User Experience Design

Using the same user-centered design philosophy we advocate in our website strategic evaluations and usability testing engagements, we can create a solution for you.

Whether it's a web application, branded website redesign, or just some user experience tweaks here and there, our team of user experience experts can create a great solution that balances your business goals, technical capabilities and user needs.

Our User-Centered Design Process

Our end-to-end user experience (UX) design based on task analysis incorporates best practices from user-centered design throughout the process. Equal parts agile and waterfall, the process is designed to produce high quality project results while maintaining a high level of efficiency.

Discovery

Project discovery is learning - about your company, business objectives, existing solutions and technical capabilities, and customers. We want to learn everything we can.

To learn more about your customers, sometimes we conduct usability testing or develop a website evaluation that measures usability and overall user experience of an existing website or application. Our goal here is to learn as much about your users - what's working for them and what isn't - so that we can make informed decisions about the best way to do our work in later phases. This work actually

With that information in hand, we'll create the project action plan, the project requirements.

Information Architecture - The what and where of your site's plan

During this phase, we'll begin our initial strategy work for the website. Based on information gathered during discovery and in reviewing the website, we'll create the site's information architecture which will include new sitemap that organizes the entire website's content into a logical, coherent structure.

Wireframes – Like the your home's blueprints

Wireframes, which are the product of user interface (UI) design and information architecture, are your website's blue prints. Your home's blue prints detail where the refrigerator is in relation to the sink and stove; how many bedrooms there are as well as their location; and the relative size and placement of all the rooms of your home.

Similarly, your website's wireframes detail where the navigation rests in relation to the logo and page content; a comprehensive plan for how your users will complete processes; and a relative hierarchy for how information will be prioritized.

Equal parts strategy, critical thinking, and good design, wireframes detail an number of user experience considerations:

• Structure – Information Architecture (IA) Reorganizations
• Functionality – Interaction Design
• Intuitiveness – Information Design

Once discounted as an unnecessary step, today teams find that developing wireframes speeds overall development time by avoiding endless discussions mired on colors. More importantly, wireframes serve an important role in preserving the user experience and ensuring functionality at the end of the visual design phase.

Visual Design – Aesthetics

Visual design factors in branding, typography, colors, and images - the combined aesthetic - that enhances the user experience by making the site visually appealing. Visual design should unify the site's appearance with the company's brand and persona. Visual design should also build upon the UI wireframe to create clear visual hierarchy, prioritize content, and and enhance the user experience.

The importance of quality visual design cannot be underestimated. We often find that visual design contributes heavily to user perceptions of legitimacy and brand loyalty.

Content Strategy

Content inventory and development is woven through the entire user experience lifecycle. Your company's voice - from branding and positioning to error messaging - is another critical element to a project's success.

Technical Implementation - Development, Testing, & Go Live!

Whether we use our own local resources, or work with a partner development team, Normal Modes will follow your project through from concept to completion.

Once we've agreed on the core elements of the user experience, we'll put it all together into a working website (or application). Our XHMTL/CSS experts code templates presentation layer templates that will drive much of the user experience. We take pride in creating user experiences built upon solid infrastructure and standards validated programming.

During the final weeks of the development process, we create a punchlist of outstanding items to be completed or resolved before the site launch. This list of items is entered into our bug tracking system, RedWine, which is available online. Clients are invited to participate - the more eyes, the better!