Interaction Designer's work flow and different stages of responsibility

Interaction Designer's work, and not only the output design, we need to participate in the early requirements of the discussion, later development, test acceptance and so on product design and implementation of a number of links. This article will describe my current work processes involved in interactive design and the responsibilities of each phase.

I. Stage of demand analysis

This stage, for different periods of product discussion, analysis of the focus of different aspects.

1. New Products

For the heart products from scratch, you need to understand:

What is the positioning of the product?

Who are the user groups? What are their characteristics? Our products need to solve the user's what pain point? If there are competing products, where are our strengths and differences?

This stage is very important, but it is also the most difficult to discuss clearly, even the Product Manager/director may not be able to fully determine the positioning of the product at the beginning, but in the process of product iterations to explore slowly.

What are the functional points of the product?

What functions do you use to achieve the user's needs? This section is mainly provided by the product manager. Some product managers provide a simple list of functions, some even directly to the wireframe, which is not really desirable.

I would like to receive a more detailed mental map, including: function module, function point, need to display the Information field and its format requirements, function priority, and other necessary additional instructions (why this consideration, what scenario use, etc.)

2, iterative improvement in the product

For products that are already on the line, if the improved optimization of existing functions, you need to understand:

What is the revision goal?

For example, what is the current problem? What is the plan/approach to solve? What is the desired goal?

Information recommendation:

For the requirements analysis stage, I used to be quite confused about how to carry out better. At the time of the last company, just met the "broken cocoon into butterflies: User Experience Designer's path of growth" This book details how to do requirements analysis, and product manager in accordance with the method in the book, together with the discussion of our product positioning, use of the scene and characteristics of information, benefited, In the process of product reconfiguration, it also benefited from earlier analysis and made some innovative designs.

"Broken cocoon into butterflies," the author of the interview: "Excellent interview!" Ali Interactive design expert Liu Jin Road of Design management

　　Second, the interactive design phase

1, Task analysis

Task analysis, is to analyze the user in the use of the product process, the need to conduct and cognitive process, can help us establish the product structure and information flow, so that we provide more appropriate information to help users complete the task.

根据产品的功能点，我们先确定用户需要完成哪些任务?每个任务又可以分解为哪些子任务?这些子任务的操作流程、目标是什么?分布在哪些页面，子任务的层级结构是怎样的?任务、子任务的优先级关系是怎样的?如何在界面上突出主要任务?

This step is related to subsequent page flow, user operation process, page layout.

Information recommendation:

1, "Broken cocoon into butterflies: User Experience Designer's path of growth" a book in the "Design Planning" section describes the main tasks and secondary tasks, how to highlight the main tasks, how to guide users to complete the task.

2, "Around you Design" a book in the "Experience Design" chapter introduced "Design Logic thinking-task analysis."

2. Navigation Design

The goal of the navigation is to highlight the main function points, so that users can know at a glance when the task is completed to enter from which entrance. Through the previous functional analysis and task analysis, the priority of the user task has been more clear, at this time can think, determine the product navigation design.

3. Page Flow chart

To clarify the hierarchy of the entire product, the relationship between the pages. Similar to the following figure, the callout page name, does not need to embody the interface detail, but also can simply annotate the interface main content module.

4, user Operation flow chart

For simpler features or products, this step can be omitted. However, if it involves the operation of multiple user roles and more complex judgment logic, it is suggested that the interaction designer first comb the user's Operation flow chart and think clearly about the direction of different branches. Follow-up in the Design review phase, you can use the flow chart to assist the explanation, easier to understand.

5, page layout design

After the whole frame and process carding is finished, the layout design of each interface and the jump relationship between the interfaces are started. This link is the most important of the whole interaction design, how to design a friendly and easy-to-use interface, how to effectively organize the user focus on the information highlighted, very test an interactive designer's ability.

In addition, this link also need to start thinking about the interactive operation details, but temporarily do not need to express the complete, can wait for the first draft review and basic confirmation before doing refinement.

6. Preliminary review

The goal is to confirm whether the navigation design, page flow, page layout meets the needs of the product, and whether the ideas of the parties can be agreed. If there is an inconsistency, discuss where the disagreement is, discuss the pros and cons of the different options and how to make a choice.

If the change of opinion is less, can be done in private with the relevant business needs or product managers to communicate the design plan, the Basic agreement can begin to carry out the detailed design; if the interactive preliminary review of differences between the larger, need to revise and review, the basic confirmation after the detailed design.

7, detailed interactive design

This link, need to improve the different state of the page layout and content display, user action feedback prompts, general or abnormal scenes and so on. All development phases need to be reflected in the detailed design phase.

8. Final Manuscript Review

The main goal is to let the development test colleagues understand the design requirements, evaluate the implementation of the design plan is reasonable, interactive details are perfect and no objections. This link will encounter many "challenges", the need for interaction designers in advance of the design plan has enough thinking, can weigh the pros and cons of a variety of programs, and then put their own thoughtful and the most appropriate program to push down.

　　Third, the visual design stage

Interaction designers need to introduce interactive prototypes to visual designers, and visual design for output needs to be evaluated from an interactive perspective, such as the alignment of the original intention of the interaction design, the appropriateness of the primary and secondary content, the omission or confusion of details, etc.

　　Iv. Development and test acceptance phase

When a test case is written, the test colleague may think more comprehensively on the basis of the interactive documentation, presenting some special operational scenarios that have not yet been considered. Interaction designers need to think and complement the corresponding interactive design instructions.

Test Case Review phase, you need to verify that all use cases are consistent with the interactive document.

In the process of development, if the development encounters some interactive questions, it is necessary to follow up, discuss and determine the final implementation plan in real time.

Test acceptance phase, need to accept the final effect, see and interactive prototype is consistent, for discrepancies between the place to follow up as soon as possible to confirm.

　V. Collect user Feedback Stage

For the products in the iteration, this requires constant attention. Commonly used in the way is user research, usability testing, a variety of user feedback channel collection. Interaction designers need to analyze the rationality of user feedback problems and whether they need to be optimized. For the feedback worthy of attention, we need to think about the design plan and push forward the realization.