Feature Design

Question 1

Design Collaboration Spectrum

Answer 1

1. Constrained divergence
2. Iterative convergence
3. Gaining approval & alignment

Question 2

Design Workshops

Answer 2

1. Prepare by defining constraints
2. Facilitate the design workshop
3. Debrief by clustering solution ideas
4. Assess clusters against constraints
5. Prioritize individual solution ideas

Question 3

Design workshop - prepare by defining restraints

Answer 3

1. Act as guardrails for the creative process
2. Focus brainstorming on practical, implementable solutions that align with business goals and user needs
   3.

Question 4

Types of constraints

Answer 4

1. Desirability
2. Feasibility
3. Viability

Question 5

Asking the right questions - format

Answer 5

“How might we (address the desirability constraint) for the user so that we (create the desired effect)?”

Question 6

Potential workshop structures

Answer 6

1. Crazy Eights
2. Alternative Worlds
3. Solution Pitch

Question 7

Cluster Solutions

Answer 7

1. Surface Area - clustering by what surface of your product is changing
2. User Type - clustering ideas based on different users within the same product
3. Funnel Stage - clustering ideas based on how they impact various points of the product’s funnel

Question 8

Benefits of Prototype Testing

Answer 8

1. Evolve designs informed by user preferences
2. Collaborate with design
3. Receive early signals around key risk areas

Question 9

Prototype Testing: Key Components

Answer 9

1. Audience - who is testing your prototype
2. Fidelity - how detailed & functional your prototype is
3. Moderation - how you guide the audience through the test
4. Synthesis - how you translate results into takeaways

Question 10

Prototype Testing Objectives

Answer 10

1. Design Exploration - Testing multiple solution ideas & design choices with users to determine which is most desirable
2. Design Validation - Testing, optimizing, & de-risking a given solution idea and set of design choices

Question 11

Prototype

Answer 11

A representation of a feature design in some physical form. This can be anything from a sketch on a piece of paper to a fully interactive user interface.

Question 12

Testing Objective

Answer 12

A test objective captures what you want to learn from the prototype test

Question 13

How to choose the right prototype objective

Answer 13

1. Desirability - which ideas are more or less desirable
2. User preference - which design choices do users prefer? These preferences are likely to be around UI, UX, and user flows in general
3. Demographics - do users with different demographic, firmographic, and product behaviors differ in what they find desirable?

Question 15

Leveraging existing sources of user insight

Answer 15

1. User logs - these provide insight into how users are solving the problem today if they have found a workaround within your product
2. Heat maps and activity trackers - these help us understand how users interact with a specific screen, and where they spend more or less time. Heatmaps are often useful if we’re trying to make design choices about information architecture and layouts of our surfaces
3. User feedback data and customer support tickets - these can provide useful insights into areas of friction that users have experienced in the past
4. Spot surveys and polls with existing users - we can use these to understand users’ attitudes about solution ideas. Note though that surveys can only provide aggregated, directional data about what users prefer, but can’t reveal in-depth insights about how they feel

Question 16

Key design questions

Answer 16

1. Design issues - when we consider the entirety of the solution idea and design choices, what issues emerge?
2. Usability risks - what are the areas of usability risk that need to be considered during feature development?

Question 17

Difference between design issues and usability risks

Answer 17

Design issues are specific UI or UX choices that get in the way of the feature’s core functionality.

Usability risks emerge when using the feature’s core functionality creates friction in some way. It might be that the feature is mentally taxing, or requires them to follow a lot of steps or enter a lot of personal information, for example.

Question 18

Parts of prototype test

Answer 18

1. Setup - involves providing context on the problem and test goal
2. Interaction - the stage where users engage with the prototype
3. Q&A - asking users questions based on their interactions

Question 19

UX Work Bonus Points

Answer 19

It’s a good idea to annotate low fidelity prototypes to explicitly call out which elements are core functionalities and which ones are differentiation or delight elements

Question 20

What is the difference between a product review and a design review?

Answer 20

1. Audience
2. Objective

Question 21

How to prepare for design review (product role)

Answer 21

Align the team and facilitate their preparation before the meeting

1. Summary & Recap - Callback to strategic fit, user value, and business value
2. Design Principles - lay out the design team’s guiding principles for the project when developing designs and prototypes
3. Design Critique Process - define a structured process for soliciting feedback

Question 22

Categories of Feedback

Answer 22

1. Problem-solution fit - how well the solution addresses the user problem
2. Solution-product fit - how well the new feature design fits within the overall product
3. Subjective feedback - feedback from stakeholders driven by personal preferences