needs and problems into actionable direction for remote designers and developers.
His real-time collaboration with clients and internal partners typically happens with an IPEVO camera. This lets him sketch different UI solutions with the design team and ideate over designs and concepts in real-time, whether that is with internal partners or directly with clients.
Jordan Hunke: Zeplin for Cross-Platform Design Handoff
In the Zone Music: Music in the morning, silence midday, podcasting in the afternoon. Thankful For: Zeplin. Ideation: Explore while designing.
"I have a whiteboard in my home office specifically to help me think through the workshops we do with clients. Sometimes I use painter's tape to hang our maps, or I'll just use a dry erase marker to draw everything out on a big scale."
Like Michael, Jordan has customised his space to fit his day-to-day tasks. He even built a 7-foot desk so he would have plenty of room to work in Sketch across two monitors. Sketch is his number one tool, but he uses Zeplin constantly since he needs to share his Mac-created designs with developers or clients who use PC.
Jordan's ideation process is about exploration rather than planning or front-loading questions. It is that exploration that helps him build the right solution for a client.
"It's harder for me to think of any and all questions until I'm actually in the design. I have to get in there first. How do these elements interact? Sometimes it's the very process of exploring that helps me ask the right questions."
Sean Coleman: GitHub and Keeping Technology in Its Lane
In the Zone Music: None. Thankful For: GitHub. Ideation: Tackle a specific problem first.
Sean also likes to dive straight into a challenge. He prefers to tackle something "very specific" when fixing or building code, which helps him avoid wasting time or struggling with complicated underlying logic.
"Zeplin is perfect for clients that don't have a Mac or don't have Sketch. I can upload everything I'm working on, and then the client can add comments and highlight specific areas of the design for feedback, seamlessly."
Half of Sean's day is spent in meetings, with the rest in GitHub code reviews or tackling client strategy. When it comes to ideation, Sean keeps projects focused on the end-user and makes sure technology is being used in the right way. He counsels clients on how to collect user feedback while reminding them that technology is a tool to serve design and the product, not the other way around.
"Sometimes the product vision and the current technology our clients are working with are in opposition. We help them fix that by talking more with end users. It's absolutely critical when putting together the right technology solution."
When client feedback is not available, Sean believes that overcommunicating the strategy, vision and goals of the new design can bridge the gap.
Chester Schendel: Pen, Paper and 20 Years of Visualisation
In the Zone Music: Music is always on, but not usually with lyrics. Thankful For: Uni-ball pen and Drawbackwards sketchbook. Ideation: Visualisation from experience.
Understanding the client's business goals and providing a meaningful experience to the end user is central to how Chester approaches a new project. Chester can visualise designs in incredible detail, a sixth sense that has come in handy over 20 years of UX experience. He relies on his intuition and experience to unpack potential solutions for clients, then couples that with knowledge gained during research.
"Usually, the solution to a code problem is simple. That's why I try to identify something very specific to work on. Context is great, but that first, specific solution is usually the best."
Once he is clear on key objectives, Chester puts pen to paper and jots out physical sketches before the ideas fade. He designs on paper first because designing on the computer slows the process down, and ideation and execution of initial prototypes require both speed and focus. That is also why he avoids music with lyrics and usually finds himself immersed in Lo-fi Hip Hop or Groove Salad.
"I can build mental sketches while I'm listening to a client's challenges. I visualise the experience in my head, which makes it easier for me to ask specific questions about the goal of the design."
FAQ
What UX tools do designers use most for ideation? It depends on the designer. Common tools include paper sketching, empathy mapping, customer journey mapping, Sketch, Zeplin and whiteboards. Many designers start on paper before moving to digital tools.
What is Zeplin used for in UX design? Zeplin is a handoff tool that lets designers share their work with developers or clients who do not use the same software. It allows stakeholders to view designs, leave comments and highlight specific areas for feedback, regardless of whether they are on Mac or PC.
Why do UX designers test the design and not the user? Testing should make end-users feel comfortable enough to give honest feedback. When users feel they are being evaluated rather than the design, they hold back. Framing testing as an evaluation of the product, not the person, produces more candid and useful results.
How does an IPEVO camera help with UX collaboration? An IPEVO camera lets designers share hand-drawn sketches and physical materials in real-time during remote calls. It is particularly useful for communicating UI solutions and design concepts with clients or team members who are not in the room.
Why do some UX designers prefer paper sketching over digital tools? Paper is faster for early ideation. Designing on a computer can slow the process because the tool itself becomes a distraction. Paper lets designers capture ideas quickly before they fade, with no software friction in the way.
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