All About Adaptability
Since I cannot share details of many of my projects since they are still under NDAs, I find it important to discuss my general process when it comes to a product development cycle. I am a strong believer that adaptability is the most important part of any process. I’m very used to working in fast-paced environments like gaming, and I always strive to adapt my process to the constantly shifting needs of the product or my co-workers. What works well in pre-production might not work during production, what works with one group of people/skillsets might need to change to fit another. That being said, below I outline my general approach to UX Design to give a better sense of how I work.
Gather Information
One of the most important pieces of any design cycle is gathering information on the product so as to start off on the right foot. Although communication is one of the backbones of my entire process, I find it especially important at the beginning so I can make sure all stakeholders are clear on initial goals and plans, even if those change at a later date.
Key Actions/Skills:
Stakeholder alignment meetings
Market/competitor research
Clarify project parameters (tech requirements, ship dates, licensing requirements, resource limitations, etc.)
Gather/write initial documentation (one-pagers, specs, design briefs, etc.)
Ideate
Once I have more clarity on the project, I bring in my strong creative problem solving skills to start thinking about how the high-level goals will transfer to the end product. This is a time during which I try to define my initial sense of the overall flow/experience and how it ties in with both user and stakeholder expectations.
Key Actions/Skills:
User flows (paper or using software such as Microsoft Visio)
Storyboarding
Brainstorming
Design
After I have what I feel is a good first pass at the overall experience (and have validated this with colleagues), I now start getting more granular on what that experience will look and feel like. This is the time where I begin to wireframe, which to me is essentially a low-fidelity mockup of the product/feature and how it connects to other major experiential beats. I will also start basic User Research at this stage, often grabbing colleagues for feedback or organizing small focus groups of players to give initial feedback on the direction of the feature.
Key Actions/Skills:
Wireframing (paper or using digital prototyping tools such as Adobe XD, Figma, or Sketch)
Information Architecture
Basic motion/interaction design
Guerilla/”low cost” UR
Refine
The next step after the wireframes are in a good place is to start refining the design and making a more full-fledged prototype that will be used for more extensive UR. This is the point at which I am very involved with the art and developer teams to make sure I am adhering to style guidelines and technology requirements.
Key Actions/Skills:
High fidelity prototypes (XD/Figma/Sketch or in-engine)
Cross-team collaboration with artists (UI/Character/Sound/Environment, etc.), developers, and producers
Animation/motion design
Redefine
Testing, testing, testing! I cannot overstate the importance of User Research in my process. I have experience working with dedicated UR professionals as well as running my own UR. This is also the time at which the design may need to be updated due to changing production needs or high level design direction. One of the most crucial roles of a UX designer is to balance internal (stakeholder) and external (player) feedback into one cohesive experience that is exciting and fun for everyone.
Key Actions/Skills:
User Research (focus groups, surveys, A/B testing, etc.)
Playtests
Incorporating and balancing feedback
Repeat
In a fast-paced development environment, no process is every completely linear. As production continues and the project evolves, it may become necessary to go back to any of these phases, or even start back at the beginning. I’m always willing to advocate for my designs, but am also completely OK with failure (while trying to avoid it) and scrapping designs. There is always something to learn and grow from!
Key Actions/Skills:
Comfort with failure
Resilience
Learning from mistakes
Re-evaluation