Hello and welcome!
My name is Holly, and I'm a Full-Stack UX Designer. I specialize in shipping high-fidelity, dev-ready product design; I continuously study/research insights pertaining to user experience, human behavior, and user psychology. Product experience is to be considered holistically, and the most user friendly product must be built upon user (and business) goals. Moreover, successful product design is created in the context of the user’s mental model and contextual environment. --- I have worked on a range of companies including Facebook, Apple, and a suite of funded startups including my most recent design endeavor, a sequoia backed startup whose competitive advantage is the UX Design itself. To add context, I have worked in business/company environments from large agile teams (designers, product managers, and developers) to rapid design demos (where I have been “the” designer on a team of developers). I have designed for well-funded startups as their sole designer, started up my own bootstrapped ventures, and designed for unicorn-gone-mainstream companies such as Apple and Facebook.
I sat down to map out the design process that’s formed over my 7 years of design, to date.
Enjoy! - Holly Jade
Want to get in touch? Message Holly
My name is Holly, and I'm a Full-Stack UX Designer. I specialize in shipping high-fidelity, dev-ready product design; I continuously study/research insights pertaining to user experience, human behavior, and user psychology. Product experience is to be considered holistically, and the most user friendly product must be built upon user (and business) goals. Moreover, successful product design is created in the context of the user’s mental model and contextual environment. --- I have worked on a range of companies including Facebook, Apple, and a suite of funded startups including my most recent design endeavor, a sequoia backed startup whose competitive advantage is the UX Design itself. To add context, I have worked in business/company environments from large agile teams (designers, product managers, and developers) to rapid design demos (where I have been “the” designer on a team of developers). I have designed for well-funded startups as their sole designer, started up my own bootstrapped ventures, and designed for unicorn-gone-mainstream companies such as Apple and Facebook.
I sat down to map out the design process that’s formed over my 7 years of design, to date.
Enjoy! - Holly Jade
Want to get in touch? Message Holly
UX RESEARCH + STRATEGY
The research and strategy phase is one of the most critical steps to successful UX and product design as it lays a foundation for everything that follows. The quality emphasis on ensuring that a user goal/problem is defined serves the first component that guides this stage of research and strategy. UX research is always revisited throughout the entire process, in evolved formats as the product design comes to fruition.
My most leveraged methods of UX research include but is not limited to:
My most leveraged methods of UX research include but is not limited to:
- Discovery Meetings stakeholders including PM’s and primary users to define User goals (i.e. Goal States)
- User Interviews / Observations / custom-selected Research Methods
- Mental Model Strategy and Analysis, creation of User Goal States
- Map Current “solution,” if any + list needs based off of Mental Model and Goal States
- User Flow Diagrams specific to stated User Goals
USER REQUIREMENTS + SPECIFICATIONS
The only way to a successful product is to have a clear pathway for the user to attain their goal while also keeping the business goals in check. During this stage, focusing in on User Goals and understanding the feature set based on these goals is critically important. The pathway to defining user goals stems from the foundation of the previous step, UX research and strategy. It's during the research phase that target users are defined, their mental models are discovered, and user goal states are defined.
After listing out features based on user's goal states and UX research, it's important to sort and simplify product features into 3 categories:
After listing out features based on user's goal states and UX research, it's important to sort and simplify product features into 3 categories:
- Primary Features: Which features directly meet the defined user goal?
- Secondary Features: Which features are necessary but don’t meet the goal? (i.e. settings panel, profile, etc)
- "Maybe later" Features: Which features don’t meet the goal and aren’t necessary?
LOW FIDELITY EXPLORATIONS
This stage is another one that is visited frequently, but especially necessary before med-fi and hi-fi design, and after research and strategy. This stage encompasses everything from early napkin drawing concepts, white boarding, and rapid early wireframes. It's in this stage that we explore the User Flow (series and maps of screens at an abstract, strategic high level) based on UX research, specifically User Journey Mapping.
I ensure that during this stage, low fidelity mockups are validated with the project stakeholders including primary users. From a strategic standpoint, it's important to invest in this time up front as the product is in its most malleable state.
Information architecture with regards to content and soft, early copy concepts are typically applied during this phase as it adds important context for early feedback (both internal and external).
I ensure that during this stage, low fidelity mockups are validated with the project stakeholders including primary users. From a strategic standpoint, it's important to invest in this time up front as the product is in its most malleable state.
Information architecture with regards to content and soft, early copy concepts are typically applied during this phase as it adds important context for early feedback (both internal and external).
MEDIUM FIDELITY VARIANTS
It's during this stage that the UI blueprints and information architecture are further refined to a state where the layout and more tangible context comes forth. UI details such as specific form, depth, shadows, typeface, colors, are intentionally not included in this stage. The goal of this phase is to harness feedback and validation of the user's goal on the basis of envisioning a more concrete foundation of the product.
Primarily, this stage's goal is to convey, get feedback and modify main features, functions and content of a product.
Primarily, this stage's goal is to convey, get feedback and modify main features, functions and content of a product.
HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPING
I find that this is the stage that a lot of very new novice designers, coders, founders, etc. assume this stage is the bread and butter of design. While high fidelity design is extremely important for UX and user perception, I've learned that it's synonymous to interior design and facade choices for a building. High fidelity design is certainly critical in influencing user perception, but it's key that this stage is laid upon a firm foundation of a product that allows users to achieve their goal in the simplest way possible.
One belief that I've learned over my years of designing is that high fidelity design does play a key role in successful user experience. For, UX can hardly feel seamless if the actual interface and design that they're interacting with is the opposite of delightful. It's during this phase that I focus on going above and beyond in terms of injecting delight through little interaction moments, copy edits, and simple airy visual decisions.
It's during this stage (and arguably it's own state all together) that prototyping comes into play. I use clickable prototyping tools such as invision as it seamlessly interfaces with Sketch and has features that are helpful for the "final" phase, shipping the design.
One belief that I've learned over my years of designing is that high fidelity design does play a key role in successful user experience. For, UX can hardly feel seamless if the actual interface and design that they're interacting with is the opposite of delightful. It's during this phase that I focus on going above and beyond in terms of injecting delight through little interaction moments, copy edits, and simple airy visual decisions.
It's during this stage (and arguably it's own state all together) that prototyping comes into play. I use clickable prototyping tools such as invision as it seamlessly interfaces with Sketch and has features that are helpful for the "final" phase, shipping the design.
SHIPPABLE PRODUCT
Most all products will have various versions and updates, so everything listed here as mentioned, is a lifecycle whose phases are visited continuously as-needed.
When shipping designs, I ensure a clean, well-annotated, and live demo'd design, as this approach does best when handed off to developers, product managers, and founders. It's easy for new designers to think sending screenshots and exports are sufficient but the more context and specific that developers can leverage/inspect, the more success there is that a design will actually be coded in the way it was intended. Demo meetings are critical during this stage; and if I'm working across a different timezone or the developer team is remote, then annotations, screen captures, and even further investment in the hand-off assets are key for success. Depending on the goal and version of a product, designs will additionally be accompanied oftentimes by a prototyping tool, if the project allows.
Visit work samples
When shipping designs, I ensure a clean, well-annotated, and live demo'd design, as this approach does best when handed off to developers, product managers, and founders. It's easy for new designers to think sending screenshots and exports are sufficient but the more context and specific that developers can leverage/inspect, the more success there is that a design will actually be coded in the way it was intended. Demo meetings are critical during this stage; and if I'm working across a different timezone or the developer team is remote, then annotations, screen captures, and even further investment in the hand-off assets are key for success. Depending on the goal and version of a product, designs will additionally be accompanied oftentimes by a prototyping tool, if the project allows.
Visit work samples
