UX architecture is generally about how to solve design problems and communicate their solutions. I use an iterative process for creating information architectures, interaction designs, and visual designs. This includes regular reviews with stakeholders and team members as well as ongoing user research as needed to test concepts and/or prototypes to refine and improve them.
In agile and lean processes you may not generate all the documentation listed here. In some cases you may simply go from sketching to development of prototypes or even a minimal viable product (MVP) that you can have users actually interact with and get feedback. Wireframes and mock-ups can be as time consuming to maintain and update and still leave things open for misinterpretation during the implementation. With today’s technologies you can build a prototype that does exactly what you want to communicate in a short time.
Activities and deliverables:
- Heuristic/Expert Reviews: Heuristic reviews involve analysis by multiple analysts who follow the same guidelines. An expert review is simply a single person reviewing a web site or application.
- Web analytics: Reviewing and analyzing the web server statistics to see where users are going. Using tools like Adobe omniture, Coremetrics, or even google analytics can help provide data and analysis on user behavior.
- Information architecture: Understanding and creating the organization and structure for an application or web site. Deliverables include content inventory, taxonomy, and controlled vocabulary.
- Interaction design: Involves working with stakeholders and team members to solve interaction problems that support user goals and align with the businesses brand and goals. Deliverables that communicate the design solutions include; wireframes, task flows, site maps, user storiess, lo-fi prototypes.
- Interface/visual design: This involves integrating the visual brand into the interaction design. Deliverables include hi-fidelity screen mocks, hi-fi prototypes, final graphics-html-css, UX standards and guideline documentation.
Read more:
- UX strategy & vision
- UX research & analysis
- UX architecture & design
What tools and methods do you use for documenting and communicating UX architecture?