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UX Survival Guide v1
UX Survival Guide v1
UX Survival Guide v1
UX Designers
Product Designers
Product Owners
Disclaimer & Legal Notices
2 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
About the Author
Tom Garcy
Consultant. Biohacker.
3 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
The Ultimate UX Survival Guide
4 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
Contents
checklist
Use this as a
01
● Why
7
02
● Data
18
03
● What
26
04
● Priorities – MVP
37
05
● Screenflow
42
06
● Wireframes & Prototyping
51
07 ● Testing 57
5 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
Do it Right
This book is a straight-forward guide to
create or redesign any product. I don’t
believe in over-thinking and months-
long analysis to make a decision. This
is a process I crafted after more than
Purpose
Goal
Success
The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
7
This is the first chapter of every product
on the planet. Each member of the team
should know the answers or ask
questions about it. A good exercise both
for a designer and a product owner.
Start each project by gathering as much
data as possible. You’ll combine forces to
answer essential questions about the
product, like: why you’re doing it, who it’s
for, what the desired results are, and how
to can track its success.
8 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
01 ○ Why
Current Status
Goal
Success
What works? What doesn’t?
9 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
01 ○ Why
If you are working on a product that It’s harder to analyze the current
already exists, you have a huge status of a new product since there
advantage. Start with asking the might be nothing out there yet. It’s
stakeholders what works well, what essential to know what are the key
is the customer happy with – look benefits, unique selling propositions
for real data and surveys to confirm (USPs) and why the product was
it. Do high-level testing – find people created in the first place. Ask for
who use it, or customers and just surveys or any testing results asking
ask what they think about the customers how they feel about the
current solution, what they like, what idea and what needs to be done.
is a problem, what content they
don’t understand, where they don’t
know what to do, etc. Analyze the
blockers first.
10 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
01 ○ Why
Purpose
○ Image
You want to show our brand presence or build a brand
○ Communication
You need to inform or educate people
→ Sales
Product images, product benefits and features, reviews
→ Image
Brand story, brand background, team, capabilities, services
→ Communication
Articles, blog, videos
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01 ○ Why
Goal
Goals
→ Get a lead.
→ Get contacted.
→ Browse projects.
→ Read an article.
→ Get an information.
Edit ruthlessly.
14 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
01 ○ Why
Success
Current Status
Purpose
Goal
Success
16 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
Checklist
17 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
02
Data
Analytics
Focus points
Competition
18 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
Check the available analytics, heatmaps,
and customer behaviors. By analyzing
current statuses and pain points, start to
shape the basic architecture of what the
product should include.
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02 ○ Data
Analytics
Current Status
→ Page visits
Purpose
What pages have the most visits? Which have low volume?
Goal
→ Behavior
Success
Where users click, what pages they leave immediately?
20 The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
02 ○ Data
Mobile
vs. Desktop
→ Differentiate data
Differentiate what users do on mobile vs. desktop – different data
→ Priorities
Data could lead to different mobile vs. desktop versions.
→ Mobile
Could be more based on looking for info – contact, location –
could be prioritized on mobile version
→ Desktop
Could be more imagery, more text, f.e. focused more on visual
content and video, which is not played so much on mobile
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02 ○ Data
Focus points
→ Where to start
If some of the pages is important, like a shopping process and a
lot of users don’t finish it, they drop out – focus on this first
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02 ○ Data
Competition
→ Don’t be discouraged
If someone does it almost the same as you want, that’s just a proof
of concept. Find a way to improve it, f.e. focus more on story, or
more on product.
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03
What
Information Architecture
Model Users
Features List
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Before actually making the design, we
think of how the elements are
connected, to have a basic overview of
the whole project. We also create
personas/model users and map their
journeys with the product. We analyse
the pain points and where are the
opportunities for the future.
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03 ○ What
Information
Architecture
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03 ○ What
Model Users
→ Check analytics
Look for gender, location, or age
→ Model customers
Age, education, brand preferences
(their taste, financial background)
→ Needs
Goals – how the success looks like
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03 ○ What
Features List
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03 ○ What
→ Use stickers
For every screen/part of the product, write down the gains – what is solved
properly, and pains – what could be a blocker or a problem for the user
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03 ○ What
→ Steps/Screens
→ Actions/Context
→ Competition &
research
→ Features list
→ Future opportunities
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Checklist
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04
Priorities
Project Phases
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Before building THE big product, we
need to know what features are
essential and which are nice-to-have.
Set project priorities and build around
the functionality without the product
can’t survive.
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04 ○ Priorities
MVP
→ Priorities
Set clear priorities of what is essential for the product
– what the product really can’t live without
I prefer version 1, but it’s more budget heavy (good for you btw)
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04 ○ Priorities
Project
Phases
With the MVP in mind, set clear phases
when the cut-out features will get into the
spotlight.
→ Phases
Set phases to build a product – features should have
1–3 priority. F.e. the homepage is the key, start with
that, subpages after
→ Milestones
Know when you need to have a confirmation of a certain part in
order to continue – so you don’t waste time.
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Checklist
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05
Screenflow
Battleplan
Points of Entry
Storytelling
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This is where the real fun starts. Take
screenflow as an advance version of
the information architecture. You’ll start
to design the basic layout, what type of
content is needed and where and how
users get to the product and interact
with it.
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05 ○ Screenflow
Battleplan
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05 ○ Screenflow
Points of Entry
Think about where the user can land using
different sources, and occasions, if the
context is not lost.
→ Desired outcome
What do we want the user to do, where to navigate easily?
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05 ○ Screenflow
Storytelling
other products.
That type of site is a sort of a splash — try
to google “Google Docs” — why does the
first link not lead us to the application we
want, but to a page with some
meaningless image with a dull headline?
It doesn’t get better further on — just
static scrolling. How about taking a user
after the first click directly to the desired
template? Otherwise it takes up the
entire screen and do nothing useful.
Users might accept such a bad flow only
with Google, but not on your site. Expect
the “dumb user” with which you can open
up far more possibilities and choose a
completely different direction.
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05 ○ Screenflow
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Checklist
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06
Wireframes
Low-fi/High-fi Wireframing
Prototyping
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Based on the previous steps, we start to
draw the first sketches and wireframes.
We give shape to an idea and discuss
the basic structure, layout, and content.
Working side by side with the client at
least one day a week is very useful. Real
collaboration is fostered by receiving
instant reactions and reshaping the
product from discussions, not solely
relying on feedback via email. All the
wires and structures are a mutual
product between you and the client.
Before selling, focus on building a
product together to test with target
groups and mode users. Quickly iterate
to get the final structures and wireframes
so graphic design can begin.
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06 ○ Wireframes
Low-fi/High-fi
Wireframing
→ Hi-fi details
Know where the “folds” are, what user will see in most browsers,
or devices, where is the main message, image or CTA.
Don’t use final UI elements, start with black & white screens.
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06 ○ Wireframes
Prototyping
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07
Testing
57
The Ultimate UX Survival Guide 8 Steps To Never Get Lost Designing a New Product
Don’t just rely on your gut feeling. What
might look simple and clear to you might
not for other people. Go out there.
Collect real data. Observe how people
are using your product. Check if your
storytelling matches.
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07 ○ Testing
Go out there
The best way to test is to publish and
collect real data – you never know unless
users really use it.
→ Qualitative/Quantitative
Qualitative – set a scenario, like we need you to buy
this certain product, leave the test person to do it and
observe, don’t guide, observe what he/she does,
where he/she stops, what he/she reads, what he/she
does, measure if the goal is fulfilled
→ Hotjar, Analytics
The best way to test is to roll-out ASAP and collect real data –
you never know unless users use it.
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08
You
Take this process and adjust it to you.
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The Ultimate UX Survival Guide