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Doing the Right Things and Doing Things Right: A Design Researcher’s Process Model
Understanding your UX role at the micro and macro levels matters greatly. Sharing case studies shows your ability to “do things right.” Additionally, sharing your design philosophy shows your ability to “do the right things.”
During the interviewing process for user researcher roles, I have been asked to share case studies: project context, research questions, methods, sampling, insights, and impact. Creating a model to represent my design research philosophy has enabled me to quickly share my process for user research.
Dan Nessler, a UX lecturer, famously revamped the Double Diamond model. His mastery of detail inspired me to refine my UX research process model.
Design Models
The d.school’s Design Thinking model with 5 iterative phases has helped me to quickly convey the user-focused design to previous UX clients.
The emphasis on iteration promotes a growth mindset. I cried after my first portfolio design critique. An IBM product designer told me that I would be iterating my portfolio for the rest of my life… so get used to it…
