User Experience Design Basics

Teamwork

Creating good user experience requires teamwork. No one can be an expert in all things. Talking to the business experts, development experts and others with project-pertinent specialties is part of the research process. Good UX doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Research

Do the research. I'm often handed documents at the beginning of a project that only partially tell the story. I like to fill in the blanks so I can design with more empathy for the user. Research the client, their industry and their competitors and you’re likely to provide the nuanced approach of a successful client-centered activation.

Mobile-First

I design mobile-first. It makes me get to the point. The important elements bubble up to the surface leaving me free to design as efficiently as possible. Also, adding makes me feel better than subtracting and mobile-first design allows ideas to grow. As UX experts we’re always looking for the best communication tactics. Sometimes the situation requires you to talk desktop-first; and that's okay. You'll notice this in some of my work. What you may not notice is that even in these scenarios, they were designed mobile-first.