H.C.D PROCESSES
Product Oriented Solution VS User Oriented Solution
In my design process, I rely on three core frameworks to craft user-focused, value-driven solutions: User Journey Maps, Personas and Scenarios, and User Storyboards. It all starts with User Journey Maps, where I dive into understanding the emotional and cognitive experiences users go through. This helps me pinpoint key touchpoints in how they solve problems, giving me a solid foundation to work from.
From there, I develop detailed personas and scenarios. These are essential because they let me really hone in on who the target users are and what they specifically need. It’s not just about demographics—it's about understanding their behaviors, motivations, and challenges in context.
Finally, I bring everything together with User Storyboards. These aren’t just visual aids—they’re narratives that show how users will interact with the product in real-life situations. They also allow me to simulate business strategies by visualizing how the product fits into the broader picture. This step ensures that my designs don’t just meet user needs but align with business goals as well.
01. USER JOURNEY MAP
Understanding Needs in Users' Contexts
User Journey Maps are vital tools for understanding users' problems and needs within their specific contexts. They help visualize how users navigate their experiences, including emotional changes and thought processes.
By mapping out these journeys, I can identify critical touchpoints to incorporate into my design. For instance, when designing the car purchasing app CVIEW, the User Journey Map revealed that interactions with dealers were often intimidating, turning excitement into stress. We found that decision helpers played a key role in the purchasing process, and this insight guided the design to alleviate user stress.
Understanding the user’s journey is crucial as it defines where to focus in the design process, ensuring that solutions are deeply aligned with the user’s needs and pain points.
02. PERSONA AND SCENARIO
Finalizing the Scope of Activities Based on User Journey Insights
Using insights from the User Journey Map, I create personas and scenarios that are tailored to specific demographics and behaviors. Typically, I develop two to three personas, each representing a typical user’s approach to challenges within their unique circumstances.
For example, in the CVIEW project, I developed a persona of a single mother with limited car knowledge who needed a vehicle for daily caregiving. I detailed her needs and how she would navigate the purchasing process, including the role of decision helpers.
By developing personas and scenarios, I can identify unmet needs, ensuring that the solutions are meaningful and relevant to both the physical and cognitive demands of the users.
03. USER STORYBOARD
Simulating Product Concepts and Marketing Plans in User Stories
After creating personas and scenarios from the User Journey Map, the next step is designing user-centric products. User Storyboards are vital here, visually representing how personas interact with products in real-world scenarios. This approach helps simulate product concepts and business strategies.
For example, in the CVIEW project, an augmented reality tool was added to enhance information access and support car-buying decisions. The storyboard illustrated how users discover and integrate the app into their lives, refining both the marketing strategy and evaluating the product’s value.
User Storyboards are key for assessing product usability and value from the user's perspective. They provide a dynamic framework to validate both market viability and desirability.