In this step, I observe user behaviours and try to understand the users' needs. My typical activities include:

• UX workshop with stakeholders
  • Who is the user?
  • What is the context in which the product is being used?
  • Capture environment, devices, disabilities. For example, are they at home, in the office, on a train, info on devices, and any disabilities you should take into account
• User research:
  • Interviews
  • Ethnographic research - This is a type of field study, where we observe user in their natural environment
  • Secondary research - Such as articles, studies, etc, to identify best practices and pitfalls
• Competitor analysis
• Feature analysis

In this stage, I will use the information gathered previously and define the problem, by looking for patterns and insights about the users. My typical activities include:

• User interview analysis
• Personae
• Storyboards
• Customer journey map

In this phase, I will generate a range of potential solutions to the problem. My typical activities include:

• Brainstorming workshop (note and vote)
• Define use cases and high-level stories
• Information architecture - Where will it live? Card sorting is an example of a something you could do
• Find-ability - This is about navigation, if they can't find it, they can't use it
• Content strategy & visual hierarchy - This is about having the right information, in the right place at the right time
• User flow diagrams
• Lo-fi wireframes - Desktop and mobile
• Start user testing wireframes

In this stage, my typical activities include:

• Visual design & mockups
  • Identify design patterns - Reuse existing or define new ones
  • Accessibility - For example, W3C guidelines (WCAG), use of colour, etc
  • Mobile responsiveness - For all viewports and devices
• Build UI kit
• Interactive prototypes
• Continue testing

In this stage, I will test and evaluate the prototype with the target users. I will gather feedback to refine the prototype and ensure it meets their needs. My typical activities include:

• Usability testing
• Continuous iteration - 'Test and learn' cycles

In this stage, my typical activities include:

• Update the atomic design system
• Update UI component library (in the codebase, for example, storybook)
• Accessibility - For example: W3C guidelines (WCAG), alt tags, aria labels, screen readers, etc
• Zeplin handover to engineering

By continuing to analyse the product, we will gain valuable knowledge and insights for future development. In this stage, my typical activities include:

• Gathering analytics and metrics
• Continue testing
• Conduct user research - Surveys and interviews
• Recommendations for improvements