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Creating user journey maps and prototypes of digital products using the working backwards method
Would it be better if we started with designing the last screen first?
We are so used to linear progression from start to end that we sometimes forget that we can do things working backwards. I think that designing this way doesn’t actually work too well in helping the users achieve goals because we focus on the product itself more than on the problem-solution approach. It seems to me to allow for more optimal workflow in journey mapping and prototyping.
It’s easier to find the best and shortest way to reach a goal if we see the goal clearly before us — just like the mountains in the picture above.
And I’ve never heard about anyone talking about applying this method in their UX workflow, not openly or very directly at least, so I decided to write about it here and share some thoughts.
The basic premise of the ‘working backwards’ method is to start with the end result first, clearly define it, and create rules for measuring success in this case. Then test and validate it with users. Afterwards, go backwards step by step by thinking of the least important objectives…
