Why User Experience for Product Development?
A user experience is how an individual interacts through the
utility, easiness, and efficiency of a product. The creation of a product relies
on User Experience. Data on User Experience lead to innovative ideas which create
a new product. Data from the public ensure the right product development
towards the targeted users. So, for a successful product, User Experience plays
a crucial role in development.
Likewise, how can a company integrate User Experience into
product development?
This paragraph will introduce the five most important
techniques to integrate user experience into product development. User
Experience has become a new playground for Companies. Ensuring a Great User
Experience is the major step in Product Development. The techniques used are as
follows:
1.
User Research
2.
Personas
3.
User Experience Canvases
4.
User Experience Designs
5.
Wireframes
User Research:
Firstly, a Product originates by considering the user’s
needs. There shouldn’t be any assumptions about lifestyle, interests, or
demographical features. User research collects data from target users through a
structured process. Moreover, User Research data confirm the product you
develop meets the needs and expectations of end consumers.
User Research splits into two subsets:
1.
Qualitative Research
2.
Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
This research use interview techniques. They use open-ended
questions to understand the behavior and stress level of users while using the
product. In addition, this research uses a small group of users to find their
shopping habits. Qualitative research needs greater care since it collects
opinions from users rather than numerical data.
Quantitative Research
This research focuses on a larger group and uses online
surveys to gather information. Quantitative Research helps to identify the
patterns and trends among users. In Addition, it helps statically reliable way
to access targeted user groups. We will get good objective and unbiased data
with much care and precise data collection.
Further, I will take you through how Interviews and surveys are
done.
Interviews and surveys
The best way to collect user experience data is to conduct
interviews and surveys. It seems like a lot of work but it’s simple. First, we
need to sort the respondents. Then use social media like Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn for interviews and surveys.
For Instance, you are developing an online shopping application.
Social media platforms, help you find people in shopping groups who are
interested in shopping apps. After that, you need to contact them and invite
them for an interview or survey. Since this is online you can give them vouchers
or freebies to gather enough participants. In other words, you will gather
information and gain a few customers as well. You can use Qualaroo, Hotjar
Polls, or Intercom as a platform to conduct interviews and surveys.
Above all always prepare the right interview questions
focusing on users’ expectations, needs, and problems. This gives an insight
into what users want, what they achieve, and what problems can occur along the
way.
Most Importantly follow the tips while preparing the
questions:
·
Interview and Survey should not take more than
15 minutes. Lengthy ones will be boring for the participants. In addition,
participants should understand the reason for the survey.
·
Prepare questions as if you are directly asking
the participants. This helps to avoid off-the-topic questions.
·
Always choose open-ended and close-ended
questions to understand the user’s needs.
·
Give options in a way to understand what users
expect from your product.
Personas:
Personas are fictional user creations based on real-life users’
data collected through research. This helps to represent the different user
types who similarly use the product. In Addition, personas data include behavior,
goals, needs, and experiences of users. Data shouldn’t be prepared out of
assumptions. User Experience design personas should consider empathy with
target users. Personas help the company to understand the user’s personalities,
traits, interests, and needs.
Tips for Effective Personas:
1.
Collect detailed data from targeted users.
2.
Differentiate the users based on their
expectations about the product.
3.
Prepare a hypothesis based on the differences
and qualities of different users.
4.
Data should be from multiple sources but focus
only on the creation of a single persona
5.
Explain the situation or scenario why the consumer
needs your product
In addition, here are some uses of Personas in Design
Projects:
1.
Should reflect a consumer’s behavioral pattern,
needs, skill set, and goals toward the product.
2.
Should include what consumer achieves by a
product through the design. This helps to create a unique product from
competitors.
3.
Should include day-to-day life approach showing how
a product performs among consumers addressing their needs.
4.
Should include the challenges faced by consumers
to improve the quality of the product.
To Conclude always prepare Personas from the targeted user’s
point of view.
UX Canvases:
The key to conversion is by relating the targeted user needs
to the developing product. UX Canvases
helps to document all your problems like a business model. There are different
types of canvases available. However, it’s better to use User-Centered Design canvases from a
popular business model.
User-Centered Canvas has 9 different sections. The left-hand
side focuses on their needs, problems, fears, and challenges faced by the users.
The right side focuses on the new product solutions for the targeted users.
User-Centered Canvas help in the initial hypothesis and helps in the final
decision.
Creating canvases helps to gather all the different data on
a single page which helps the developers to refer with ease. Since all the challenges
are on a single page it’s easy to come up with solutions for the product.
Benefits of UX Canvases:
1.
The UX Canvases gives an idea for the team to
start user-centric conversations
2.
It gives data to the team about why and what
problems they are solving for the new product
3.
UX Canvases gives more clarity for the new
product development design
4.
It gives an idea about the current position of
the product development and areas which require more clarifications.
Above all, The UX Canvases are an excellent tool for the research,
planning, and discovery phase of a project. Filling the data on UX Canvases
will give clarity about assumptions and would give practical ideas for product
development.
User Experience Designs:
User Experience Design is a process where a team designs a
product that gives relevant experience to users. The entire process of creation
includes design, usability, branding, fun, and pleasure in user experience and
functions. User Experience Design is a process that happens even before a
product arrives in the user’s hand.
Moreover, User Experience Design focuses on three factors
why what, and how a product is used. “Why” relates to why a user should buy the
product for daily uses and the values a user achieves. “What” refers to what functionality
a user can access with the product? “How” refers to how the demands of a user are
achieved with the product. Likewise, for software development make sure that
the software has a seamless experience through an existing device.
In addition, the main goal of User Experience Design
include:
1.
Understand the use and needs of the product
among users.
2.
Specify in detail the user requirements
3.
Design the product with solutions
4.
Evaluate and rank against requirements.
Wireframes:
Wireframes help the experts to come to an overview of the
developing product. It helps to map the flow of possible design solutions based
on user data. These conclusions or overview gives an insight regarding business
and user needs. The wireframes help the board members to decide on the
prototype for user-focused products. Good Wireframes are the backbones for
greater products. This would guide the company on how the solutions would reach
the targeted users. A good Wireframe would have a realistic, easy layout so anyone
can understand the worthiness or concepts for the developing product.
In other words, Wireframes are an art where the structure
should easily reveal the company solutions. This enables the experts to give
feedback based on wireframes.
To sum up, here are a few tips to prepare a wireframe:
1.
Concentrate on usefulness, availability, layout,
and format to make an easier design for use, produce and sell.
2.
Structure the data on a hierarchy that helps the
company to understand the information easily.
3.
Each page should have proper headings, links,
and images which makes it easy to understand.
4.
Optimized wireframes give a better view across
all displays of different devices.
5.
Always maintain clean and understandable
wireframes
Conclusion:
Understanding and integrating user experience would help to
group the targeted users. To achieve a high conversion rate always integrate user
experience into product development. To conclude, a product’s success depends
on integrating the user experience from the initial stage of development.
