Understanding the Unified UX Approach

If you have a family of applications—or solutions designed for multiple devices—maintaining consistency in your UX isn’t easy. But the negative impacts of ignoring it are likely much worse than you think. Our 16-point Unified UX methodology is the answer. Refined over more than 600 initiatives, our approach is backed by a tailored, user-centered design life cycle that ensures user validation throughout the entire process. All to help you create a consistent experience, reduce costs and get to market faster.

Discover

1. Conduct 5-Part comparative UX analysis

This isn’t your father’s competitive analysis. We go a level deeper, showing you which additional, emerging and best-of-breed solutions your users are relying on.

2. Define User Modeling & Core Experience

Identify each persona that will use your app, and their responsibilities, needs and goals. Most importantly, for each, figure out where 80% of the users spend 80% of their time.

3. Define the optimal user journey/experience

Your users may start in your app—but where do you want them to end up? Map out the entire journey, from email to phone and even in-person interactions.

4. Identify points of innovation

Want to do something groundbreaking? Here’s your chance. Just make sure you’re providing true value, differentiation and competitive advantage—not just a gimmick.

Define

5. Define UI technology strategy

There are 14 key UI technology decisions you’ll need to make. We’ll walk you through all of them—from core technologies to coding patterns and everything in between.

6. Finalize UI architecture strategy

A well-defined UI architecture strategy is the foundation for elegant simplicity. Use proven UX patterns to map out navigation and control schemes, and minimize the number of views.

7. Define functionality for 80/80 experience

You already know where 80% of users spend 80% of their time. Now you’ll define the functionality for those core views. This is a critical step for a successful UX.

8. Establish guiding Unified UX design principles

Is your entire development team on the same page? This is your chance to lay out the overarching design rules so everyone is approaching your UX from the same angle.

Design

9. Generate design concepts and validate

Explore all potential design approaches. Get input from actual users so you can be sure you end up with the most compelling execution.

10. Finalize look and feel

Ready to bring your brand to life across your digital solutions? It’s not just visual design. Language, voice and tone are just as important to a successful user experience.

11. Apply design to core experience

You’ve created the functionality and the look and feel—here’s where it all comes together. Get the design right for the core experience and you’ll have a winning UX.

12. Complete Unified UX design cycle

Once you’ve finished designing for your primary device, identify how to translate it across other devices with responsive or adaptive adjustments to individual UI panels.

Develop

13. Specify all views for UI development

Give your UI developers the blueprint to build the finished product. Make it fully accessible online and you’ll make life easier for everyone.

14. Code core reusable views

Why write each view from scratch when you can create code that’s reusable across views and apps? That’s how you get real consistency (not to mention shorter dev time).

15. Code all views

Did you follow number 14? Then good news: You’re about to cut your development time for this step by 50 to 75%. Plus, you can hand it off to less experienced developers.

16. Integrate all views to UI

Finally, integrate your UI with backend functionality. Code the UI and get it right first—you’ll save yourself significant time in the long run.

See what a Unified UX approach can do for your software

See your software with a Unified UX in just 14 days. And if you’re beginning a funded UX initiative in the next three to six months, it’s FREE.