Discover phase

Gather and analyze relevant data and research on users’ behaviours, motivations and concerns.

• Performance data analysis In development

  Further analyze web analytics, search analytics, call driver data, page feedback and UX testing research data to identify user needs

• Research report review In development

  Identify and review related public opinion research and ethnographic research that provide insight into user needs

• Personas

  Develop fictional profiles that represent typical users of the content, using a standard template to describe their motivations, goals and behaviours based on user research

• New primary research on user needs

  If more data on user needs is required, consider conducting additional research such as user interviews, questionnaires or other types of research

Before designing new content, be sure to get a detailed understanding of the existing content, its quality and how users interact with it.

• Content inventory

  Create a list of relevant content, add data and observations about the content, create content maps

• Heuristic usability evaluation

  Use a set of criteria to evaluate the content's quality and usability to identify strengths and areas for improvement

• Environmental scan

  Gather information from the external environment, including social media and other similar websites, that could help inform the content and design

• User journey maps

  Create a user journey map (or update an existing one) to illustrate how users interact with the content

• Content gap analysis In development

  Compare information on user needs with the existing content to determine if there are any gaps in the content

Baseline usability testing lets you establish a benchmark to measure improvements in task success and helps you understand what works and doesn’t work before starting the design process.

• Identification of user tasks for improvement

  Identify relevant tasks from the task inventory, create job stories and task scenarios

• Usability testing

  Develop a testing plan, recruit users that match the target user profile, conduct usability testing (unmoderated or moderated) and report on results

Summarize relevant findings from the discovery phase and create and prioritize issues to be worked on in the design phase.

• Research synthesis In development

  Synthesize the research from the discovery phase and determine if additional research is needed

• Backlog prioritization In development

  List and prioritize the issues identified in the heuristic usability assessment and in user testing