Starting from the bottom of the chart, these elements of user experience can be summarized as:
- Strategy — this is where you define objectives you want to meet with your project.
- Scope — where you define all the features you'll include in detail.
- Structure — is when you're defining how users navigate through the experience.
- Skeleton — which is your first design of navigation and functional elements
- Surface — finally, this is the finished product, putting it all together
And, for the most part, these concepts still hold true today. Projects get messy when trying to effectively apply these elements and meet critical business objectives. Let's explore how you can use these elements to focus on the user and implement the right foundations of user experience design.
Focus on the foundation.
When you think about UX, it can be tempting to either quickly skip to the upper “design layers” of the model or focus on a feature-centered approach. However, like any structure, the most important layer is the foundation. The foundation of a good UX should be made up of site or business objectives and user needs. What the model implies — but may not clearly depict — is the importance of staying focused on these objectives and needs as each layer of the experience takes shape.
Uncover the business-centered approach.
Site objectives are often either driven by the client, buried in requirements or extracted through a series of stakeholder interviews, design thinking sessions and surveys. Identifying the right stakeholders can be a challenge and may require many different touchpoints. But, involving the business at each step of the process is integral to success. Whether it's at the end of development cycles, sprint reviews or at any other stage in the process, an inclusive approach and ongoing transparency ensure that site or product objectives are being maintained throughout.
The most important piece of information to extract is a tangible Key Performance Indicator (KPI). What’s the problem being solved? What are the desired outcomes and business value being delivering? Do benchmarks exist? Without a firm understanding and agreement on what success means, the team responsible for crafting the experience cannot hold itself accountable for the performance or quality of the experience.
It’s easy to be reactive and plan around site objectives that are dictated by individuals or internal politics, but the team must remember this is only one half of the foundation. What makes or breaks a user experience is the understanding of the actual user needs associated with the business problem — and the ability to apply them throughout the development process.
Put user needs first.
In his “Elements of User Experience” model, Garrett describes user needs as the externally derived goals for the site, identified through user research.