UX Design 2020

FOR BEGINNERS TO PRO

A No-Fluff Beginners Guide to User
Experience and Usability Research

Carl Jones
 Copyright
Copyright©2020 Carl Jones
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© 2020 by Carl Jones
 Contents
Copyright
What is UX
Web application
UX and AI - Special case
What is Design
User experience (UX), what is it?
UX design: A Profession in its own right
The principles
Design thinking
An approach to problems through the development of solutions
Design Thinking method to solve problems
The different stages of Design Thinking
7 Golden Rules of UX Design
Comparing Your Perspective to the User Perspective
Understand the context of the use
Steering and centralization of studies
The process of collecting needs
Complementary work to the collection of user needs
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Start the project
MOBILIZE AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE
User Research
UX RESEARCH, A DEFINITION
WHY DO USER RESEARCH?
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH OR SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH IN UX?
UX RESEARCH, FIRST PHASE OF DESIGN THINKING
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN UX?
PROFILE OF THE “UX RESEARCHER”?
METHODS OF UX RESEARCH
 RESEARCH UX, WHAT IS THE UX DESIGNER TOOLKIT?
WHICH UX RESEARCH METHOD TO CHOOSE?
UX Research Cheat Sheet
THE CO-DESIGN WORKSHOP
THE ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
OBSERVATION
Shadowing
Eye Tracking Tests
PERSONAS METHOD
USER INTERVIEW
SORTING CARDS
USER TESTS
Design and Develop
Give birth to new ideas
GO FROM AN IDEA TO A SOLUTION CONCEPT
EXPERIMENT WITH A SOLUTION
PROTOTYPING
LAUNCH AND ITERATE
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND ADAPTATION
VISUAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Gestalt Basics
Fencing
Continuity
About white space
About visual sobriety
What to remember
Visual Design Tool kit
THE ESSENTIAL VALUE OF UX DESIGN
From interface design to experience design
UX DESIGN JOBS
The Discipline of UX Design
 Common Tools
UX strategy / ideation tools
UX tools to formalize a roadmap
UX tools for making wireframes
UX tools to prototype interactions
UX tools for web designers
UX presentation and collaboration tools
UX tools to assess user behaviour
Conclusion
About The Author
 What is UX
What is called UX (user experience) is a term coined by D. Norman in the
early 1990s. The expression clarifies the previously vague notion of user-
centered design, that is to say, the manufacture and design of products
adapted to users. Since then, the notion has been enriched by contributions
from the sciences of ergonomics and cognition to characterize the process
which the user experiences when he interacts with a given product, whether it
is material (a chair per example), or digital (a website, an application). This
process has been associated since 1999 with an international ISO standard
that defines requirements and recommendations for the design of interactive
systems centered on the human user. This desire for standardization confirms
the more specific application of the term to the world of digital objects.
Web application
The UX begins when an individual formulates a need. The user experience is
the chain of questions that an individual asks himself in front of an object, in
a subjective process of appropriation which aims to respond to an initial need.
Pushed to a higher level of abstraction, the user experience models this path,
by proposing a cyclical progression, each of whose stages is reached by
validation (not final) of the previous one. Ultimately, the UX offers an
operational product/service design model.
While it is difficult, when it comes to the web, to precisely define good user
experience, its design must nevertheless take into account a certain number of
criteria, as defined by Magnus Revang
Findability: Can the user find the information they are looking for?
Accessibility: is the content accessible to all types of users?
Attraction: Is the information presented in such a way as to arouse the
interest of the user?
Credibility: Can the user trust the content they are facing?
Utility: Could the system meet the needs of the user?
The UX should not be reduced to a process of qualitative validation of a
digital object, nor one step among others of a creation process. But, pervasive
by nature, on the contrary, it is based, from design to implementation, user-
oriented thinking.
 UX and AI - Special case
Given the evolution of the way to access information, the multiplication of
interfaces and distribution channels, the concern to design a user experience
that is coherent, fluid, and global, becomes essential in the architecture of the
information. The “information architecture” point of view makes it possible
to understand that the user experience goes beyond the simple interface,
application, or website design, but that it is multimodal and covers a broader
and complex reality. It is not a question of delimiting action perimeters,
specific to each discipline (UX, information architecture, interface design,
etc.), but to account for their systemic interdependence. The information
architect is then the one who creates an accessible, rich, and permissive
ecosystem.
What is Design
According to Le Petit Robert, the design is an "industrial aesthetic applied to
the search for new forms adapted to their function (for utility objects,
furniture, housing in general)". Design is also an adjective: "modern and
functional aesthetics".
If we look at its etymology, the term "design" comes from the Latin word
"designare" which translates indifferently by designer or draw. The term
design, therefore, covers both the notion of drawing, visual composition,
materialization, but also that of design, intention, and process. "To design is
not only to mark something with a sign (signifier) but also to forge a" project
", which will be embodied in the sign, that is to say, to give meaning
(signified ) ". Brigitte Borja de Mozota, a specialist in design management,
summed up design by the equation: "DESIGN = DESSEIN + DESSIN". This
is what I call on my side creating "the form at the service of the substance".
For design historians, it was William Morris, a young English artist of the
decorative arts and avid reader of Marx, who is commonly considered to be
the originator of design. In 1861, he was strongly indignant against bad
industrial taste. According to him, "the renewal and defense of the decorative
arts is the only way to save man from industrialization, by rehabilitating the
artist's author work with quality ornamental craftsmanship, and at the same
time improving the living environment offered by modern society ". William
Morris sees the decorative arts as a means of advancing modern society,
saving it from the scourge of industry by improving the living environment.
This encounter between the decorative arts and industry, first in the form of
rejection,
In the 1970s, the use of design was widespread in many industries. The
objective is then to better draw the objects. There is a huge demand for the
aesthetic product, in the wake of Raymond Loewy's book "Ugliness sells
badly". The dominant idea is that function creates form.
In the 1990s, the design issue was approached differently. We leave the
functional object to go towards seduction. A new level of differentiation is
emotion. It is the appearance of the design of authors and signatures with for
example the emblematic Philippe Starck and his lemon squeezer: it would not
be so much to squeeze a lemon as to trigger a conversation around the object.
It is also the heyday of the discovery of design by marketing, which does not
seek to create a better world but to make consumers buy what the company
has decided to sell. The "push" mindset of marketing (selling to make
turnover) outweighs the "pull" mindset of design (meeting the real needs of
individuals to improve their lives).
When the service sector becomes predominant, when competition becomes
very strong, when consumers become experts and when they allow
themselves to be less and less "manipulated" by marketing, the challenge for
design is to go beyond product and redefine its scope of interventions, in
particular with service design. The role of design is no longer so much to
design products to respond to problems by designing uses, experiments with
much more global solutions.
Apple propels digital design by allowing the creation of apps, new minimalist
but very tangible supports of countless new experiences. The apps that
survive are those that are well "designed", that is to say when the form is
fully put to the service of the background.
Design is becoming more and more detached from marketing or is
transforming marketing, to create offers that truly meet the needs of
individuals and that generate a high level of turnover for the company in a
win/win relationship. We are thinking here of Apple, Google, Airbnb, Uber,
Blablacar, etc.

We are far from the aesthetic design of William Morris and the design thus
slips substantially from all material to encompass more and more intangible
aspects, of the order of lived experience, even if, in the end, all experience is
concentrated at a time. where another in a tangible element.
We understand that design is an approach to innovation, the search for
solutions. Herbert Simon, a pioneer in the science of design, had written in
1969 in The Artificial Sciences that design was a problem-solving process.
We can see how the fields of intervention of design have evolved, while the
fundamentals of design remain unchanged:
Questioning based on the "real" needs of the people concerned
Search for innovative and relevant solutions
Form at the service of substance
And a strong ability to collaborate with other disciplines (human sciences,
new technologies to offer the most relevant solutions possible).

User experience (UX), what is it?

To define what good user experience is, just remember the bad ones. Who
has not railed in front of a messy site where it is impossible to navigate the
categories? How many of us will immediately look elsewhere when an error
message appears? Who wants to fill out 5 pages of forms to place an order for
20 EUR? The UX design aims to suggest a way that the user's website to feel
comfortable, confident, and can find the information he seeks while having
the desire to interact with the site.
Important elements of the user experience include:
● The appearance of the site and its ergonomics (consistency of design,
placement of elements, etc.)
● Its ability to reassure the user of his credibility (no errors, company
identification, testimonials, etc.)
● The efficiency of the site: we must intuitively and easily find the
information sought (internal search engine, categorization of content,
etc.)
● The listing, which will allow users to find or find the site easily from
search engines
● Ease of use: for example, a smooth ordering process for an online store
● The ability to adapt to the various terminals used by users: mobile,
 tablet, portable, large screens, etc.

UX design: A Profession in its own right

If UX design has long been integrated into website design in a sometimes
somewhat empirical way, there are now job offers specific to this field, which
shows the growing importance of this "science".
It should also be noted that search engines like Google have always
recommended designing sites that promote good user experience. Certain
SEO criteria are also derived from this recommendation (for example the fact
of not putting a popup on the sites).
The principles
Design thinking
In the field of innovation, design thinking is a design method based on uses.
According to this Anglo-Saxon precept born in Silicon Valley, creation
should obey two major imperatives: empathy and experimentation. From a
multidisciplinary approach, design thinking is based on a pragmatic
approach, based on the observation of practices and study in the field, to
solve problems by creating, or improving, organizations, procedures,
products, or services. The golden rule of design thinking, its "culture", is
knowing how to put yourself in the shoes of others: the innovation process
must be developed with all users and no longer just around the manufacturing
process. Founder of one of the most innovative companies in the world, Steve
Jobs said: “ Most people make the mistake of thinking that design is
apparent.
Design thinking is quite simply as its name suggests the thought, the state of
mind, even the philosophy of the designers, and not a methodology as we
read too often. If it was a methodology, we would speak of "design
methodology", if it was a process, of "design process" ...
Design thinking, or design thinking, is the way of apprehending the world
and its problems as a whole (in a systematic way and by relying on other
disciplines) with humility, empathy, and questioning to identify the real
problems to be solved and then call on creativity to create, test and develop
relevant solutions by confronting them with the reality on the ground
(humility and questioning are also essential here). It is a state of mind that
makes it possible to find relevant solutions to problems that seem insoluble.
My conviction is that we all had in our childhood this state of mind of
discovering the world with abductive reasoning ("what if we said that") and
not just deductive or inductive, without a priori, without judgment, with
empathy, with humility (we knew we did not know, without any shame) and
with creativity (we invented and we experimented a lot of things with our
hands to learn from them). I think our cultural and educational system has
stifled this mindset and replaced it with judgment, competition, non-
questioning, low creativity, and the dominance of the intellect over the
textbook.
I have seen many times that designers have been preserved from this
formatting. This is precisely what enabled them to join a design school. They
come out with very specific skills that allow them, by surrounding
themselves with other complementary disciplines, to provide relevant
answers to all types of issues. However, it is a fact, companies and
administrations are in demand for methodologies. The question that arises for
each project should then be "how to quickly and efficiently co-create our
methodology, by integrating our constraints and by relying on the state of
mind of design thinking, to achieve our objectives" and not "apply the
methodology of design thinking", crossing our fingers so that it brings the
expected results ..., just as a chef will wonder "which recipe to invent with
the ingredients, the equipment and the time I have to satisfy at best my
clients? " and not "let's make the beef bourguignon recipe" when he has no
more carrots and has an hour in front of him.
Design thinking presented as a methodology or a recipe to follow, moreover
without a designer, is, therefore, absolute nonsense. It is an unfortunate
attempt to fit into a mold, in the business way of thinking, which needs
models, ready to think, a state of mind which, by nature, cannot be formatted
since it is based on constant questioning and non-formatting.

An approach to problems through the development

of solutions
As a practical method, Design Thinking aims to solve problems. As a process
of reflection, it revolves around a deep and common interest: that of
developing an understanding of the users for whom products and services are
designed.
This is why Design Thinking is a crucial aid in the questioning process and
whose empathy with the target user is the key way to achieve it. Putting
yourself in the shoes of the users, therefore, makes it possible to question
assumptions, while ultimately questioning the implications to be modeled, if
not predicting them.
This is also the reason why Design Thinking is an essential tool for dealing
with any poorly defined or unknown model. By reformulating it in a targeted
and user-centered manner, it sparks creativity and the emergence of new
ideas, especially during brainstorming sessions aimed at adopting a practical
approach to prototyping and user tests.
Design Thinking method to solve problems
In a service design and design approach, Design Thinking also involves
continuous experimentation: sketching, prototyping, testing, and testing of
concepts and ideas. This new approach to problem-solving also has the
distinction of leading to a new organization of work in companies. Design
Thinking was mainly designed to find solutions to social and economic
problems.
The different stages of Design Thinking
There are various variations of the Design Thinking process, with three to
seven distinct phases or steps. As different as they are, these versions of
methodology nevertheless embody the same principles revealed for the first
time Herbert Simon, winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in The Sciences of
the Artificial in 1969.
In the 1980s, Rolf Faste, director of the design product section of Stanford
University, lists 7 steps:
● Define: Identify the problem and the project that can solve it.
● Research: Bring together the whole team (designers, marketing experts,
developers, etc.) and define the problem.
● Imagine the brainstorming phase where you can collect ideas by
encouraging debate.
● Prototype: Development of the prototypes and diagrams.
● Select: Suggest to participants to select the best idea from among those
proposed.
● Implement: The project takes shape and the financial and human
 resources (who will do what?) Are defined.
● Learn: From the client, that is, show him the result and improve it
based on his reaction.
Jeremy Gutsche brings them back to 5 key steps:
● To define
● Imagine
● Synthesize
● Prototype
● Test
Finally, Tim Brown (IDEO) reduces the number to 3 main steps:
● Inspiration: identify the client's or non-clients problem and the situation
that could be improved by observing the context and behaviors. This is
the ethnographic study phase.
● Imagination: generating ideas together, developing and testing them
(brainstorming, use of visuals, prototypes, etc.)
● Implementation: the process which leads from the project to the
manufacturing of the product or the design of the service thanks to
storytelling and simulation of experience for example.

7 Golden Rules of UX Design

The interaction within a user interface plays an essential role in the use of a
website. Clear and precise interactions allow the user to concentrate on the
essential elements of navigation. Let's discover together what are the main
interaction rules to respect to offer a good user experience.
1. Affordance
The affordance is the ability of an object or system to discuss its use and
function. On a website, its role is to inform the user that an action must be
possible. For example, the fact of underlining a text is generally synonymous
that this text is a clickable link. It is therefore important to tell the user about
the different actions that can be performed on a page.
One of the best practices when deciding to use icons is to add text below
them so that the user clearly understands the possible actions.
2. Feedback
Just as important as affordance, feedback provides feedback on the action
that has just been taken by the user.
For this, it is necessary to inform the user by indicating the state of the
system following the progress of his actions. The task in hand should be
indicated - in simple and understandable terms for all. For example loading,
search, download, etc.
The successive feedbacks of this drag & drop allow us to follow the different
stages of downloading a file.
3. The Limits
The fact of limiting the actions of the user to simplify his route by offering a
path to follow and avoid the overload of useless information.
Thus, only the most relevant actions will be present on the page. We can
decide to highlight certain actions by using size, proportion, and emphasis on
different elements. This helps to create a hierarchy and influence the users.
The home page of the Foursquare site is a good example to illustrate this
idea. It allows the user to focus on the action he wishes to perform.
4. Consistency and standards
The consistency of the elements plays an important role in the use of an
application or a website. It allows the user to recognize paths (or patterns)
that are familiar to him and to facilitate the general use of a product.
To ensure maximum consistency within a website, it is necessary to use
components each having very specific functions. Thus, it is for example
important to limit oneself to one or two (max) type (s) of a button to allow
the user to instantly recognize their function. The same goes for other
components of a website, such as "checkboxes", "radio buttons", "sliders" or
other "dropdown menu".
More and more designers are now opting for the use of "design systems"
which group together reusable components and structures from project to
project. This allows greater uniformity and compliance with standards than
before.
It is also advisable to respect the web standards which evolve with the new
uses. Thanks to techniques such as "eye-tracking", we can notice that users
generally scan web pages with the same movement in "F". We can, therefore,
conclude that the hierarchy of the website must be thought upstream and that
the important contents of the page must generally be located on the upper left
part of the page.
5. The choice of words
When developing a site, it is necessary to keep in mind that end users are
often people who are not used to technical jargon and who also have limited
time. It is therefore advisable to support them as best as possible using a clear
and precise vocabulary.
The interface messages grouping, in particular, the texts of the action buttons,
the form fields, and the error messages are of capital importance to reassure
and allow the user to understand the service.
Regarding error messages, it is necessary to be as exhaustive as possible in
the drafting of the text. Thus, for the case of a telephone number incorrectly
indicated in a form, it is advisable to write the error message by treating the
specific point "It seems that the telephone number indicated is not complete
(10 digits)" rather than to be satisfied with a generic message "The form
contains errors".
6. Do not interrupt the user
When the user interacts with an application or a website, it is important not to
interrupt his navigation. We all have in mind many times when we have been
bothered by "popups" occurring at the wrong time. An intrusive design and
interactions can lead the user to have a negative opinion about a product, or
even not to return to it.
To promote navigation, it is advisable to limit the distractions offered by
reducing the number of possible choices (see: Limits). It is also a good idea
to eliminate tasks that might seem daunting. If possible, it may be beneficial
to pre-populate certain information automatically. For example, in a form: fill
in the user's city based on their geographic area and their IP address.
For example, this kind of "popup" can seem intrusive and interrupts the user
in his navigation.
7. Provide emergency exits
Keep in mind that it is impossible to create a website where the user will not
make any mistakes. Keeping this statement in mind, it is essential to allow
users to be able to go back on their actions so as not to generate frustration.
When possible, offering users to cancel their recent actions is a significant
plus.
The ability to pause an operation can also be beneficial. For example, the fact
of automatically saving the filling of a form when it is tedious allows the user
to take breaks or come back later. Today, with the advancement of different
email clients, it is natural for a user to start writing a message and hope that
this message is saved as a draft in the event of an interruption.
For example, Google Drive allows you to undo the last action taken by the
user and restore the deleted file.

Comparing Your Perspective to the User

Perspective
Before launching or setting up a new interactive device, it is essential to
involve users upstream of the design process to gain their voice: you will
always learn something! This is the best way to create a user-centric ( user-
centric ) project vs. a product built solely around the advertiser's requirements
(which rarely translates into good user experiences).
So how do you collect and analyze the needs of end-users before designing a
digital medium?
In this section, we will see how you can proceed to identify the real
expectations of users of a digital device. In the user experience design
method, we effectively seek to converge the business flow (the sponsor's
requirements) with the needs of end-users (the expectations of users). The
good match between these 2 flows makes it possible to offer a quality user
experience. So it's a User experience design and a mix between the strategic
design approach and that of ergonomics.
To be sure of the good match between your offers and the expectations and
actual uses of the end-users of your services, it is necessary to have recourse
to the collection of user requirements. This expression of needs finds its place
in the framing phase of the project cycle. This is one of the fundamental
techniques to use in the UX design method.
The collection of user needs consists of identifying, refining, and prioritizing
the needs and expectations formulated by users concerning a subject defined
such as the realization of a dematerialized service for example. Whether it is
the creation of a new digital device or the optimization of an existing site,
you cannot ignore the work of expressing user needs.
By collecting the needs of the end-user, you access a customer vision (end-
user). Needs collection work is carried out during individual interviews or
focus groups. It is important to get verbatim to illustrate the point and be very
pragmatic. You will thus be able to confirm or refute certain initial
hypotheses and readjust your design strategy thanks to a better knowledge of
your audience.
We advise you to use an expression of user needs for all your projects and
more particularly in the following cases:
● Creation of an intranet, an internal tool.
● Creation or redesign of an interactive device.
● Creation of a dematerialized service, creation of a merchant store.
● Creation of an information portal, a community tool.
And more generally any digital project where the user dimension is very
important (therefore most).
Web players are often reluctant to initiate surveys on the actual needs of
users. It is mainly the lack of time that is invoked ( deadline not adapted to
the roadmap ). Still, not reaching out to end-users of your device is a mistake.
How will you be able to meet their expectations if you do not take their
considerations into account?

Understand the context of the use

The collection of the user side needs allows us to better understand the
context of use and to identify more precisely the expectations of the users. It's
also about understanding how people use your digital device. You will
discover the parts of the site that users do not use. And so you will learn a lot
about effective use strategies and workaround strategies!
You can synthesize your collection of needs around a single document,
showing the specificities, expectations, and needs of each user category. Try
to meet ten people. A little less if your target is very homogeneous. A little
more if your project is intended to reach a large audience (government sites
for example ...).
This implies that you know your target score well at the start.
The expression of user needs ultimately makes it possible to create the
information necessary for refining and readjusting the project with a view to
its design:
● Collect the expectations of all user categories.
● Identify behaviors, uses, and consumption habits.
● Bring out the functional needs you haven't thought of.
● List the potential use constraints.
●
Laying all these elements flat favors the trade-offs to operate in the framing
of the project, by off-centering the heart of the project on the user: this is the
main difference between the design centered on the user, and the design
centered on the donor order! Thanks to this approach and this investigative
work, you will have real data to create persona files. The persona approach is
effective in helping design teams better understand the users for whom they
need to imagine design solutions.

Steering and centralization of studies

To collect the needs of end-users, both qualitative and quantitative survey
techniques are used. For the qualitative part, this involves carrying out (or
having carried out) interviews, interviews, and focus groups based on the
targeted socio-demographic profiles. Depending on the specifics of the
project, you may have to meet the users individually and / or in groups.
The practice consists in going to meet a small sample of users (6 to 10 is a
good base), selected based on a panel reported to your audience (when
possible), to question them on their relationship to the brand, their
expectations, their habits of attendance and consumption. Here are some
sample questions:
● What do you mainly do on the site?
● What would you like to see first on the home page?
● What are you missing in your customer area?
● Does the device meet all your needs?
● Do you manage to do [...]?
● Did you know that the site offers [...]?
To complete the qualitative investigations, you can use the techniques of
quantitative surveys through questionnaires and surveys to refine the
knowledge of the indicators of perception, notoriety, use, and satisfaction, on
significant volumes. When the investigation phase is over, it is time to
compare the qualitative information collected in the field and the quantitative
data collected using tools, to formalize them in the form of a summary note.
Give importance to the maintenance of this document for its status of referent
throughout the project. Remember, it will be very useful for design teams. Be
concise, you don't need to make a novel. For example, you can formalize
persona files to illustrate the words of the different types of people you have
met.
The expression of user needs will allow the project manager to decide
complex decisions knowingly. But also, and above all, to orient design
solutions (OUTPUT) based on information from the field with users
(INPUT).
The work of collecting user needs therefore directly feeds into reflections on
the adjustments to be made to the system.
The process of collecting needs
You can express user needs internally. It is not very expensive. It just takes a
bit of energy to find users who agree to give you a little time ( 1h30 is a good
ratio for a user interview ). It will also be necessary to analyze the
information collected. But it's not that rocket science. Otherwise, you will
need a service provider (if you outsource this work) capable of managing the
implementation of the various studies. Typical service for producing a
collection of user needs revolves around the following stages:
● A framing interview to define your problem.
● The refinement of groups and actors to meet.
● Preparation and creation of a driver for each interview.
● Coordination of interviews, interviews, and group focus.
● Writing a report for each interview.
● Creation of questionnaires and survey forms.
● Processing and interpretation of quantitative data.
● Writing a summary report.
As far as quantitative surveys are concerned, many actors carry them out
through their websites (online questionnaire, etc.). Whatever nature and
density involved in collecting the user needs of your digital project, be sure to
formalize the results in the form of a digestible and synthetic report, so that
everyone can take note of the user inputs!
Complementary work to the collection of user needs
To ensure the balance between user expectations and the needs of your teams
- the sponsor, we recommend completing the study of user needs by carrying
out a collection of business needs. The combination of the collection of user
needs and the collection of business needs form the so-called needs analysis
process. As a general rule, needs gathering work leads to what is called a
functional analysis: the assignment of content and functionalities in response
to identified needs.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

A project design model, design thinking is a 5-phase process used by
designers to develop innovation projects. Centered on the end-user, the user,
it guarantees the desirability, the feasibility, and the viability of your project.
Applied to the public sphere, all of these methods and principles form public
design.

A. Start the project

FRAME YOUR GOAL
Choose a design method
Choosing the right design method is never easy. You will need to find the
right objective, have a clear idea of the “output products” you want to obtain
and define the stakeholders you want to mobilize for your project. This tool
introduces you to some of the innovative formats that you can implement.
What objectives?
A good goal starts with a problem or a need that you have identified. You
must make sure you choose the right design method, that is, a method that is
suited to the objectives you have set for yourself.
What output products?
Once your problem/need has been identified, you should ask yourself what
output products you want to achieve using a design process using design
principles.
For example, if you wanted to design a digital service, you would not use the
same methods as if you wanted to find ideas for carrying out a territorial
experiment.
Which stakeholders?
These are divided into two groups:
The players who will help you design your system: your project team and
your external partners;
The beneficiaries who are the users of your system: this target is specific and
can refer to all citizens, specific users of a service (for example entrepreneurs,
job seekers, stakeholders in sustainable development, etc.) or even public
officials using a techno-administrative system.
Which method?
From these elements, you can then identify the method that will suit you best.
→ A transverse innovation method will allow you to develop an innovative
service for your context, by allowing you to design your devices based on
their real use-value;
→ A prospective method will allow you to free yourself from your internal
and technical feasibility constraints, to imagine "disruptive" solutions, radical
innovations that you would not have allowed yourself to think about at all;
→ A “UX” method (for User eXperience) will allow you to understand and
rethink the general experience that your users have of your service, by
approaching a usage path logic which will allow you to analyze the physical,
digital and the perception that users have of your solution; UX methods are
therefore particularly significant in the definition of digital solutions
(business applications, websites, etc.) and physical service (reception,
administrative process experienced by the user, etc.);
→ A test method will allow you to understand the value of your services and
to test their quality.
Once your method has been chosen, refer to the different methods. You don't
have to select them all, but the more comprehensive your use of these design
methods, the more consistent and efficient your project will be, integrating all
constraints and stakeholders.
Keep in mind that there are many other methods and that you can always get
help from creative facilitators or designers to help you design your ideal
method program.
Formulate a goal
Initiating a project begins by setting a clear objective in response to a
problem, a dysfunction, an irritant. A project cannot be carried out alone. It
brings together a team, contributors, supporters, opponents, and stakeholders.
Achieving a clear and unifying formulation of the project's objectives is the
first step in gaining the goodwill and guiding your work.
1. Set a goal based on a problem to solve
Start your project by clearly stating the problem, malfunction, or irritant that
you want to solve. If you do not identify real problems, seriously consider the
relevance of launching this project. A project begins with the sincere desire to
correct an unsatisfactory situation, whether it is experienced by users or
public officials, not by a preconceived idea of a solution to bring.
2. Adopt the point of view of the beneficiary: the user
To clearly define the problem to which you wish to respond, formulate it for
the beneficiaries of your solution: its users, whether they are internal or
external to the administration. If you do not identify any users or
beneficiaries whose situation would improve once the problem is resolved,
again, seriously consider the relevance of launching this project.
3. Define a desirable horizon
As a counterpoint to the problematic situation of the user that you described,
describe what would be an ideal situation in which the problem would have
been overcome.
4. Give your project a real goal, not two
In response to the problem identified, your objective is therefore to design a
solution that would allow going from the existing situation that you have
defined to the horizon that you have drawn. As much as possible, formulate
this objective in a clear, direct, and engaging way: "how do we ensure that
each individual receives the social assistance to which he is entitled?" " for
example. Do not multiply the objectives, nor the problems that your project
intends to answer. Your efforts must be geared towards this single objective:
the complementary objectives which one will not fail to add to your project
must be subordinate to it.
5. Record your convictions in a document to share
In a few lines, gather these convictions: the problem you are going to solve,
the users or agents to whom your solution will be addressed and the objective
you have set for yourself. This document constitutes the specifications of
your project. Come back to it as many times as necessary during your project
and share it widely to explain your project.
Develop a strategy
To develop a good strategy, you must align your vision with the existing
context in which you seek to register. This implies that your inventory is
perfectly concerted. You will then have to find a way to transmit this vision
to all the players in your organization because a good strategy is a clear,
simple strategy in which each of your employees can relate. Above all, the
essential elements of the strategy will be your ability to transmit it. This is
why you must first use the method of defining your objectives (by adapting it
as much as necessary) before understanding how you will disseminate these
objectives to the various actors who will allow you to implement or d ''
support your project.
Establish a vision
Establishing a vision is about understanding what you want to achieve in the
long run. This can be a few weeks or a few months at the scale of a project,
or on the contrary at the scale of a few years concerning a political objective -
for example: "to reduce poverty". You can specify this vision as long as it
does not interfere with the good understanding of your project by all your
employees - for example: reduce poverty by increasing commuting in a
territory X ”.
Once this vision is established, you will need to clarify it through more
operational objectives. In this, you can help yourself with the previous
method, "formulating an objective".
Set the context
Once your vision has been established, you must establish an enlightened
diagnosis of reality.
For this, you must understand what is the existing ecosystem with which you
will have to collaborate (by setting up for example a collaborative workshop
or a focus group). To help you, you can for example use the method “
Identify the actors ”(Available in the“ Deploy a solution ”section). If you
work for example in the field of Security, you will have to identify which
companies are working on solutions specific to your problem - for example, a
group of innovative cybersecurity companies. If you are working on
biodiversity and the problem of pollination, you will have to identify the
scientists who have worked on the subject, particularly committed
associations or even international actors - for example a collective of
beekeepers, European researchers from IPBES working on pollinators ...
Once this work is done, you need to make a quick diagnosis (about a
sentence) of the current context of your problem.
The context can here take the form of a precise problem - for example: “the
territory x suffers from a problem of cultural downgrading concerning the
territory y”, “the validation of this act goes through several redundant
processes within different structures, which causes friction costs and wasted
time ”). Or, on the contrary, you can bring out the main controversy that
exists on the subject, by approaching it from a scientific angle - for example:
"local economic development plans seem not to integrate the criterion of
innovation or attractiveness. in the entrepreneurial projects selected ”.
Establishing a context is above all to be aware of reality and to put the law on
problems of a sensitive nature.
Once the context has been established, you will need to identify all the
administrative structures that you could contact that would work on the same
problem.
One of the key points of a successful strategy is knowing how to surround
yourself with players with whom you are going to set up a “win-win”
strategy. If you move forward, then they will move forward too, and not only
will you be more efficient, but you can also easily save money. You must,
therefore, establish ties with administrations working on subjects similar or
complementary to yours. In this sense, do not hesitate to work with actors of
different scales or administrative forms. If they are complementary, it is
therefore perfectly natural for State services to work with local authorities,
public operators or even agencies that could provide them with technical
support - for example, the general management of development, housing and
nature (DGALN) and the local authority that would like to set up a system of
connected green spaces.
Once the additional services have been identified, you must identify the
means from which you benefit to implement your strategy.
You must define your means at the instant T then note the human and
financial opportunities that could be offered to you afterward if you succeed
in aligning all the players on your strategy. The means at your disposal are
your “project capital”, this includes men, the tools that can be easily
mobilized, the money you have, and your influence (which can be embodied
either by your nuisance power or by your ease to improve the lives of your
partners).
Finally, you will have to define the temporality in which your project fits.
Are you working on a short, medium, or long term project? What are your
main deadlines? This element is essential in the transmission of your strategy
to all the actors of your project.
Transmitting the strategy
This is the essential moment in defining your strategy. All your collaborators
and the actors that you are going to mobilize must understand your strategy
and identify the specific objective for which you are asking them. This allows
you to get your message across, and especially to avoid arousing a form of
mistrust. This is the most subtle moment of the strategy because it requires
“playing the actors”, to enhance the objectives of each of them. Here you
need to understand how to speak specifically to each actor. To help you, you
can again use the “ Identify the actors ” template available in the “Deploy
your project” section.
We will soon publish the method “Set up an influence strategy” to help you
understand how to value each of your employees while setting up a “win-
win” relationship with your partners, a relationship that will allow each of
them to be valued. In short, your goal here is to understand how your goals
will empower a group or an individual.
Create a roadmap
The roadmap, or roadmap, is a graphic presentation of the actions to be taken
to achieve your project. The purpose of a roadmap is to assign roles to the
stakeholders in your approach: your project team and its partners.
The roadmap is a graphic and chronological representation of all the actions
that you will have to carry out to reach your objectives. Creating a roadmap
will allow you to define your priorities and identify the main risks to your
project and the opportunities from which you can work.
In a complex project, the roadmap allows you to assign roles and
responsibilities to your team and its partners. It will allow you to compile into
a document each step - or “milestones” - of your project, indicating the dates
on which these actions must have been carried out. At each stage, you will
have to identify one or more managers. Then you will specify the
deliverables that these managers must provide, by asking you about the
possible partners who can be mobilized in the realization of these
deliverables and actions. For each action, you must know and identify the
underlying objectives, which are criteria for the quality of each action taken.
You will then indicate the possible difficulties in carrying out these actions.
Finally, clarify the technical and logistical needs and the other actions (for
example internal validation, making contact, etc.) necessary to achieve your
milestone.
What are the good times to run a roadmap?
Use the roadmap with your team, during the framing phases of your project.
You can also use the roadmap during the design and experimentation phases,
to project yourself on the next key stages of the device you have created. You
can in particular carry out a roadmap at the end of a workshop.

MOBILIZE AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE

Mapping knowledge
During your phase of acquiring knowledge and strategic positioning on a
subject, shape your ideas by structuring on a "mental map" the different
subjects that your problematic attacks. The knowledge mapping (drawing
tools) is made to help you make the different fields, environments, and
concepts that you will use for your project visible. You can then forge links
between them. At this point, allow yourself the improbable!
Here are some methods:
1. Organize a working group
Meet periodically to decide on the direction of the project. This group
mobilizes people interested in the project, those who know, theoretical or
practical, and especially customers and partners of the solution you want to
design. Do not force anyone to participate, convince them.
2. Use internal knowledge
The more you exchange with your colleagues, the more you will have a
global vision of the problems that users encounter, their causes, and how
these difficulties manifest themselves. So do not deprive yourself of it.
3. Get informed (studies, diagnoses, reports ...) and get closer to inspiring
initiatives
Likely, others have already addressed these questions. Contact them and ask
them about the transformations they have implemented to achieve this result.
Broaden the scope of your investigations: inspiration is also lodged in
cultural environments far from yours (foreign administrations, private or
associative sector, etc).

4. Discuss with your counterparts and share your lessons

A professional community is a way to collectively progress faster on the
issues you face. So share your diagnoses and your embryos of solutions to
inspire each other. The lessons that each member of your working group
gleans as he reads, meets, visits, must be shared during meetings to enrich
each other in a dynamic of collective intelligence to converge on a shared
diagnosis.

B. User Research
The UX Research (or user research) brings together different methods aimed
at studying the uses and needs of users. The UX researcher uses many
methods - observation, interviews, tests - to understand, evaluate, and
improve the user experience of products and services.
UX RESEARCH, A DEFINITION
The UX Research (or search user) designates the methods used to understand
the expectations of users of a product or service. UX research - user
experience research in English - is part of the design process (UX Design). It
is a way to collect qualitative and quantitative data to determine user needs.
Many techniques, stemming from cognitive sciences and humanities, make it
possible to obtain its information. The results of the investigations feed the
team's thinking and future choices, in interaction design and interface design.
User research can be performed:
At the start of a web project (analysis phase)
When designing the interface
Before delivery (ergonomic evaluation phase)
Quite often, UX Research refers to user testing, that is, the evaluation of sites
and mobile applications tested with representative users. In reality, these
usability tests are one method of UX Research among others.
WHY DO USER RESEARCH?
The quality of the user experience of the product indeed stems from the
identification of the expectations and needs of end-users. User research is
needed to identify the socio-economic factors behind each person's behavior,
and discover:
● The use of the product in a real context
● The mental model of the targeted user
● Existing frustrations and problems
● Solutions offered by the competition
In addition to offering a better user experience, UX Research benefits
companies because it allows:
● Check the relevance of an idea before implementing it (saving time and
money)
● Reduce the production phase (especially application development)
● Fix bugs or issues early enough
● Understand the users' point of view and therefore reduce cognitive
biases
● Retain customers or users by involving them in the design process
● Encourage anticipation of future uses by users
User research, therefore, has an impact on the entire UX process. Many
methods and methodological tools can be mobilized. Raphaël Yharrassarry
has produced a UX mapping which gives a good overview. This is a very
valuable representation for understanding the role of each method in the
progress of a project.
This will make it possible to dedicate an evolving article on the methods of
Research UX and not to overload this article which is not intended to list
them.
● Horizontal: the progress of a project from discovery to production.
● Discovered > Concept > Organization > Design > Production
 ● Vertical: an axis that goes from the most pragmatic to the most
scientific (without opposing them).
● Existing and deliverable > Methodology > Knowledge
Rich Fulcher, UX Head of Material Design at Google, believes UX Research
gives meaning to human-machine interaction. Richard Fulcher also highlights
common misunderstandings about this UX research:
● "It is only to validate the usability, the ergonomics of the interface"
● “UX Research is therefore practiced at the end of the project”
● “It's just a marketing study”
On the contrary, the diversity of research methods facilitates the work of the
entire team (sponsor, designers, project managers, developers, etc.). From
ethnographic study to user testing, research participates in the design:
observe, interpret, organize, improve.
Obtaining usable data is based on two essential factors:
● The search for representative users of the product target
● Analysis and synthesis of results to draw the right conclusions
In the UX conference in Las Vegas on this, Jakob Nielsen distinguishes the
reliability of a study ( reliability ) and validity ( validity ). The first
corresponds to the probability of obtaining the same result if the search was
carried out a second time. Deliverables are reliable when the data is not a
matter of chance. As for the second, the question is whether the conclusions
of the study can be used in practice.
Nielsen advises choosing a heterogeneous group of participants and testing
multiple tasks and methods. The error would be to observe several users
performing a single task only once.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH OR
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN UX?
The primary research will focus on the direct sources that can be collected
from users and stakeholders. We use methods such as observation,
interviews, focus groups, etc.
The secondary research carries on for its analysis of the existing. It is about
exploiting the resources already available. We explore information published
internally on users, surveys, reports, or documents of all kinds. We conduct
external studies such as the benchmark for example. We also draw on the
scientific literature on the subject, exploit academic research on UX, or focus
on the theme of digital product or service. In UX design, academic research
(also known as scientific research or documentary research ) should occupy a
leading role. The fact is that it does not always have the place it deserves,
because it is not easily accessible, known, or valued. Some UX Designers, for
lack of knowledge or lack of time, do not always take the step to consult this
resource, however very useful. Documentary research can consist of books,
scientific articles, scientific journals, reports from institutions (private or
public), but also resources from blogs, videos, conferences, forums,
databases, etc. Sometimes, it can be feedback from design projects that have
been carried out previously. A source is all the more precious as it is rare!
Academic research is therefore very useful for learning about the project to
better understand the problem. Here are some examples of what successful
academic research can do:
● Feedback from UX professionals.
● The results of scientific research relating to the problems to be solved
within the framework of the design project.
● An overview of previously chosen methods to deal with a similar
difficulty.
● Relevant information about existing users or customers (age, interests,
market research, previous user research, etc.)
It is sometimes difficult to carry out this theoretical research, for lack of
access to good scientific sources. Catherine Lallemand, on her UXmind site,
offers a list of generic scientific journals to consult:
● International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
● International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
● Human-Computer Interaction
● Computers in Human Behavior
● International Journal of Mobile Human-Computer Interaction
● Behavior & Information Technology
● Interacting with Computers
● International Journal of Design (open access)
● Design studies
As well as a list of databases for very precise searches:
● ACM Digital Library
● Science Direct
● SpringerLink
● Wiley Online Library
● Taylor & Francis Online
● EBSCO
● Oxford University Press
● Researchgate
● Academia

UX RESEARCH, FIRST PHASE OF DESIGN THINKING

The Design Thinking approach includes between three and seven phases
depending on the method chosen. Here we illustrate this innovation process
according to the Nielsen Norman Group. In all Design Thinking
methodologies, research is the first step in the process. It is called the phase
of research, exploration of uses, the discovery of behavior, inspiration,
immersion, or even empathy. The principle remains the same, namely to
observe and understand the user to identify a problem to be solved, an
improvement to be made. It is therefore the equivalent of user research in
UX. Several tools can be used, among others:
● Interviews with an interview guide
● Field observations
● Analytical data
● Empathy card
● User or customer journey
It is advisable to take into account the opinions of extreme users. These do
not provide an overview of the customer experience since they do not
correspond directly to the target of the product. Despite everything, the
extreme user gives another insight into the uses and gives birth to new ideas.
Also, in Design Thinking, the designer chooses, when possible, to meet users.
The objective is to be able to observe the ecosystem and the uses. If it is a
question of developing a professional application, it is interesting to see the
user working. There are always several ways to conduct research, in design
thinking as in UX.
HOW TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN UX?
To research UX, you must first ask yourself a few questions:
● What panel of participants to recruit and on what criteria?
● In what context should the user be observed?
● Who else should be involved in teamwork?
● Which methods to choose for which deliverables?
How to conduct interviews or lead UX workshops
One can choose a sample of testers loyal to the brand or, on the contrary,
users of the product of a competing brand. It all depends on what you are
looking for. Also, some participants will only be motivated if there is a
reward. Finally, the number of users depends on the technique used.
PROFILE OF THE “UX RESEARCHER”?
The UX Researcher has in-depth knowledge of the human sciences and
masters the methods of UX Research. The Researchers user knows which
methodologies apply, on the ground, to understand the needs of users in a
given project. These experts can also analyze the results of the studies and
extract relevant data from them. In addition to his ability to explore user
behavior to explain to them, the UX researcher knows how to collaborate
with teams. Being a user experience researcher, therefore, requires relational
know-how. You have to be able to interact with users, customers,
designers….

IS THERE A "STATUS" OR "TITLE" OF UX RESEARCHER?

This is a difficult question at a time when many UX designers are claiming
the title of "UX researcher" for having researched their projects. Apart from
university titles, there is not a nomenclature allowing to declare who can
claim this "status" or this "competence" of UX researcher.
METHODS OF UX RESEARCH
The UX Research ( UX Research ) is an essential step in the process of UX.
Depending on the project and its progress, we can use different methods or
tools. This article provides an overview of the methods used in a user-
centered approach.
RESEARCH UX, WHAT IS THE UX DESIGNER TOOLKIT?
The UX designer has a large toolbox for performing UX research. Some UX
techniques are inexpensive and require minimal personal investment. Others
require significant preparation. Anyway, they can be mobilized throughout
the life of the UX project.
Upstream (and sometimes downstream) of conception:
● Ethnographic study to be carried out at the start of the interface design.
● UX benchmark: Analyze competing sites (visual identity, choice of
design, user interface graphics, usability, etc.).
● Analytical solutions (numerical data available), useful but insufficient
without additional qualitative study.
● Safari service to understand the customer experience of a service or a
range of services.
● Focus Group (group interview) or individual interviews with future
users. The focus group can also be organized at the end of the project
(evaluation of interfaces).
To organize the information architecture with the website or application
users:
● Sorting by cards: The user classifies and groups the information.
● Co-design workshops: User involvement when designing an interface
(software, site, native application, etc.).
In the analysis phase, but also in the design to have user archetypes:
● Personas: The construction of a persona is done after user interviews.
Indeed, it is necessary to have data to establish a realistic behavioral
model of the user.
● Jobs-to-be-done: Like personas, it's about describing a user story.
However, we focus on the objectives and motivations of the clients.
During the analysis or evaluation of the ergonomics of the interfaces:
● User testing or usability testing with wireframes or prototypes.
● Ergonomic audit, in particular, performed when creating or redesigning
websites. The assessor is an ergonomics expert who identifies the
strengths and problems of the user interface.
● Eye-tracking: tracking eye movements of the user to know which
graphic elements attract his attention. These tests help optimize the
 content of the interface and therefore improve the user experience.
Raphaël Yharrassarry produced a very interesting mapping of UX, based on a
progressive breakdown, distinguishing between methods, deliverables, and
knowledge.
Horizontal: The progress of a project from discovery to production.
○ Discover > Concept > Organization > Design > Production
Vertical: An axis that goes from the most pragmatic to the most scientific
(without opposing them).
○ Existing and deliverable > Methodology > Knowledge
WHICH UX RESEARCH METHOD TO CHOOSE?
The choice of the UX Research method depends on different criteria. UX
researchers want to establish objective facts to answer three main questions:
● Usefulness: Does the product meet the needs of the user?
● Appetite: what are the user's expectations, what does he want?
● Usability: is the product usable, understandable, ergonomic?
Sometimes these investigations uncover unexpected problems that need to be
addressed. In this sense, user research also provides opportunities for
innovation.
The Nielsen Norman Group structures this work in four main stages during
the life cycle of the project, with more or less numerous or long iteration
loops:
● Discover: The goal is above all to validate or reject, design ideas, and
assumptions.
● Explore: Define the problem to be solved and its scope with a user-
centered approach.
● Test: Observe the behavior of users in front of the product, question
them.
● Listen: Take into account user feelings to improve the product.
UX Research Cheat Sheet
Each of these steps is based on the use of a varying number of techniques and
tools. However, it is an iterative process to adapt to the aim pursued, to the
constraints, and the budget. The main thing is to constantly progress in
understanding the user experience to be able to improve it.
ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY
The ethnographic study is one of the starting points of user-centered design.
Like ethnologists, consultants go to the field to study users in a real context.
It is the way to discern the user's expectations and motivations during their
interactions with a product. The ethnographic study provides information to
design an experience that meets the real needs of the users. The data
obtained, along with interviews and observation techniques, also help to build
personas.
UX BENCHMARK
The UX benchmark is a study conducted to compare a product to what the
competition offers. For example, in the context of website creation, the UX
Benchmark will be used to:
● Identify competitors so know how to position yourself
● Notice their good practices and their weak points
● To remedy, on the future site, the difficulties encountered by Internet
users
● Set up a truly competitive site (competitive advantage)
Beforehand, you have to determine what you want to measure and the
available budget. The ideal is to practice usability tests on said sites.
However, you can also do an ergonomic audit. The objective remains to take
the best of the competition without making the same mistakes. This detailed
analysis contributes to the design of beautiful functional websites (or other
digital products).
THE CO-DESIGN WORKSHOP
Co-design workshops or co-design (cooperative design in English) involve
end-users. This type of workshop has many advantages:
● Reduce the risks linked to the launch of innovative products or
services.
● Improve the loyalty of users or customers thanks to the links created
with the designer and the team.
● Increase interactivity and listening to users to more easily meet their
expectations.
 ● Share knowledge and values, sources of inspiration, and creativity.

THE ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE

On the one hand, the online questionnaire method is inexpensive. On the
other hand, it is a way to address a significant number of users. But beware,
writing a relevant questionnaire is not an easy task. First, there is no
reformulation possible. Then, no facilitator is present alongside the user to
assist him in understanding the questions. Here are some precautions to avoid
pitfalls:
● Reflect on the subject of the research to form a coherent questionnaire.
● Think about the users to target concerning the survey conducted.
● Ask simple questions that cannot be misinterpreted.
● Do not influence the responses (this problem can also arise during an
oral interview).
● Pre-test the questionnaire with employees or have it proofread before
sending it.
The construction of online questionnaires is useful in various contexts:
● Evaluate the user experience: AttrakDiff questionnaires, User
Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), meCUE scale ...
● Test the usability of products or services: SUS, CSUQ (Computer
System Usability Questionnaire)
● Knowing consumers, customers, users, or users by extracting
demographic or interest-related data…
Other examples of survey tools: SurveyMonkey, Typeform, SurveyGizmo,
Google Form, etc.
OBSERVATION
Adopting a user-centered approach necessarily involves an in situ observation
phase. The benefits of this approach are as follows:
● Watch users act in their usual environment and not in the laboratory
● Study their behavior, digital uses, attitudes, automatisms, interactions
...
● Find practical needs to find adequate technical solutions
● Check hypotheses in the field and collect information
The professional who goes to the field must be careful not to bias the results:
● Obtain stakeholder agreement at the observation site
● Establish a relationship of trust while being discreet and neutral
● Apply a precise methodology (note-taking, observation grid, etc.)
● With the user's consent, take photos and / or videos
● Knowing how to interpret data with objectivity and empathy
Let us illustrate these principles with two observation techniques.
Shadowing
Shadowing can mean spinning or, in a professional context, observation
internship. Concretely, the observer follows the subject during a determined
period to see how he behaves and interacts with the product. Their
preferences, ease of doing tasks, frustrations, etc. will be noted and classified
in an observation grid. You have to follow the steps of the user while being
as insignificant as his shadow.
One of the shadowing methods is called the fly on the wall, which involves
adopting the attitude of a motionless fly on a wall. The observer sees and
listens without interfering in the actions of the observed. The Shadowing and
Fly on the wall methods pursue similar objectives. But the researcher is
active in one case and static in the other.
Eye Tracking Tests
The eye-tracking (eye-tracking test in French), corresponds to the ocular
route of users, web, and mobile users. Eye-tracking shows which elements,
mobile sites, or the web interface, capture user interest. For example, we
realized that the visual route, on different media (smartphones, desktop, etc.),
was not the same. The eye-tracking test can, therefore, be very useful for
designing a responsive version of a website for example.
However, the hardware is relatively expensive. Tests can be skewed with
certain people, especially those who wear glasses. Also, peripheral vision is
never taken into account. The eye-tracking does not reveal why such
behavior is observed. In short, the tool provides interesting information in
terms of usability and UX, but without replacing a conventional user test.
With the focus group, the expert investigates the wishes of users or future
users. In this sense, the focus group is not used to collect objective data, but
on the contrary subjective. The panel of participants, gathered around a
facilitator, discusses a concept or a future interface. This qualitative study is
characterized by its playful and interactive aspect.
PERSONAS METHOD
The data collected and synthesized during UX research helps to build
personas. A persona is a behavioral model of users. To start, we create a user
hypothesis for your website or digital interfaces from quantitative data. This
first stage guides the interviews of people likely to use the product.
After the interviews, the team validates or modifies the characteristics of the
personas. Upon arrival, we have persona sheets with, for a user category, a
story (scenario) focused on the use of the product. Another advantage is that
the fact of humanizing the user helps to develop the empathy of the project
team. Finally, each persona file can be re-used to map the UX: user journey,
customer journey, experience map, empathy map, etc.
However, the personas method has limitations. The risk is in particular to
construct a caricature or fictitious stereotype. The persona must be built from
hard facts.
USER INTERVIEW
The direct interviews and exchanges with users are required to provide an
interface adapted to the expectations and the context of use. However, as with
the focus group, the material collected is subjective. We must in particular be
aware of the frequent discrepancy between what the user says and the way he
acts. To properly prepare for these discussions, consider:
● Determine the data to be collected, the purpose of this research.
● Choose a representative sample of people to be interviewed (socio-
professional category, mastery of new technologies, etc.)
● Have a caring and neutral attitude (tone and posture)
● Be reactive to revive or explore a particular point during the
conversation
● Finding the right balance in formulating questions
As Liv Lefebvre, doctor of ergonomics explains, there are three forms of user
interviews:
1. Directive interview, conducted with an interview guide (or script)
previously prepared
2. A non-directive interview where the interviewee speaks freely, more
difficult to conduct
3. Funnel interview, where specific questions are asked after the non-
structured interview
Below, the user interview aims to collect feedback on a prototype. Whether
the prototypes are of high or low quality (zoning, wireframe, mockups,
model, etc.), maintenance would follow the same evolution:
● Put the interviewee at ease
● Explain the context of the interview
● Present the prototype
● Ask the participant to perform tasks
● Make a quick assessment with the user

SORTING CARDS
The card sorting (or card sorting) technique is used in the design or redesign
of the website. This method involves letting users organize the content of the
site. Thus, the tree structure of the site will correspond to the perception and
mental models of the users. Card sorting can be individual (a single
participant) or collective (in a group).
We present a paper map for each page of the site. On each of the cards, a title
summarizes the main information on the page. These few words must be
general so as not to induce an obvious grouping. After having classified the
main sections, other sorts will allow you to structure the internal content of
the section. In a way, the participant is the information architect.
USER TESTS
Unlike user interviews, user testing results in objective data. The observation
relates to the actions, the manipulations, and not to the comments of the
users. The tests are led by a specialist in web ergonomics, in the laboratory, at
the user's premises, or in his work environment. Panelists are recorded as
they perform tasks. The ergonomist observes the difficulties encountered and
the problems to be solved to make the interfaces functional. The test protocol
must be rigorous to make the results generalizable.
The usability tests can be carried out at the start of the project as part of an
interface design or redesign (website, software, application, etc.). Practiced
on an intermediate model, the tests allow feedback and iteration accordingly
to improve the interface. At the end of the project, you should always plan a
usability test with a functional prototype or a sufficiently completed model.
We can then ensure that all the requirements (navigation, functionalities, etc.)
have been taken into account. Finally, a test report, analyzed with the project
team, makes it possible to implement practical solutions.
In summary, the toolbox of the UX researcher is rich in methods and
techniques to always know more about the user at each stage of the project. It
will be understood that user research is not limited to an upstream
investigation to lead to downstream deliverables. Research is a permanent
process that is enriched by all the data available or is extracted throughout the
life of the project. In a way, there is no end to user research. New methods
are regularly emerging, adding to the existing corpus or replacing old
methods that fall into disuse or whose limits render them obsolete. User
research, from this point of view, is anything but a closed “science”, frozen in
on itself.

C. Design and Develop

Prepare a creativity session, choose its format
A creativity session is a method of bringing together participants with various
skills to have them produce solutions taking into account all the
implementation constraints necessary for their actual achievements. At the
same time, various profiles and the association of end-users makes it possible
to ensure the interest of the solutions and their effective use once developed.
Here's how to prepare for a creativity session and choose the best format
using the tool.

1. First, clarify the problem/challenges you want to address.

2. Then define the type of product you want to get from your session.
3. Based on these two factors, define the format that best suits your
needs.
4. Define the location in which you will organize your session.

Finally, you will need to define the participants you want to invite to your
session. This is one of the most important activities in your preparation.
Indeed, the relevance of the solutions you will produce depends above all on
the skills and points of view that will be brought together in the design teams.
A tip: If you are unable to define your format, first list the profile of the
participants whose teams you want to be composed.
If you are going to work mainly with beneficiaries of your solution, for
example, public agents using a business application, give priority to the UX
session.
If you have a lot of high-level expert profiles in your participants, choose a
prospective session that will allow you to identify strategic opportunities.
If you only have users, do a test session, to observe the main irritants that
your users experience
Design with users
Working directly with the end beneficiaries of your solution will bring you
many benefits.
Here's How.
Identify the users you need to understand your challenge and find high
impact solutions.
Ask yourself these questions:
● Who are the users of my solution?
● Are there any experts I can rely on?
● On the contrary, are there users with a fresh outlook on my challenge?
● Who has the most difficulty about the situation I am trying to respond
to?
Question your challenge and your objectives to allow a complete
understanding of your users.
Ask yourself these questions:
● Is the challenge I pose easy to understand for my users?
● Are we going to be able to inspire them if they ever have difficulty
coming up with ideas?
● Are we going to be able to come up with very high impact ideas?
Depending on your objectives, identify user profiles who can act as
facilitators within the different teams, to help them find original ideas. In the
same way, if a solution already exists elsewhere, these specialists will tell
you, which will allow the different groups to learn from it. The facilitators are
users with specific skills (geeks, technical and business experts, graphic
designers, coders, data scientists, journalists, designers).
Give birth to new ideas
Designing solutions and coming up with ideas can be difficult. This tool will
allow you to bring out new ideas by decontextualizing your design problem.
This method is above all based on the objectives of reformulating the
questions you ask yourself, the design being above all a way of asking the
right questions, and then observing the different angles to understand how to
break down a complex problem.
Note that you can use this tool in addition to the “animate a creativity
session” tool if you are designing innovative solutions with users or any other
group of participants.
To generate ideas, find a challenge to solve and analyze it
First of all, find a challenge to solve. Your challenge is the problem/need you
need to solve. A good challenge is a challenge posed in the form of a problem
of the type "How to do for ..." (for example: How to simplify the route of my
users ...), which fits into an identified context (... to the reception of my
regional prefecture within the framework of the new generation prefecture
plan). Once the challenge is well defined, identify the 5 main problems that
this problem poses.
For each problem, there is a solution. Each problem you have identified
corresponds to a solution. If you can't find a solution, reformulate your
challenge. For this, take inspiration from a few creativity techniques. You can
for example reverse the problem, project yourself into the future, or even
from the tracks that you will find in an already existing device. These
techniques are made to inspire you by leaving a preconceived framework and
by freeing yourself from too operational problems.
So, to let creativity speak, you must make sure to give free rein to all ideas,
even the most original. Identify levers on which you can learn another
method to find solutions: identify some levers that will bring a more
innovative and even disruptive character to your ideas. The levers bring
together all the components that will help you design your project.
To do this, do not hesitate to identify, for example, digital levers, good
practices that you could adapt to your project, or the skills of partners with
whom you would not have thought of associating at first glance.
Practice the paradoxical approach: How would we do if we did exactly the
opposite?
In the event of a blockage, one method of finding inspiration is the
paradoxical approach or reasoning through the absurd, also called inversion.
This method allows you to put the fundamental objectives of your
brainstorming session into perspective. And finally, what would malfunction
if you reverse your problem?
As part of a digital training session, a paradoxical approach to the question
"How to develop digital technology within the Departmental Council?
"Would take the form of the question" What if ... we never used digital? ".
This technique is a good approach to come up with ideas you might not have
thought of and jumpstart group dynamics.
Wireframing: Lead a creativity session: from problem to solution
As we said in the “Prepare a creativity session”, the design (or co-design)
session, more commonly known as a wireframing, is a method for designing
solutions with all the necessary stakeholders. To their implementation and
involving above all the users, final beneficiaries of your solution. In this
context, the objective of the course of your session is to manage to define the
problem collectively with the participants of each team, then to propose a
relevant and feasible solution. To do this, you will need to organize your
session according to the funnel principle.
1. Break down your theme into design challenges
Your session has a general theme. As you may have seen during the
preparation of your creativity session, this theme can be broken down into
several “design challenges”. This activity may have been completed by you
or maybe performed by each team as the session progresses. If the general
theme of the session is, for example, social inclusion, it can be broken down
into several operational challenges (ex: How to improve the employment
integration of people with disabilities; how to give to people without shelter a
way to integrate into the life of the city; how to rethink the appropriation of
social innovations by the elderly; etc).
[

2. Divergence phase: propose several innovative solutions to each

challenge
Each team will have to identify innovative solutions to their challenge. The
role of the facilitator is to be sufficiently creative to offer each team avenues,
or “levers” for imagining original solutions. These levers can be
organizational (new modes of organization observed in other sectors, such as
the emergence of collaborative practices), technological (the platform
principle makes it possible, for example, to rethink the modes of interaction
between different complementary actors who do not 'would not have had the
opportunity to meet) or political (an incentive system for certain potential
partners of public actors could perhaps allow them to reach your audience
more easily than you would) ...
To properly run your session and inspire your teams, you will, therefore, need
to have a detailed knowledge of the forward-looking trends that are already
impacting the business model, service, or public policy that you want to
transform today. To frame your research, you can for example use the
'Strategic Anticipation' tool to prepare the session and identify inspiration
factors.
3. Convergence phase: choose the most relevant and easily achievable
idea
The convergence phase should allow each team to agree on the idea which
will be "refined" and then proposed at the end of the session. For this, the
participants must agree on the idea they retain. A very simple method to
avoid conflicts is to draw a feasibility/impact matrix on a wall and then to
classify each idea collectively based on these two criteria. To use it, nothing
could be simpler, download the "Select the best ideas" tool. Do not hesitate to
combine several complementary ideas, following the example. Certain
innovative functions can thus be brought together in a single solution.
4. Enrichment phase: Refine and model the idea retained by each team
If you have the time, you can finally offer your teams to enrich their
innovative value proposition. To do this, you can suggest that each team
define their project more precisely, plan for its implementation, or even make
a pitch to defend their idea. Several tools are available as such on Comment
Faire in the following sections. For example, if you want teams to project
themselves into the specific functioning of the solution, you can for example
make them work using the “Model the functioning of the solution” tool.
GO FROM AN IDEA TO A SOLUTION
CONCEPT
Select the most relevant ideas
A creativity session such as a sprint, a hackathon, or even a more classic
brainstorming often includes a phase aimed at choosing the best idea to be
specified in later phases. When you are in a group, you will have to manage
this type of moment with particular attention because it may be difficult for
individuals to detach themselves from both their ideas and their judgments
concerning the ideas of others. So as not to waste time and fall into a
sequence of debate and argumentation that could upset your teams, use this
simple method.

1. Determine 2 criteria to judge the relevance of the ideas put forward

After the collective ideation phases, use this type of method if you need to
choose a specific idea to develop it during the co-design phases. To ensure
that all the members of the group will be in phase with the idea expressed,
you will propose two criteria that will allow you to collectively evaluate the
concepts expressed during the ideation phase. To ensure that everyone is in
line with these evaluation criteria, you can, for example, propose them from
the start of your ideation phase - if you have not already defined a selection
criterion during the framing phases of your session.
Then draw a matrix exposing each of these 2 criteria on the x-axis and the y-
axis. You can for example use the method presented here by drawing a
feasibility/impact matrix over a large area.
2. Categorize and collect similar ideas
You will then categorize your ideas based on these two factors. As you
interview your group, assess each idea against its feasibility and impact.
Lastly, draw a circle to bring together ideas with the same theme and located
in the same area. It often happens that several innovative functions imagined
by a team complement each other well and thus form a single solution. This
will allow you to speed up your design phase.
Note that you can also change these two criteria. There are, for example,
matrices "ease of use/relevance of use" or even "potential savings generated /
degree of innovation".
Explore the most relevant ideas
Thanks to the co-design workshops that you have organized, you have ideas
for innovative solutions that can meet the objective of your project. Once
they are deepened, you will have a real concept of solution, accompanied by
a story to present it and collect the observations of all the actors of your
future solution.
1. Develop the use scenario for your solution
Recall the situation and the problem of users or agents that your solution aims
to solve. Present it from their point of view, based on the personas you have
developed. Then work on the value proposition of your solution to
emphasize: why it responds to the established situation, how it helps to
improve it. Again, present this value proposition from the user point of view.
Briefly describe how your solution works, step by step so that your contact
can appreciate its potential for use. Begin to list the results you could draw
and the benefits for each of the stakeholders in the solution.
2. Give your solution a name and slogan
Name your concept so that it communicates and that the project has an
existence in the minds of your interlocutors. The value proposition must be
able to be expressed in a slogan of a few words which summarizes the
essentials. The presentation of your concept can be supplemented by a visual:
diagram which synthesizes its operation, an image that illustrates its potential.
You thus build a narrative around your concept which allows you to present it
attractively.
3. Collect feedback
Present your solution concepts to as many players as possible to test their
relevance and enrich each other's observations. This feedbacks support your
convictions and enrich your concept: does the concept meet expectations?
Does it arouse enthusiasm from its beneficiaries? Is its model of operation
relevant? What risks does it raise? Does it involve mobilizing substantial
resources?
Submit your concept to the appreciation of different actors: Potential
beneficiaries of the solution, agents mobilized tomorrow in its operation,
decision-makers, and potential partners. Ask them for constructive and
straightforward advice. Integrate their feedback into your concept to enrich it
with the supplements collected.

D. EXPERIMENT WITH A SOLUTION

PROTOTYPING
Build the prototype
How to experiment? By designing prototypes that help to foreshadow how
the solution works in real life. Prototyping a solution means giving your idea
a first tangible and concrete form. With a prototype, you offer your users a
first experience of the service, you measure if it meets their needs and you
observe how they interact with it to improve your solution. You also allow
the stakeholders of the service to project themselves concretely into its
operation and to anticipate its conditions of implementation.

Prototype a solution:
A prototype of a solution is different from a pilot. Prototyping is a step in the
design of your solution. The quality of a prototype is measured by the lessons
learned from it rather than by the success of the solution with its audience.
Even a prototype that leads you to abandon your solution is successful: it
saves you from unnecessarily investing resources in the implementation of a
bad solution.
Determine what you want to learn:
Before building a prototype, think about what you want to learn from it. On
what assumptions is your idea for a solution built? Your prototype will
support them, correct them, or even invalidate them. What are the unknowns
of your solution? What aspects of your solution idea need to be shared,
deepened, discussed? Depending on the level of maturity of your solution,
prototypes can answer several questions:
• At the simple concept stage: do we all share the same understanding of the
solution? How can this idea be enriched? What problems does it raise?
• As soon as the concept is proven: does the solution effectively meet the
needs or expectations of the users for whom it is intended? Are they receptive
to the solution? What do users like or disapprove of?
• With the stakeholders of your solution, a prototype can help answer the
following questions: what are the conditions to meet for the solution to be
implemented? What organizational changes need to be made to implement
the solution?
Pre-configure the prototypes to be designed:
Gather the main contributors to the solution design phase and share the list of
questions you have developed. Supplement it with their feedback. For each
question, determine which form of the prototype would be most likely to
provide answers. Depending on the maturity of your solution and what you
want to test, several forms of prototyping are available to you. Whether you
are looking to test the concept of your solution, its physical form, or its
functioning, your solution can for example materialize in the poster, role
play, graphic representation, physical or digital model, simulator, etc ...
Determine what are the priority issues for the development of the solution
and the prototypes to be developed.

Gather the resources needed to prototyping your solution:

Mobilize the specific skills and resources required to design your prototype.
If you want to prototype a reception area, for example, you are likely to need
materials to make a physical model or digital skills for three-dimensional
modeling of this space. Prepare your prototyping workshop by gathering the
necessary resources. Prototyping requires ingenuity rather than significant
resources: you can design the prototype of your new digital service by
drawing the screens on simple sheets of paper.
Build your prototype:
Make prototypes as tangible as possible so that you can test them. Be
resourceful and invest a measured time in the development of your prototype.
It is a question of collecting feedback from users and agents who will help to
implement the solution to help its design, it is not a question of developing
the solution before time. Depending on its level of complexity, a prototype
can be developed in a half-day workshop or a few days; but its conception
should not exceed two to three weeks.
TEST A PROTOTYPE
Define indicators
Why define indicators?
To understand how you are going to measure the impact and success of your
project, you need to define indicators. You will then have the responsibility
of monitoring these indicators over time, to understand how users seize your
device and improve the main points that are problems concerning your
expectations.
The indicators are multiple, quantitative, qualitative, or even underlying. For
this last category, it is a question of measuring the indirect impact of your
device: what should your device allow to produce if it is successful? For
example, if you have to produce an educational device, a qualitative criterion
will be the satisfaction rate, a quantitative criterion will be the number of
users and an impact criterion will be the types of skills that you will have
allowed to develop in a given population.
Collect test feedback
A prototype allows you to quickly test your solution with its users and the
agents who will implement it. By repeating these tests, you will obtain
valuable lessons that will allow you to design a solution that satisfies your
users and is realistic to implement.
Define your test protocol:
Based on the questions that your prototype should help you answer, establish
a test protocol that ensures you learn as much as possible from your
experience.
• Determine with whom your prototype should be tested: which users? Which
agents?
• Identify the most favorable context to reach these targets and get their
feedback: if the test of your prototype requires time, for example, avoid busy
hours or periods of activity overload, users will have neither the availability
nor the disposition of mind necessary to answer you serenely.
• Choose the conditions under which you wish to submit your prototype to
them: can you test it in real conditions? Do you have to put in place a specific
experimentation protocol that partly reproduces real conditions?
Write a test scenario:
Define step by step a test scenario that you will reproduce identically for each
person who will experience your prototype. Specify the successive stages of
the experiment, starting with the presentation of the experiment. Only present
to the user or agent what is necessary for him to test the prototype.
Scenarios may involve you playing a role in the experimentation.
Perform the tests:
Let the user interact with the prototype without intervening as much as
possible. Observe them as they test, and write your observations down. Invite
them to describe out loud what they do and why they do it. This information
is useful for you to understand how they take ownership of your prototype,
what works, and what does not. At the end of the test, it is useful to offer a
brief interview to collect feedback from users on their experience: what was
their feeling? What do they like? What don't they like?
Integrate the return of tests into your prototype:
Integrate test feedback into your prototype as you go. Repeat the tests to
assess each new version of your prototype meets objections. Your prototype
should evolve as you learn from testing. It is an iterative process. Reproduce
as many tests as necessary to arrive at a robust version of your prototype: that
is to say, a version that satisfies your users and meets its needs and/or a
version that sufficiently integrates the implementation constraints to be able
to be deployed with a high probability of success.

E. LAUNCH AND ITERATE

Prepare and monitor the deployment
The prototyping of your solution has allowed you to glimpse its potential for
its users, as well as the investments, developments, and transformations to be
undertaken so that your device is made available to them. Based on these
elements, you must now establish and obtain the resources necessary for your
project and arrange them so that your solution is implemented quickly, within
a clearly defined perimeter.
Mobilize the necessary resources
Accurately assess the "critical" resources you need for the first level of
solution implementation. Depending on the nature of your project, these
resources can be expressed in the time of agents to be mobilized on the
project (how long and which agents?), IT developments, design of objects,
etc ... Do not minimize the effort to provide. But circumscribe it to a realistic
perimeter. If your project consists of redesigning the public reception areas of
your network, implement the solution you have designed in the first space
before considering the following ones, for example. It is by demonstrating the
results obtained on this perimeter that you will obtain the means to scale up.
Convince and unite around your project
Implementing a new service or transforming an existing system is a risk-
taking. You must convince the relevance of your project for the project
stakeholders to accept this risk. This work of conviction must be undertaken
both vis-à-vis decision-makers, those who will make the resources available
to you, and agents whose activity will be concerned by the implementation.
So work on your speech and the value proposition of your project to unite
energies and overcome reluctance. All your interlocutors will not be sensitive
to the same arguments; it's up to you to identify the right levers to put
forward.
Manage the implementation of your solution
You have a starting point: a collectively designed and prototyped solution.
You have your point of arrival: an effective device available to your users.
Now you need to determine the most appropriate path to go from prototype to
device.
Establish an action plan that will guide you on this path. Define each task to
be undertaken and describe it in a precise and clear manner. For each task,
identify the project actor responsible for its achievement. A task can mobilize
several actors, but it is important that the role of each one is clear and that
only one person is invested with the means and the responsibility for its
implementation. Each task must have a deadline.
[

This action plan must be developed and shared with the entire project team so
that it is feasible and respected by everyone. Set up a weekly time with the
entire project team and devote it exclusively to monitoring achievements.
Share the achievements of the past week, identify the actions at risk, and
agree on the corrective measures to initiate, collectively develop the action
plan for the coming week.
Scale your solution
As soon as the system demonstrates convincing results within its initial scope
of implementation, it is time to roll it out on a larger scale. You will have to
mobilize resources again, convince, adapt your system, and manage the
expansion of its scope. The scaling up of your solution can borrow different
models depending on the nature of the project:
• Increase the number of beneficiaries of your device by widening its
distribution, diversifying its offer or merging it with others,
• Duplicating identically your solution to other geographic areas or other
services by implementing it,
• Disseminate the approach you have taken and its results to other
stakeholders so that your counterparts can be inspired by it, take it up for all
or part, and reproduce it.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND ADAPTATION

Continuously improve
Your service is now deployed and accessible to its first users. However,
design work does not stop there. Your service is part of an evolving social
and technical environment, it responds to constantly evolving needs and
expectations. Consequently, it must be constantly evaluated and developed to
adapt to these new paradigms. It is not a question of maintaining the existing,
but rather of continuously improving it.
Evaluate the impact of your service
You have designed your service in response to a specific problem and to meet
a specific objective that you defined at the start of your project. Constantly
return to this original goal. Decline it in the form of simple, objective, and
measurable indicators that you will have taken care to establish before the
implementation of your solution. Regularly measure these indicators to assess
the impact of your service in the field. Better to make a rough assessment of a
relevant indicator to ambiguous even exact ones: security or the feeling of
security rather than the number of arrests for example. If the expected results
are not at the rendezvous, it is advisable to reflect lucidly on the advisability
of maintaining the service. If the results are insufficient,
Measure the satisfaction of your users
The satisfaction of your users is a good indicator for managing the quality of
your service and ensuring that it meets the expectations of its users.
Measuring the satisfaction of your users regularly allows you to prioritize the
actions to be taken to improve your service and to verify, once implemented,
that they produce the expected results. Witnessing the impact of each action
taken on the satisfaction of your users can be a lever to motivate your project
team and share the progress made.
Structure and animate a community of users
Take advantage of the first users you mobilized during the prototyping phase
of your solution and then during its implementation. They are co-designers
and stakeholders of the service: structuring them into a community that you
lead and bring together regularly allows you to benefit from their user
experience to innovate. They will be the best ambassadors to disseminate
your solution to new users and thus contribute to its deployment.
A community of users is also a good way to identify areas for improvement
of the solution, co-design improvement solutions, and have quick and
detailed feedback on what is not working. Running a community of users can
take time, mobilize unique skills, and require tools such as a social network.
[

VISUAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

If you're like most instructional designers, you're probably more at ease with
writing and general knowledge than with design. And if you work alone or in
a very small team, you are probably responsible for a lot of things, from
instructional design to graphics to multimedia design.
E-learning is first and foremost a visual medium, it is as much about visual
communication as it is educational engineering. While you don't need to be a
graphic design pro to design effective courses, understanding essential
graphic concepts will help you make more thoughtful choices when
organizing elements of your slides and influence how your learners interact
with them. your content.
Here are three simple - but very effective - design tips that will improve your
modules.
1: Use contrast to guide your learners
If you've ever watched an e-learning module slide asking yourself, “What am
I supposed to see? ", You are not the only one. One of the most common
mistakes instructional designers make is using too much or too little contrast
in the design of their slides.
Learners notice what is different. When all the elements on a slide are
disparate, there is no contrast or "focal point".
Contrast is a very important concept of graphics because it helps the learner
to visually distinguish and organize the elements of the slide. And the
contrast is essential to guide the learner's gaze towards the essential points.
There are several ways to play with contrast. We will focus on the three most
common elements of e-learning modules.
The text
Text is the most important (in size and importance) graphic element you use.
It is an essential means of communication. The more you help learners to
understand what is important, the easier it will be for them to assimilate the
content.
All modules contain these two types of text: titles and body text. While there
are many other ways you can use text, we're going to focus on these two
types, as they are the most widely used.
You can create contrast in your texts thanks to:
Size: Large written text indicates its importance
Fat: The use of fat attracts attention
Styles: Some fonts have more character than others
Colors: Dark colors are stronger than light colors
One of the easiest and fastest ways to get contrast on a slide is to increase the
contrast of your titles (thanks to their size and weight). Here is a simple
before/after example:
The color
Using contrasting colors is an effective way to effectively guide your learners
through a slide and help them spot what's most important.
A classic mistake is to use too many colors. Although it is not forbidden to
use several colors, keep in mind that the important thing is to highlight the
elements to which you want to draw the attention of your learners.
The visuals
Use light and shade, transparency, and opacity to highlight a statement or
indicate what is important.
You can, as in the following example, contrast visuals by applying
transparency to certain parts which will contrast visually with those which
you will leave opaque.
Be consistent in your choices
As an instructional designer, you know repetition is a good way to build an
understanding of content. Repetition is the basis of learning. But did you
know that the concept is also valid in graphics?
Most designers build their modules based on the various content provided by
their clients or specialists as well as on resources they have created or found.
If you're like them, that means you end up with the content of all kinds:
PowerPoint documents, text files, screenshots, web pages, manuals, etc.
The downside to this is that all of these sources are visually different and that
if you use them as-is, your slides may be anarchic and discordant. There can
be a glaring difference between colors, fonts, and image styles from one slide
to another. But it can also be more subtle differences, like where the
navigation buttons are, the instructions, or how the buttons are labeled.
To avoid ending up with a module that looks like a patchwork is very
attentive to your recurring elements, and make sure that they are always
graphically consistent. This means that you will systematically reuse these
same elements in the same places throughout the module.
Be especially careful of these:
Navigation elements: menus, buttons, and icons must have the same visual
style. Also, the navigation elements should each be arranged in the same
place on the slides throughout the module. The last thing you want is for your
learners to leave the module early because they are tired of looking for the
"next" button!
● Visual elements: The style and genre of visuals must be by the subject
of your course. For them to provide visual consistency, your visuals
 must relate to each other. That is to say, we must avoid mixing visuals
of different styles: we do not put together arrows drawn by hand and
ultra-polished icons made with Photoshop. The visuals you choose
must have a close look and evoke the same feelings.
● Fonts: Create a basic style sheet where you will write down all the
typefaces you use for your titles, subtitles, texts, and captions. And
above all, stick to it throughout the module! Most of the modules you
will create will use the same types of text, so always remember to plan
for completing this stylesheet early on in a new project.
● Colors: Choose a harmonious color palette at the start of the project
and at the same time define how each color will be used in your
module. Software like PowerPoint, Photoshop, and Storyline allows
instructional designers to create their palette of colors so you don't
accidentally get the wrong color at the development stage.
Align Your Content
Your e-learning slides are not built by themselves. All of the content - texts,
visuals, photos, videos, and characters - is there because you've placed it on
the slide. If your content is well organized, it will look neat and it will be
easier for your learners to find their way around and assimilate what they
have to learn. But if, on the contrary, your slides contain elements that appear
to have been arranged at random, your module will appear disorganized and
it will be difficult for your learners to find and process the information
correctly.
The good news is that it's easy to organize your content by simply following
the alignment rules. Thus, you will create meaning, you will highlight the
cause and effect links and highlight the essential points.
One of the most effective ways to properly align-content is to use a grid. A
grid is a structure containing horizontal and vertical lines that intersect
regularly, and which is used to structure and organize graphic elements such
as images and texts.
Grids allow you to easily and consistently organize your content. A layout
using a grid is easier to understand and looks finished, professional, and
consistent from slide to slide. It also makes the layout step much easier, as
you have a limited number of options when adding a new element to your
slide so you don't have to ask too many questions and guesswork.
The fact of using a grid should not restrict or limit you in your creativity; on
the contrary, it must be a support for your creativity. You can use a very
simple grid made up of a few equidistant lines. The following example
illustrates the harmony that can result from using a grid: on the left, the
elements are well aligned while on the right, the lack of alignment gives an
impression of disorder.
Gestalt Basics
"Gestalt" is a term in psychology. It expresses the idea that the human mind
attaches more importance to a whole than to the parts that make up this
whole. The Principles of Gestalt detail how our mind assembles and
interprets each of the visual elements.
Of these principles, the most useful in the design are:
● the similarity
● fence
● the continuity
● negative spaces
● proximity
● the "background figure"

In this article, we will see each of these principles, with some concrete
examples.
Similarity
Similar items are related
The law of similarity is visible in Van Gogh's painting “The Starry Night”.
Indeed, we distinguish the stars in the night with the help of two
characteristics that make them contrast with the rest of the canvas:
● The circular orbs that we perceive as stars are all yellow,
● These shapes are made up of small touches of paintings drawn in a
circle.
The viewer of the work understands implicitly that each of these elements,
with these two characteristics, represents the same thing, a star. It also
indicates that they are separated from the blue sky around them.
What are the similarities here?
Each option is represented by an icon accompanied by a label,
Each group of icon/label has the same size and they are positioned the same
way,
The icons are distributed evenly in space, with equal treatment.
What does this mean for the blog post creation process?
The user deduces that each of these icons leads to a similar objective: to
create a blog post,
He knows where the interface elements are when he wants to create a new
note.
Fencing
Objects that appear in a space bounded by a fence are seen as grouped and
therefore connected. These fences bring affordance, that is to say, that they
allow the user to group them mentally and interpret the information in the
right way.
Continuity
The look creates a continuity between the similar elements, to form a single
object.
Below is the interface of Google Maps, when looking for a walking route.
Rather than a series of blue dots, the mind groups them to perceive a single
line.

It is also understood that the route follows the course of this “line”. Yet
nowhere is it explained that this broken line represents a route. A small icon
representing a pedestrian and the blue dots are enough to express the idea of
movement.
The timeline of the new version of Deezer represents another application of
the principle of continuity.
The gray line that spans the entire width represents the duration of the title.
As the title plays, the color of the line changes.
The second color is perceived as a second line. When this second line
increases its size, the user perceives the advancement of time. He did not
imagine that the second line could go beyond the first. By implication, when
the second line has reached the end of the first, the track will be finished.
The interface does not need to give more indication (for example an arrow
which could indicate the duration), because the action, that is to say, the
animation and the interactions when the track is played is enough to indicate
to the user when the track has started and when it will end.
Negative spaces
When an object is partially hidden, the mind perceives the object as a whole
and the missing part is mentally replaced.
Let's take a look at the notification icon on the Twitter interface. When the
user receives a notification, a rounded square containing a number is placed
over the icon.

However, the icon remains visible enough for the brain to interpret it like a
bell.
Proximity
When elements are close, they are perceived as parts of a group.
On twitter again, the profile cards clearly show this rule of proximity.

The avatar, name, and cover photo are arranged next to each other. This
indicates that this information should be read together, as it is related.
The metrics associated with the twitter account (number of tweets,
followings, and followers) are located a few pixels below. The line on this
screenshot indicates the negative space separating the two groups and
creating separation.
The elements that make it possible to interact are presented largely below the
content itself. Likewise, each object with which the user can interact is
spaced from its neighbors so that the user can easily associate the numbers
with each action.
About white space
White space is a synonym of negative space. In many cases (not always),
white space is used as a kind of fence (see above). It is an invisible border
that defines an area of proximity, giving meaning to a layout, without adding
lines and other separating elements that could weigh down the graphic
design.
It is the same principle that makes us group telephone numbers in pairs: it is
easier to distinguish and remember numbers when they are separated by
negative spaces. For example, +33123456789 is much more opaque than +33
1 23 45 67 89!
"Figure-background"
The perception of depth which dissociates elements from the foreground and
the background.
Pop-in is the most obvious demonstration of this principle.
In the example above, the Dailymotion site displays a pop-in that uses these
clues to indicate the plan:
The content of the site, in the background, is clouded.
The block that appears is superimposed on the content.
The figure-ground relation makes it possible to understand this interaction.
The pop-in window is seen as the foreground and the rest of the site is in the
background. The visitor understands that he has not changed pages because
the background is still visible, but he also sees that the context of the
interaction has changed: he must interact with what is presented to him in the
foreground.
About visual sobriety
Note the minimum visual elements on this Dailymotion interface. No border
is necessary to dissociate the interior from the exterior of the pop-in, only a
slight shadow. When it comes to creating something uncluttered, the right
question to ask yourself is: "What is the minimum detail that must be added
to create the necessary visual impact?" "
Among Dieter Rams' principles for good design, the last is to do "as little
design as possible". Understanding how the principles of Gestalt work allows
you to understand the maximum while showing the minimum.
What to remember
An interface is more than a cluster of isolated interactions: the human mind
constantly seeks to relate each small interaction to constitute a single task.
If that is not possible, then it creates confusion. Each step must be linked to a
goal.
The principles discussed in this article help to create intuitive interfaces,
identify problems, and find solutions in an existing interface.
Visual Design Tool kit
The essential equipment of the graphic designer
Beyond his know-how, a professional graphic designer first of all needs
essential equipment to do quality work. What does a creative person need to
give free rein to his imagination? What are the tools to use for print and / or
for the web? Let us try to clear up these gray areas.
1. The choice of screen
Choosing a suitable screen is essential for any graphic designer who respects
himself, and this is also the case in all graphic arts professions (video editor,
web designer, computer graphics designer, model maker, etc.). The most
recommended screen in the visual arts is called an “IPS screen” but also
“retina”. It is found in all products of the Apple range.
But if you are not connected to a Mac (I reassure you, me either), do not rush
right away on the new computer of the brand with the apple. There are also
professional screens that are very (if not better) suited to your profession.
This is the case with the Benq or Eizo brand, which are ideal for validating
PDF proof and for a BÀT for example.
I also recommend a second or even a third monitor for your computer. This
allows you to work on several things at the same time and it increases
comfort. I assure you, it changes your life! But given the high price of IPS
screens, you can settle for one and use normal screens for non-graphic arts
activities (checking your emails, watching your Facebook feed, etc.)
To go further: the choice of screen is also made by its color profile. A lambda
monitor is displayed in sRGB. The problem is that in printing, for example,
the colors visible on the sRGB screen are not the same as what is capable of
printing the press. There are also many shades of green lost on an sRGB
screen (the greens are less saturated and the cyans are much less varied).
What solves this problem is Adobe RGB, which covers even more colors in
the visible spectrum. (See diagram below). To cover as many colors as
possible, the Adobe RGB profile is an additional criterion for choosing a
screen.
2. The Pantone color chart
A Pantone color chart can intervene when creating a visual identity. Indeed,
this is when you present all the colors to your client who wants to create a
new logo. This guarantees a professional quality visual identity because a
graphic charter is based on the uniformity of colors and locations, whether in
print, web, video, etc.
With Pantone color, you are sure to always get the same color on paper as on
screen. The only thing that will qualify will be the paper (coated or
uncoated). With the Pantone color chart, we can also almost guarantee 100%
non-reproducible colors in CMYK, which means that the color of the logo is
not easily accessible and makes its identity unique.
The Pantone color chart is also widely used in packaging because the
machines have more than 4 printing units (CMYK + Pantone colors or
varnish for example). Again, Pantone colors deliver authentic, high-quality
colors.
For print designers: you can also choose in advance from a catalog the paper
that best suits the product to be produced.
3. Software
You guessed it: what would a graphic designer be without his software? I
wonder ... Even if he doesn't have to have them all. Only software related to
its activity will be used. For example, we will not ask a model maker to have
After Effects, which would be of little use to him.
Here are some essential software depending on the activities of each.
For the print:
● Adobe Indesign, layout software.
● Adobe Photoshop, for photo/color editing.
● Adobe Illustrator, for vector elements such as logos.
● Adobe Acrobat Pro, for color preflight before printing.
[

For the web:

● Adobe Photoshop, for photo editing and web layout.
● Adobe XD, more precise than the previous one for making web
models.
● Adobe Dreamweaver, to code (but Notepad ++, Brackets or Sublime
Text software are also suitable)
● Adobe Illustrator, for vector elements such as a logo.
For the video:
● Adobe After Effect, for Motion Design and special effects
● Adobe Premiere, for video editing
● Adobe Photoshop, for photo editing.
● Adobe Illustrator, for vector elements such as a logo.
For photography:
● Adobe Photoshop, for photo editing.
● Adobe Lightroom, for basic editing.
● Adobe Bridge, which manages digital resources.
● The Camera Raw module, to manage RAW files
4. The graphics tablet
For more precision, the graphic tablet can be essential in your activity. It can
be used in web projects, in the design of a logo, or even in digital illustration
(called “Digital Painting” or “Digital Art”). Remember that before embarking
on a project, it is always better to put your ideas on a piece of paper, make
roughs, wireframes, or railroads, and regardless of your drawing skills.
5. Choose the right printer
No, the printer is not obsolete yet. You would be wrong to think of
dispensing with it. It allows you to have a preview of what you are doing,
even if it is not completely faithful to the final rendering. With a desktop
printer, you will be able to check if the printed colors are visible/legible, if
the text you see on the screen is not too big or too small once printed, and of
course, this allows you to better see the possible spelling errors. It would be a
shame to realize this once the printer has finished all of its prints, right?
I also recommend a laser printer whose colors are better than those of an
inkjet printer.
But also: a scanner can be important in the activity of the graphic designer. It
needs to be able to scan at the highest possible resolution. A useful reminder:
photos are scanned at 300 dpi and illustrations at 600 dpi minimum.
6. Storage
When you are a professional graphic designer, you should know that the
software used sometimes generates very large files that quickly saturate the
hard drive storage space. And if the computer or the hard drive goes loose,
sometimes months or even years of work go up in smoke. You must,
therefore, save copies of your work in other storage spaces such as a USB
key, an external hard drive, a cloud (Google Drive for example). However, a
few points remain to be clarified in this area:
Beware of USB keys and external hard drives: they are fragile elements, with
the slightest handling error or physical damage you risk losing your data.
Always be sure to virtually eject the USB port before removing it manually. I
also advise you not to save all your data only on a USB stick: it is not
sufficiently reliable and stable. Put only copies of your work on a key. And
above all NEVER WORK on data opened from the key, because, if it
disconnects, you risk irreparably damaging the file.
Beware of the cloud, especially if it is free. Indeed, services like Google
Drive are not free for nothing, they collect your data to sell it for commercial
purposes. If your data is confidential, save it locally and not in the cloud.
The network is good… when you have it. Indeed, who has never repeatedly
failed to connect to the network? This can happen very often and slow down
your work if all your data is stored there and you cannot access it
momentarily.
In conclusion, no storage space is 100% reliable or stable. It is, therefore, best
to store as much as possible with as many copies as possible. By also
activating automatic and incremental backup on your software, you can keep
copies of previous versions to come back to them when needed.

THE ESSENTIAL VALUE OF UX DESIGN

Even though the term user experience (UX) has now become familiar to most
advertisers, it is still sometimes poorly understood and not all of its benefits
are necessarily seen. Among the prejudices that we can hear about UX, there
are some that we are regularly confronted with:
“Your job is to place the buttons, the menu,…? "
Too often reduced to the activity of design, to the ergonomics of interfaces,
UX goes much further. Of course, the materialization of the screens with
which the user will interact is an important part of our work. But before we
get to that, we need to know who the users are and what they need. This is
where our real added value is, by reaching out to target users of the service,
understanding their real needs to design the most efficient solution.
"I don't really like green buttons, could you put some blue on?" "
Yes, we are user experience designers but nothing to do with design in the
aesthetic sense. After having fully understood the users' needs, we formalize
the information architecture, we model the processes and model the main
screens. We ensure that the use is fluid, consistent, efficient both from a user
point of view and from a business point of view. We make sure, for example,
that everything is done so that an e-commerce site is “merchant”, that an
insurance employee can create a new contract in a minimum of clicks. The
aesthetic aspect, which is of course an important phase of a project, is
handled by our creatives in charge of the UI.
Much more than a methodology, a state of mind
User experience or UX describes the emotional feelings of a person during
their interaction with a site, a service, or more generally a brand.
We, UX designers, master a part of it thanks to ergonomic criteria, known
good practices, or even thanks to our years of experience. However, some
aspects cannot be controlled, which are dependent on the end-user: who he is,
what his needs are, what is the context of the mode of interaction with the
service, etc.
This is the reason why we implement a design process centered around the
User. Taken from the ISO 9241-210 standard, the UX methodology can be
schematized in 3 fundamental steps:

1. Research & ideation:

Identify users and understand their needs
Know the performance objectives (KPIs)
Analyze the industry and the competition
2. Collaborative design:
Define and design the information and navigation architecture
Model the product/interfaces as a prototype
3. Assessment:
Test the product with end-users to improve the prototype iteratively
But the UX methodology is not limited to this. To give the best results, it
must be part of a much more global collaborative approach. If one adheres to
this approach, this necessitates an in-depth review of the operating methods
for carrying out a project. This is where the notion of "state of mind" comes
into play because the entire production chain is impacted. At the agency, a
multidisciplinary team is formed at the start of each project. She works
closely together throughout the mission. Thus, strategists, creatives,
designers, technical experts interact at each stage by putting the user and
performance at the center of all discussions. Our clients are integrated into
this collaborative approach and also participate in many key stages of the
project.
“None of us know what we all know together. - Euripides"
Ok, but what's in it for me?
It is true that as long as we have not experienced it, it can be difficult to
understand the real added value of UX. Here are some examples :
1 - Having real certainties and less preconceived ideas or assumptions
No more false truths! By taking information at the source, we ensure the
relevance of the recommendations that are made.
2 - Optimizing project costs
Mistakes are expensive! Their early detection in the design process makes it
possible to avoid any inconveniences at the end of the development phase.
“If you think a well-designed product is expensive, you should assess the cost
of a poorly designed product. "Ralf Speth - CEO of Jaguar (" If you think
good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design ")
According to a study, this approach, which costs around 5 to 10% of the
overall cost of a project, saves around 30% on development costs because
development starts on solid foundations thanks to the work done upstream. It
is indeed less expensive to avoid an error upstream thanks to the work of the
UX than to let it happen, then to fix it later.
3 - Improve the performance of the solutions developed
By staying focused on end-users and their needs, we ensure the efficiency of
the devices and their performance.
4 - Support change management
Closely linked to the collaborative process, the involvement of client teams
and users facilitates membership.
On several projects, in particular, for a project to redesign a state site, we can
use the participatory design method. This method involves a group of end-
users in the design of the tool, in this case, it is the writers who feed the site
daily. While users were initially reluctant to change, their involvement made
them accept this change to the point of making them ambassadors to their
colleagues.

5 - Reduce training or support costs

Since the ultimate holy grail of UX designers is the pursuit of simplicity,
good design will have a significant impact on reducing training costs. Indeed,
if our business application has been designed ergonomically, and based on
the needs and characteristics of users, they should not need heavy training. It
is the same for support costs, it is possible to reduce the number of telephone
calls to the call center for example.
From interface design to experience design
A WIDE, the UX approach is so deeply rooted in the agency services that we
have applied it to all subjects of a digital communication agency. This
approach applies to all our projects for the realization of technological
solutions: whether it is an institutional site, an e-commerce platform, a
mobile application, or even a service solution in line.
But it also extends to subjects where we do not necessarily expect it: Whether
it is a strategy of multichannel communication campaigns, or an activation
campaign for a product launch, or even production of content to feed the
platforms: The user is at the center of everything.
The mission of UX designers is to create continuous experiences, which
make sense for those who live them and which increase the business of those
who deploy them. Experiences that are not based on assumptions, but which
concretize felt and expressed needs. Experiences that spread over tailor-made
ecosystems capable of making them shine. It is a fascinating mission that
requires constant questioning since it links sociology and technology.

UX DESIGN JOBS
What Does a UX Designer Do?
The UX designer creates and designs quality website platform content for
businesses. His work has multiple approaches combining many parameters to
achieve customer satisfaction. It identifies the user's need, identifies the target
of the requested content, defines and detects the problems that may arise. It
must characterize as closely as possible the marketing and visual objectives
of the project. For this creation process, the UX designer has important steps
to take into account: technical data, the research, and the exploration phase
(identity, forms, uses, functions), and the creation phase (ideation, visual
design, and graphic). The multiplicity of supports to be supported is a new
challenge for the UX designer. Indeed, the finished product must be pleasant
to use, visualize, and understand, whether on computers, tablets, or
smartphones. It's a real creative challenge, both visually and ergonomically.
His work must be beautiful, practical, and easy to use. It is essential that the
end-user feels safe on the platform, but also that he is attracted by the visual,
the concept, and that he wants to come back. The designer UX is above all a
creator of emotion.
 The Discipline of UX Design
To implement UX Design on a website it is necessary to follow some basic
principles and consider certain disciplines. These are the most important.
1 . Information Architecture (AI):
This is an element of web design that is responsible for meeting the needs of
the visitor. It is about connecting users with content in a simple way,
organizing, classifying, and hierarchizing information so that it is easy to
locate.
2. Usability:
It focuses on the ease of use of a website or application. The design must
meet the needs of users to ensure the correct experience. To know how good
the usability of a site is, you can use various techniques such as conducting
surveys or focus groups.
3. Visual design:
This is an element that determines the usability of the web. The visual aspect
and graphic elements such as images, fonts, colors, and icons are used to
attract the attention of users and make their browsing experience more
pleasant and positive.
4. Interaction Design:
This deals with specific interactions between users and a screen. The Visual
Design responds to the user objectives supported in the Interaction Design to
communicate the brand using graphics, images, fonts, color, icons, etc.
Interaction design also uses prototyping to define specific behaviors and
functions for different components. For example; In a mobile app design,
does the login page appear "at a slow pace", or does it slide to the right? This
kind of transition should be explored in an interactive concept so that the
final product is implemented as exactly as possible to the designer's intention.
5. Prototyped
To guarantee a good web design, prototyping is usually used. It is a
preliminary version that is used to test how the design is going and if it suits
the project's purposes. It is a very useful element that gives an idea about the
functionality of the design before applying it.
If you take these elements into account when making UX Design, you can get
a competitive website that offers the benefits you are looking for.
Remember that when developing or redesigning a website, the main focus
should be users, since it is they who will enhance your business. Create a
friendly environment with content adapted to your language, adapt to your
reality, and create a unique experience. This added value will be significant to
make your first purchase, recommend you, and maintain your loyalty to your
brand.
Common Tools
Most companies, start-ups in the lead, have started their UX (r) evolution: the
value of user experience is finally recognized and it takes an increasingly
strong position in the design of a website or an application. Design thinking,
lean startup, and other agile methodologies constantly push us to review our
project workflow to innovate by seeking usability and performance.
In order not to be left behind by the competition, a real race to assimilate new
tools and uses is developing within agencies and companies. They must
therefore regularly question their choices. The Ux design department of the
Limpide agency ( ux.limpide.fr ) is no exception to this trend.
In this ferocious jungle, there is a horde of new UX tools, often of high
quality, which all offer more or less the same thing. Only testing everything
takes time and can sometimes be very very expensive, so how do you sort it
out?
Don't panic, here is the best of the best.
UX strategy / ideation tools
- Realtime board
A Realtime board is a collaborative whiteboard tool that allows you to
successfully conduct your workshops. It works with large workspaces that
allow you to load your presentation templates: documents, images, icons.
You can also use well-known template libraries such as canvas, personas, and
user stories.

Pleasant to use, benefiting from many practical extensions, it is a must-have.

UX tools to formalize a roadmap
- Productboard
You have defined your targets, your objectives, your user-stories, and the
associated functionalities.But how do you formalize your roadmap properly
so that you can make the most of it?
With Productboard you have a powerful and ergonomic tool allowing you to
implement, prioritize, and share your roadmap.
You can also engage your users by having them vote on your features. Best
of all, it is compatible with many other applications, including Jira, which
will delight your developers.
UX tools for making wireframes
- UXplain
Among the legion of tools intended for wireframing and prototyping, there is
one that stands out a bit for its functionality and design, it's UXPin. Libraries
of predefined elements, menus, and interactive assets, fully responsive and
working with essential integrations such as Sketch. If there was only one left
it would be this. To try urgently.
UX tools to prototype interactions
- Proto.io
You have surely already come across examples of animated screens, with
fluid and ambitious transitions, and made on smartphone application screens.
Look no further, Proto.io is the perfect tool to achieve them.
More ambitious than UXPin, with timeline principles allowing you to fine-
tune your animations Proto.io is a tool that is easy to learn, very complete,
especially with its preview application. Very handy for testing your work in
real-time.
UX tools for web designers
- Sketch, design tool
In the realm of designers, there is a digital creation tool that has recently
dethroned King Adobe: Sketch. Joking aside, Sketch is the perfect tool for
application and website designers.
Intuitive, light, designed specifically for the web, and with many extensions
Sketch is widely imposed on its direct competitor Photoshop. You only have
to try it once to be convinced.
UX presentation and collaboration tools
 - Invision by Adobe
It is the perfect collaboration and presentation tool for your models.
Its great strength lies in the simplicity of handling and in the functionality of
sharing prototypes with your customers.
Follow-up of validation steps, advanced management of comments, and other
collaborative functions. InVision even has advanced premium features, such
as mockup inspection, which is very practical for saving integration time.
Invision has even just released its prototyping tool, no complaints!
UX tools to assess user behaviour
- Hotjar UX tools
Evolving is good, evaluating is better.
Hotjar is an essential UX tool when one is engaged in a process of continuous
improvement of the website or application.
It makes it possible to make qualitative analyzes and to study the behaviors of
the users using heatmaps, and recordings of pages: perfect for identifying the
blocking points and correcting possible design blunders.

Conclusion
UX design understands the end-user by building empathy through research
and user experience. It also includes the objectives of the brand, through
knowledge of the value for the business. Just as understanding, technology is
critical to the user as they can use and make the most of it, it is also important
for the business to focus on knowing its users and customers.
This action generates a valued relationship, making the experience more
efficient and effective, to make it make sense for its end users. The UX is
fundamental for the value chain of a product or the journey of a user; it
ensures that at each stage the demands and solutions provide benefits for the
business and users, accompanying them at each stage of entry and exit.
A good UX design creates a positive website and experience for users by
understanding and meeting their needs.
But it is not only the functionality, which makes the user feel positive when
using the product or service but also because it makes them feel: reliable,
generating conversations, encouraging, with personality, utilitarian (easy and
fast to use), and with sharable content. All the products or services that are
successful in digital channels is because they have UX in their soul and they
also have one or more of the characteristics that we mentioned in the previous
paragraph.
As you already read, entering the world of Ux Design requires many skills,
but that does not mean that it is limited to just a few. With the knowledge you
already have, it is enough to follow the path of learning until you have
enough experience. After all, the User Experience has an intuitive base that,
if you are a good observer, you can develop.
1. Always learn
You can have UX learning in 2 ways: with courses or self-taught research.
Whichever path you choose, the important thing is to keep learning, as UX is
applied with the combination of different (multidisciplinary) knowledge that
requires you to go in one direction.
2. Be empathetic
If you can put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand how a person
can feel in the face of some complication, you already have part of the way.
If this is not your case, you can give up the desire to be a UX Designer or go
back to the first point "Always Learn" and give yourself the task of
developing empathy. It is not impossible, you just have to put aside the ego
and focus more on your surroundings.
3. Know the tools
Once you've learned about discipline, take time to master the tools that will
make your UX Designer job easier like Sketch.
4. Gain experience
Do not wait to be hired by a large company to start having UX projects in
your portfolio. With great power comes great responsibility, and with the
skills you acquire, the only person responsible for giving life to your career
will be you. Start small, create projects for friends, family, or yourself. Make
them as if it were a work intended for a mass audience and place the sketch in
your portfolio, along with the steps and methodology used.
 About The Author

Carl Jones is the founder of Afterswitch Design, a leading behavior research

and UX design consultancy specializing in using behavior economics and
decision design to drive consumer decision making. He is a behavior design
instructor working with over 50 companies to solve their most important
behavior challenges.
Carl is a winner of the EXPLOR Award for his work in behavior and UX
design and is known as America’s foremost authority in applying behavior
science to marketing. Carl lives in New York with his wife and family.