Google UX Program

Question 1

What is a Product Development Life Cycle?

Answer 1

The process used to take a product from an idea to reality.

Question 2

Every task you carry out during a project will be linked to one of the stages of this lifecycle.

Question 3

A project starts out with a team trying to solve some sort of problem.

Answer 3

The problem usually covers how to develop a product that provides the best user experience.

Question 4

What are the five stages of the Product Development Life Cycle?

Answer 4

1. Brainstorm
2. Define
3. Design
4. Test
5. Launch

Question 5

What is the first stage of the product development life cycle?

Answer 5

Brainstorm stage: An active discovery stage that’s all about generating ideas about the user and potential needs or challenges the user might have.

Question 6

What does the team work on in the brainstorming stage?

Answer 6

Generates ideas to solve a problem, understands the audience they’re designing for, and identifies needs or challenges the audience may have.

Question 7

What is the second stage of the product development life cycle?

Answer 7

Define stage: All about using the insights from the brainstorming stage and starting to narrow the focus.

Question 8

What does the team work on in the define stage?

Answer 8

The team determines concrete ways that the product being developed will impact the user.

One more thing to keep in mind: A UX designer at a large company might not be very involved in the brainstorming stage. But a UX designer at a startup or small business could have a big role to play!

Question 9

What is the third stage of the product development life cycle?

Answer 9

Design stage: UX designers begin to actively develop ideas, and they also check that all specifications from the define stage are realistic.

Question 10

What do UX designers work on in the design stage?

Answer 10

Using the insights from the first two stages, UX designers generate designs that keep the user top of mind.

You’ll create many different assets, including storyboards, which are sketches that help explore the user’s experience, or wireframes, which provide outlines of the content layout. Or you might create prototypes, which are models that allow UX designers to test the functionality of a design.

Question 11

What is the fourth stage of the product development life cycle?

Answer 11

Test stage: The team evaluates the product design based on feedback from potential users.

Testing helps identify areas to refine or improve the designs.

Question 12

What do UX designers work on in the testing stage?

Answer 12

Testing helps identify areas to refine or improve the designs. It also helps UX designers consider the interactivity of the design. This is a stage that involves lots of interaction between UX designers and front-end engineers as they figure out ways to create an end product that satisfies users’ needs and is practical and functional. They discuss things like how the color or font can fit the company’s brand or whether the prototype designs are easily understandable.

Question 13

What is the last stage of the product development life cycle?

Answer 13

Launch stage: Sharing a finished version of the product with the public.

This might involve listing an app in the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store, making a website go live, or putting a physical product on store shelves.

Question 14

What does the team work on after the product is launched?

Answer 14

Launching can be very satisfying for you and your team because you have the chance to understand how your designs will be received in the real world. However, the work on a product isn’t quite finished after launch. You may still identify opportunities to improve on the designs or learn even more about the user experience based on feedback. This could involve going back to the design or testing stages and figuring out ways to produce a more enhanced version of the product.

Question 15

Which stage of the product development life cycle are UX designers more engaged in?

Answer 15

In the design stage. They work closely with team members - like researchers, product managers, and engineers - throughout the entire life cycle.

Question 16

Which stage of the product development life cycle are UX designers more engaged in?

Answer 16

In the design stage. They work closely with team members - like researchers, product managers, and engineers - throughout the entire life cycle.

Question 17

What qualities are needed in a product for users to have a good experience?

Answer 17

Usable, Equitable, Enjoyable, and Useful

Question 18

What does it mean when a product is usable?

Answer 18

It means the design, structure, and purpose of the product are clear and easy to use.

As you evaluate a product for usability, you can ask questions like: Is everything in the design easy to find? Is the design’s functionality easy to understand? Can users accomplish specific tasks within the design? As you evaluate, these questions can help you determine whether the design delivers a usable experience.

Question 19

What does it mean when a product is equitable?

Answer 19

It means a design is helpful to people with diverse abilities and backgrounds.

In other words, the product’s design addresses the needs of a diverse audience and ensures a high-quality experience is delivered to all users regardless of background, gender, race, or ability. Equity means providing people with the tools they need to accomplish their goals and support improved quality of life. Equity goes beyond the concept of equality, where everyone is given equal resources, because people often need different tools and support based on their needs. This is especially important to keep in mind for those in commonly disenfranchised groups. As you evaluate the equity of a product’s UX, you can ask questions like: Are the needs of a diverse group of users considered? Does the product’s design address the needs of traditionally underrepresented and excluded groups? These questions can help you determine whether the design delivers an equitable experience.

Question 20

What does it mean when a product is enjoyable?

Answer 20

It means the design delights the user.

The design reflects what the user may be thinking or feeling and creates a positive connection with them. A product’s design doesn’t have to be enjoyable for it to function properly. But, an enjoyable design adds to an already functional product and can enhance the user’s feelings about the experience. As you evaluate how enjoyable a product’s UX is, you can ask questions like: Are there aspects of the design that consider the user’s feelings? Does the design inspire delight in the user? Does the design keep the user engaged throughout their experience? These questions can help you determine whether the design delivers an enjoyable experience.

Imagine you are evaluating how enjoyable a video streaming app is. Design aspects that might increase how much you enjoy the product include personalized recommendations based on previous watching habits, or the ability to customize the appearance of your account.

Question 21

What does it mean when a product is useful?

Answer 21

It means it solves user problems.

In other words, the design intentionally solves a user problem that the designer has identified. It’s important to note that, while similar, useful and usable have different meanings. A product that is useful isn’t always usable. The same is true for the opposite. The distinction between the two is that usability refers to the product working well and being easy to use, while usefulness refers directly to the ability to solve user problems. As you evaluate how useful a product’s UX is, you can ask questions like: Does the design add value to the user’s experience? Does the design solve a problem for the user? Does the design help the user achieve a specific goal? These questions can help you determine whether the design delivers a useful experience.

Imagine you’re evaluating how useful a banking app is. Users typically download these apps because they need a place to manage their money. With this in mind, aspects of the app that might be considered useful are features that can be used to transfer money between accounts and pay bills.

Question 22

What is a framework?

Answer 22

A conceptual tool that provides guidance on the best practices and processes for solving problems and building solutions that solve the problems of real users.

Frameworks provide structure for the design process and foster collaboration, which can spark innovations.

Question 23

What does iterative mean?

Answer 23

You’ll be repeating certain phases as you refine your designs.

For example, depending on the feedback you receive during testing, you might need to conduct additional research, brainstorm new ideas, or develop new prototypes.

Question 24

What is your primary goal during the empathize phase?

Answer 24

To learn more about the user and their problems wants, and needs, and the environment or context in which they’ll experience your design.

The most important part of the empathize phase is to step away from your assumptions and guesses and let your research findings inform your decision-making in later design phases.

Your user research might include user surveys, interviews, and observation sessions, and you might also need to conduct some research on the competitors’ products to determine how your user frames competitors’ products as part of their daily life and daily problem-solving.

Question 25

What is your primary goal during the define phase?

Answer 25

In the define phase, you’ll analyze your research findings from the empathize phase and determine which user problems are the most important ones to solve, and why. This will drive you toward a clear goal for the design of the product.

The most important outcome of this phase is a clear problem statement, which is a description of the user’s need that your designs will address. You might also develop a value proposition, which is a summary of why your user would or should use the product or service that you’re designing.

Question 26

What is your primary goal during the ideate phase?

Answer 26

After you land on a user problem and establish why it’s an important one to solve, it’s time for the ideate phase. The goal of ideation is to come up with as many design solutions as possible—don’t settle for your first solution because the most obvious solution is not always the right one.

Ideation involves collaborative brainstorming with other members of your team to generate as many solutions as possible to a problem. This could include marketing, engineering, product management, or any other stakeholders for the product or service. During brainstorming sessions, you should explore all possible solutions. Don’t focus on whether something is a “good” or “bad” idea, just collect as many ideas as you can. The important thing here is to keep this process judgment-free.

After brainstorming, you’ll then analyze your potential solutions and start to make choices about which ones are the best options to pursue as prototypes. You might return to user or competitive research to help you narrow down your ideas, and you might also create user flows to illustrate how the user will interact with your solution.

Question 27

Prototype and Test

Answer 27

After you have an idea of how to solve the problem, you’re ready to enter the prototype phase, where your goal is to produce an early model of a product that demonstrates its functionality and can be used for testing. The test phase is critical to developing the right solution to address your user’s problem, and an organized approach to testing can help you create exceptional user experiences.

The goal of testing prototypes is to continue to refine the prototype as you gain insight into whether the design for your product or service is easy to use and solves the user’s problem. At some point, you’ll finalize a prototype, and then you’ll provide it to developers, who will then turn your design into a product.

Question 28

Prototype and Test

Answer 28

After you have an idea of how to solve the problem, you’re ready to enter the prototype phase, where your goal is to produce an early model of a product that demonstrates its functionality and can be used for testing. The test phase is critical to developing the right solution to address your user’s problem, and an organized approach to testing can help you create exceptional user experiences.

The goal of testing prototypes is to continue to refine the prototype as you gain insight into whether the design for your product or service is easy to use and solves the user’s problem. At some point, you’ll finalize a prototype, and then you’ll provide it to developers, who will then turn your design into a product.

Question 29

What is the avergae mobile seesion?

Answer 29

72 seconds

Question 30

What is the average desktop session?

Answer 30

150 seconds

Question 31

Mobile users are focused on what?

Answer 31

Goal oriented - focused on completing a single task

Question 32

What are a few best practices for designing mobile user experiences?

Answer 32

1. Call-to-action buttons should be front and center, allowing the users to easily complete the desired task.
2. Navigation menus should be short and simple. We want to simplify the user experience on mobile. so menu items should highlight the core functions of the product.
3. Use gestures that users already do, like tapping and swiping. Gestures should be intuitive and familiar to users.
4. Design for both directions a phone might be held. Consider the vertical portrait view and landscape view so users can have an effective experience no matter how they hold their phones
5. Reduce visual clutter

Question 33

How is the term platform defined in UX design?

Answer 33

A platform is the medium where users experience a product. Some common platforms are:

Desktop computers

Laptop computers

Mobile phones

Tablets

Wearables, like smart watches

TVs

Smart displays

Question 34

What is Equity-focused design?

Answer 34

Thinking through all the aspects of a designed product and making sure the product is both accessible and fair to all genders, races, and abilities. Plus, the designs need to specifically consider underrepresented and excluded groups.

Question 35

The term accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for

Answer 35

People with motor disabilities, vision disabilities, and who are deaf or hard of hearing

Question 36

In which phase of Design Thinking would a designer create an early model of a product that demonstrates its functionality?

Answer 36

Prototype

Question 37

While equality means providing the same amount of opportunity and support to all, equity means providing _______ levels of opportunity and support for each person to achieve fair outcomes.

Answer 37

Equality means that everyone gets the same opportunity and support, which might not meet the needs of all users. Equity means providing different levels of opportunity and support for each user to achieve fair outcomes. You can review this video for a refresher on universal design, inclusive design, and equity-focused design.

Question 38

Which user group(s) should the user experience design prioritize?

Answer 38

User experience design should focus on one user group at a time. The first priority should be designed for current users, and later, future internet users.

Question 39

What is a Design Sprint?

Answer 39

A time-bound process, with five phases typically spread over 5 full 8-hour days.

Question 40

What is the goal of a Design sprint goal?

Answer 40

Solve a critical design challenge through designing, prototyping, and testing ideas with users.

Question 41

How does a design sprint solve design challenges?

Answer 41

They help designers choose the best design solution.
Sprints can help designers decide on a solution, especially when there are multiple possibilities in mind.

Question 42

Which of the design sprint phases involves creating the first version of the proposed solution?

Answer 42

During the Prototype phase a designer creates a first draft of the product to be tested by users.

Question 43

In phase three of a design sprint—the decide phase—what is the team’s goal?

Answer 43

Determine which solutions to build

In the third phase–the decide phase–the team’s goal is to determine which solutions to build for the user problem. This comes after assessing the user problem and brainstorming possible solutions. Phase three sets the stage for the product that will address user needs.

Question 44

Why might a team consider conducting a design sprint?

Answer 44

1. To answer questions
2. Design sprints help a team answer questions, define product directions, and figure out cross-team strategies.
3. To develop cross-team strategies