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UX Frameworks: Which Tools to Use to Create a Good Experience

UX Frameworks: Which Tools to Use to Create a Good Experience

by Carlos Neves
2024-12-13
5 min

In the previous article, we discussed the fundamental characteristics of UX (holistically analyzing behaviours, creating empathy and eliminating assumptions, and assuming a central role in the brand-customer relationship). In this second part, we will detail some of the activities and tools we use to define intentional and memorable experiences that also meet specific business objectives.

Identifying the right problem to solve – solving the problem in the right way 

Often, we are challenged to find miraculous solutions for poorly defined problems. Without understanding users’ perspectives, we might be looking for a solution to a problem that, in reality, the users do not have. Paradoxically, we might be designing a rocket when the user only needs a bicycle… 

The solution to a UX problem is to get a clear answer to the following questions: 

  1. What is the problem? (Clearly define the problem.) 
  2. Who has this problem? (For whom are we designing the experience?) 
  3. What are the goals? (Business and users.) 
  4. How to solve the problem (What strategy to use?) 
  5. What features are required to achieve the goals? (Functional requirements.) 
  6. How will the product work so that the goals are achieved? (Solution to the problem.) 

To find the answers, the UX team uses various UX activities and tools that must adapt to the complexity of the problem at hand. Here are the most significant: 

Discovery

A large part of the success of the product centers on identifying and defining the right problem to solve. The discovery phase is probably the one that varies the most between projects. The more complex will include significant activities of user and competitor research in the market, while smaller projects may skip some of these activities, maintaining informal interviews, surveys or field studies. 

What activities do we carry out? 

UX workshops for discovery, empathy and prioritization – UX workshops are used throughout the process to solve cross-functional ownership issues and achieve consensus, among other goals. 

Strategy

The success of a digital product starts with a grounded strategy. Defining this strategy will shape the project’s objectives – what to do and what not to do, opportunities for innovation and where to focus resources, with the goal of gaining a competitive advantage. The UX strategy translates business vision into an experience concept and ensures a rationale for each decision. 

What activities do we carry out? 

  • Discovery and ideation sessions. 
  • Research (market analysis, competition and digital approach). 
  • Identification and analysis of the target audience, creation of personas. 
  • Presentation of strategic value propositions. 
  • Creation of an experience concept aligned with three vectors: business objectives, user needs and implementation capability. 

Analysis

The objective of the analysis phase is to extract concrete results from the data collected in the previous phase, moving from ‘what’ users want/think/need to ‘why’ they want/think/need it. 

What activities do we carry out? 

  • Interpret data – We interpret data to explain and understand raw data. This interpretation summarizes the patterns found in the raw data or underlying concepts they reveal: Key Insights (persona, action, need, constraint), ‘job to be done’ (situation, motivation, expected outcome), and user stories (as a persona, action, outcome). 
  • Functional analysis – Functional analysts ensure that the focus is on the user, their goal and how they should perform tasks to achieve it. 
  • Mental models – The way people build their mental models is based on several factors, such as past experiences, knowledge level and cultural references. The structure of a mental model diagram is divided into two parts: the problem space and the solution space. 
  • Experience map – An experience map is an extended version of a mental model and is based on a universal structure: product life cycle stages, user experience emotions, collected data and ideation.  

Projecting the experience

This phase of a UX project is collaborative and iterative. The premise is to present ideas to real users, get feedback, refine and iterate. These ideas can be represented by wireframes or functional prototypes, deliberately created in low fidelity to delay any discussion related to graphic identity, branding or visual details. 

What activities do we carry out? 

  • Navigation flows – When designing a digital product, we need to know what actions we want users to take and what steps they need to follow. Navigation flow diagrams define the sequence of interactions users must undertake from a starting point to task completion. This tool helps us understand how users can complete journeys in different ways or from various entry points, informing how the product needs to be structured and defining the information architecture – our brain prefers order over chaos. Information architecture analyses the project contents and structures them to make sense for the consumer. Information architecture can be divided into the following parts: 
  1. Identify: What content do we need to tell the brand’s story? What pieces are necessary to communicate what we want to convey? 
  2. Classify: Categorize the content and design its distribution within the product’s organization and hierarchy. 
  3. Map: Structure and organize, deciding how each concept or content block will lead to the next. Information architecture organizes content into manageable hierarchies. This structure establishes how people will assimilate the ideas presented in a logical sequence. 
  • Wireframes – creating wireframes provides a high-level plan for each flow. Typically, they are low-resolution with a sparse, minimal layout. Whether a simple map of boxes, lines and placeholders or a more sophisticated representation, wireframes provide a structure that serves another important function: communication. They are a powerful visual tool, allowing everyone, regardless of their role in their team, to see how the product will be structured.

Materialize

This is the phase where the high-fidelity UI is developed, and a first version of the product is validated with stakeholders and end users through usability testing sessions. The role of the UX team shifts from creating and validating ideas to collaborating with development teams to guide and defend the vision. Additionally, it is also their responsibility to ensure the final quality of the implementation through UX Quality Assurance processes. 

What activities do we carry out? 

  • Prototyping – Prototypes function as a nearly complete version of a product.
    Navigation, interactions and all the major visual features and content blocks will be in place. It is not necessary to have every single component, but rather everything the user needs to interact, and the experience should be integrated.
    Prototypes allow for iterations and adjustments before finalizing the UX definition. Prototypes can be low or high-fidelity. Low-fidelity prototypes focus on functionality, while high-fidelity prototypes focus on the UI of the final version. 
  • Micro-copy – Text clusters that are responsible for shaping a significant portion of the experience. Effective use of these texts facilitates guiding, engaging, suggesting and creating pleasant experiences. 
  • Design system – Without the creation of a ‘design system’, interface elements can vary widely in style, behaviour and even terminology, leaving users confused and frustrated. The Design System establishes clear guidelines that guide the appearance and behaviour of all components: consistency and cohesion, saving time and effort, scalability and collaboration. 
  • Usability tests – Once you have a functional prototype, it’s time to conduct some usability tests. This is a tool that can be used at any point in the process. Usability tests can be moderated or unmoderated, in person or remotely. In-person (moderated) tests provide the opportunity to analyze how people react emotionally to the experience, allow for unfiltered feedback and reveal what is working and what is not. 

In summary, this is the macro diagram of the end-to-end UX work process:  

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, the ideal experience lets users perform a task effectively and positively, giving them a feeling of satisfaction. 

This premise is deceptively simple: building the ideal experience is a more complex journey than one might initially think – it is, in fact, a journey of learning and trial and error, accompanied by many iterations and evolutions. It does not have a definitive beginning, middle and end, because the ideal experience changes as our users also change, making it inherently iterative by nature.  

The User Experience team at Xpand IT is focused on creating omnichannel experiences that are both useful and valuable for users and that are fully aligned with our client’s business needs, objectives and vision.  

Read the first part of this article. 

Carlos NevesUX Frameworks: Which Tools to Use to Create a Good Experience
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Ensuring the Quality of Digital Experiences with UX Quality Assurance

Ensuring the Quality of Digital Experiences with UX Quality Assurance

by Carlos Neves
2024-12-13
3 min

In today’s digital world, user experience (UX) is one of the critical factors for the success of any digital product. How users interact with a website, application or software can make the difference between a product that delights and retains customers and one that drives them away. 

This is why ensuring the quality of UX throughout the development process is essential – and this is where UX Quality Assurance (QA) comes into play. 

What Is UX Quality Assurance and How Do We Do It?

UX QA is the process that aims to ensure the quality and consistency of the experience. It involves evaluating all visual and usability components to ensure that the product not only functions as expected and validated but also delivers a positive, smooth, frictionless experience. 

This process is fundamentally important in our projects across three different dimensions: 

  • aligning expectations between clients and project teams 
  • ensuring that the technological development proceeds as expected
  • tracking the project’s lifecycle 

At Xpand IT, we use Agile methodologies and tools to implement an efficient UX QA process, in four main stages: 

    1. UX QA Test Plan
      It all starts with creating a well-defined test plan. This plan outlines all the scenarios that will be analyzed, including interactions, navigation, behaviors, user journeys, accessibility and other essential factors, to ensure a good experience. The goal is not only to find potential issues but also to prevent them from occurring later in the development process. 
    2. Alignment with Development and Functional QA Teams
      The second stage involves aligning with the development and functional QA teams. UX QA must be in sync with functional tests to ensure that both functionalities and the user experience are being verified simultaneously. This alignment is crucial to avoid discrepancies between what was planned and what is actually implemented. 
    3. Testing and Iteration 
      Once the test plan has been aligned, we move on to execution. This phase includes conducting detailed tests, particularly focusing on responsiveness across different devices and operating systems. Any issues found are reported and corrected on an iterative basis, allowing the development teams to continuously adjust and improve the product. 
    4. Monitoring the Development Life Cycle
      The final stage is the ongoing monitoring of the development life cycle. UX QA is not something that happens only at the end of the project, but rather a continuous process, accompanying all phases from the initial design to implementation. Ensuring that all changes made during development adhere to the principles of excellent user experience is crucial to maintaining the product’s consistency and quality. 
gestão-de-qualidade-jira

The Importance of UX QA in Digital Product Development

Ensuring the quality of the user experience is central to creating excellent digital products. A robust UX QA process ensures that the final product meets the defined objectives and that users will enjoy smooth, positive interactions. 

With the constant growth of different devices and platforms, along with the rapid evolution of user expectations, UX QA has become even more relevant. By ensuring quality experiences at all stages of the project, we create products that not only meet technical requirements but also provide a superior experience to end users. 

Conclusion

UX QA is not just about finding and fixing problems – it’s about ensuring that the business vision translates into an engaging, satisfying user experience. Applying Agile methodologies to the QA process allows teams to work efficiently and iteratively, adjusting the product as needed and ensuring that expectations across three dimensions are met: business goals, user needs and implementation capacity. By adopting this process, companies ensure that their digital products are not only functional but also captivate and retain their users. 

Carlos NevesEnsuring the Quality of Digital Experiences with UX Quality Assurance
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The importance of empathy in creating accessible products

The importance of empathy in creating accessible products

by Carlos Neves
2024-12-13
3 min

In today’s digital world, accessibility is a crucial factor in ensuring that all users, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy digital products and services.  

Often, when illustrating accessibility issues, we use blind people and their special needs as an example. However, this is deceptively simplistic, since excellent accessibility is something that most of us can benefit from: when we are tired, when using mobile devices in bright sunlight, when we have a video transcript available and forget our headphones – the use cases are virtually limitless. 

Empathy plays a fundamental role in creating inclusive experiences, allowing UX professionals to understand and respond to the diverse needs of users. 

What is empathy and its importance in UX?

When we disagree with someone’s opinion, how do we react? Are we able to set aside our convictions and put ourselves in that person’s place for a moment? Being empathetic does not mean nullifying our own feelings and opinions but understanding that they are not the only ones at play. The main difficulty in practicing empathy is fully accepting that each person is different from us, and therefore, their behaviours and mental models are not comparable to ours. 

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, understanding their perspective, emotions, needs and challenges. Applied to UX, empathy is a crucial soft skill because it allows the creation of products that truly place users at the center of the process. Without it, it is easy to ignore or underestimate the difficulties different people may face when interacting with a digital product. By empathizing with users with limitations, we are challenged to confront our assumptions and biases and avoid stereotypes. 

However, we must be careful to avoid empathy overload, which can lead to stress and burnout. Empathy should translate into specific, tangible actions to improve users’ lives rather than becoming an unsustainable emotional burden. 

Empathy associated with meeting accessibility criteria begins with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by people with different types of disabilities: visual, auditory, motor and cognitive. By empathizing with these users, project teams identify barriers and create solutions that promote inclusion.  

Creating empathy maps to illustrate and describe what users with chronic disabilities or temporary limitations think, feel and do is one of the methods we use to gain valuable insights into the perspectives of these users with specific needs. 

Examples of experience issues for users with limitations:

  1. Visual impairments
    Users with visual impairments may have difficulty navigating a website that is not compatible with screen readers. Without alternative text for images or a clear navigation structure, the experience becomes frustrating and inaccessible. 
  2. Hearing impairments  
    A user with hearing impairments may not be able to understand the content of a video without subtitles. This limits access to information and can exclude the user from important multimedia content. 
  3. Motor impairments 
    A user with motor impairments may encounter difficulties interacting with small or poorly positioned elements in an interface. The lack of support for keyboard navigation can make the product impossible to use.
  4. Cognitive impairments 
    Empathy also extends to content creation. Clear and simple language is important for users with cognitive impairments. Avoiding jargon and complex technical terms makes it easier to understand and navigate the content. Additionally, the logical organization of information and the use of headers help guide users through the content.

Testing digital products with real users with disabilities is a valuable practice. These tests help identify issues that may not be obvious. Moreover, direct feedback from users allows for continuous adjustments and improvements. At Xpand IT, we routinely involve users with physical or cognitive limitations in our process as feedback providers.  

Conclusion

Empathy in the creation of digital products is not just good practice but an ongoing commitment to making the digital world accessible to everyone. By adopting an empathetic approach, we design experiences that not only meet the expectations of all users but also promote inclusion and equality. 

Meeting accessibility criteria benefits everyone, making digital products easier and more enjoyable to use for all. Ultimately, empathy in accessibility is an essential step towards a more inclusive and equitable digital world. Contact us to know more about this topic, or to help you start creating your own inclusive digital experiences.  

Carlos NevesThe importance of empathy in creating accessible products
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European Accessibility Act (EAA): a paradigm shift in digital assets

European Accessibility Act (EAA): a paradigm shift in digital assets

by Carlos Neves
2024-07-19
3 min
5 SECONDS-SUMMARY:
  • All European Union member states must comply with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) by June 2025.
  • The W.C.A.G. accessibility guidelines are divided into three levels (A, AA, and AAA).
  • Complying with the guidelines is particularly important since 1 in 4 Europeans has chronic or occasional limitations.
  • Xpand IT can help companies comply with the EAA – all about it in this article.

Accessibility is a right for everyone. It is precisely on this principle that, starting from June 2025, all European Union member states will have to comply with the European Accessibility Act (EAA). In this article, we explain everything your company needs to know to achieve compliance before this deadline.

Accessibility: What is its importance?

1 in every 4 Europeans has chronic or occasional limitations, whether physical (like blindness) or cognitive (such as colour blindness and dyslexia, among others). So, the EAA aims to simplify the lives of 101 million people. These guidelines, aimed at unifying accessibility requirements across the European Union, will facilitate access to public transport, banking services, computers, telephones, televisions, e-books, online stores and much more. For people with disabilities, accessibility is a prerequisite for participating in society on equal terms.

W.C.A.G. accessibility guidelines

Based on four accessibility principles – Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust – 13 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W.C.A.G.) have been developed from which testable success criteria derive.

These criteria are divided into 3 levels and verify the degree of digital accessibility:

accessibility-principles

Accessibility in the UK

In the United Kingdom, there are:

340,000 people with blindness;
6 million people with dyslexia;
18 million people with some form of hearing impairment.

people-with-disabilities-nhs

(source: NHS)

How Xpand IT can help ensure compliance with the EAA

Incorporating accessibility criteria evaluation should be integrated from the outset of a project, not as an afterthought.

1. In project context – UXUI and development

By proactively addressing accessibility in all project journeys, flows and layouts, we ensure that the digital experiences we develop are not only inclusive, but also valuable to all.

We develop checklists and use assessment tools that ensure compliance with Level AA accessibility criteria – the standard level of compliance – throughout the project life cycle.

2. Audits/automated and manual testing

Need to assess whether your website, app, platform or any other digital experience or asset complies with legislation according to EAA criteria? When this need arises, we allocate a team that uses automation and manual evaluation, conducting different tests to identify the main accessibility barriers:

2.1 Automated testing

We use automated tools that validate the degree of compliance and identify common issues such as lack of alternative text for images, inadequate contrast, or incorrect semantics in the code. However, these tests should not be considered the sole solution for identifying necessary improvements and optimising experiences.

2.2 Manual testing

Involving human evaluation by accessibility experts, this type of testing ensures a thorough analysis of all digital product journeys, guaranteeing that functionalities are understandable and accessible.

2.3 User testing

People with limitations can access a digital product using different assistive technologies. These interaction modes, including screen readers, keyboard navigation, pointer devices, contrast settings, font sizes, multimedia content audio descriptions and braille keyboards, among many others, can and should be tested by individuals with real needs.

If there is ever a moment to ensure that your digital assets are accessible, compatible and usable by anyone, that moment is now. To ensure compliance with legislative criteria, it is essential to start preparing now. Although the journey may be challenging, with the most appropriate guidance and expert support, it is possible to build more inclusive and impactful digital experiences. Get in touch with us, request an accessibility audit, and gain a comprehensive understanding of your digital product’s compliance.

Carlos NevesEuropean Accessibility Act (EAA): a paradigm shift in digital assets
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Design System: create a consistent and fascinating experience by connecting teams

Design System: create a consistent and fascinating experience by connecting teams

by Carlos Neves
2024-04-29
3 min
5 SECONDS-SUMMARY:
  • A design system is essential to ensure that digital products offer a cohesive and engaging experience by providing clear guidelines for interface design and behaviour.
  • Implementing a robust design system ensures a consistent user experience, facilitating navigation and interaction regardless of user limitations.
  • A well-implemented design system promotes team collaboration, allows for quick and consistent adjustments, and ensures effective maintenance and the evolution of digital products.

In the vast digital world we live in, we are affected by a wide range of websites and applications, each with its own interface and user experience. However, it is impossible to ignore a striking difference between the digital products that captivate us and those to which we are indifferent: the implementation of a visual and behavioural ecosystem known as a design system (DS).

What exactly is a design system, and why does it play such a crucial role in creating truly impactful digital products?

A DS is not just a set of design guidelines or visual component libraries – it is the backbone of any successful digital experience.

Think of a design system as the architect behind a well-designed city, where every street, square and building fits perfectly together to create a harmonious experience. It is also the foundation on which every layout element is built, ensuring that every interaction is usable and accessible.

Design System, why?

Users expect a useful, valuable, engaging experience. However, without a design system, interface elements can vary widely in style, behaviour and even terminology, leaving users confused and frustrated. A design system establishes clear guidelines that direct the appearance and behaviour of all components: consistency and cohesion, time and effort savings, scalability and collaboration.

Usability and Accessibility enhancements

UX consistency is not just an aesthetic matter; it plays a crucial role in usability and accessibility. Users familiar with the interface will have a more valuable experience, while the application of required accessibility standards guarantees that the product is usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities or limitations.

Importance of a Design System for team collaboration

A design system plays a vital role in collaboration between the team involved in a project. It promotes effective communication and collaboration, reduces time spent on rework and ensures a coherent implementation of UX.

Furthermore, the ease of adjusting or changing components is key. For example, if the colour palette or typography is updated, these changes can be easily applied across all relevant DS components. Minor adjustments or changes, like the colour of a button or the spacing between elements can be made immediately across all project layouts.

This flexibility and consistency not only facilitate maintenance and product evolution: they strengthen collaboration and alignment between teams.

Components and best practices

A design system comprises various elements working together to create a cohesive and efficient experience: typography, colours, iconography, interactions, sizing, animations and transitions.

To guarantee the success of your DS, it is essential to follow good practices. Document, test, iterate and involve all your stakeholders in the product’s development and maintenance.

UI Kits

For smaller projects and/or limited resources, UI kits offer a simpler alternative. A UI kit is a collection of pre-designed elements like buttons, icons and other common elements that can be easily incorporated into a project to accelerate design and implementation processes.

While UI kits are less comprehensive and flexible than a full DS, they still provide significant benefits for smaller teams and projects.

modelo-dbt-simples

Time during which the UI Kit is valid.

Final Thoughts

Now, you have a good idea of what a design system is and how it can benefit your business.

  • A single repository source for UX and front end allows greater control over multiple product versions and product scalability.
  • A well-structured design system helps solve common project development issues. On the other hand, product teams are empowered to start new projects more quickly and easily.
  • The design system contributes to creating an engaging and effective user experience.

Maintaining the design system is crucial to ensuring its longevity and effectiveness. At Xpand IT, we follow a flexible process for maintaining these ecosystems, starting with regular audits to assess the DS’s alignment with the brand’s evolution. We conduct in-depth analyses to ensure that visual elements remain consistent and cohesive across all platforms and touchpoints.

Xpand IT’s UX unit has extensive experience creating design systems for projects of various complexity levels across multiple industries, not just only in large enterprises but also in SMEs.

If you’ve considered implementing a DS in your company but are struggling to define the starting point, our specialists can assist with your needs.

A Design System is a multi-faceted layer cake, and also operates as part of other layered systems within an organization.

Brad Frost, 2021
Carlos NevesDesign System: create a consistent and fascinating experience by connecting teams
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UX strategy: From business vision to experience concept

UX strategy: From business vision to experience concept

by Carlos Neves
2024-03-21
4 min
5 SECONDS SUMMARY:
  • By applying strategy to UX, we seek a deep understanding of the intersection between business objectives, user needs and implementation capacity.
  • But how do we effectively implement this process in a company, respecting its business vision? Find everything in this article.

How often do we come across the promise of a spectacular and innovative digital experience, only to be confronted with the harsh reality of impracticality during deployment?

The idealised concept for the experience gets lost in the technical complexity, resulting in a final product that fails to deliver value and credibility due to the lack of an informed analysis.

It is a common dilemma in the UX universe, overshadowing the original vision and compromising the essence of what makes an effective experience.

In this challenging scenario, strategy emerges as a key element, filling the gap between project teams. It is the process that unites inspiring vision with pragmatic execution, ensuring that the digital experience is not just an idea but something tangible and impactful.

The concept of strategy resonates in many aspects of everyday life, from sports to corporate decisions. In the context of UX, it is the foundation on which we build memorable digital experiences.

Generally speaking, strategy is the art of planning and directing actions to achieve specific objectives. Whether in business, products or any other area, strategy is the compass that guides the steps towards success.

In UX, this approach is no different.

By applying strategy to UX, we seek a deep understanding of the intersection between business objectives and business vision, user needs and implementation capacity. It is a process of meticulous alignment between a company’s macroeconomic vision and the fundamentals that make the user experience valuable.

1 – Defining a UX strategy

In the world of UX, the strategy must be a robust plan that answers crucial questions:

Dos and don’ts: The UX strategy seeks to outline the actions to be taken and those to be avoided to achieve the proposed results.

What value is being added? It emphasises what makes the product or service unique, providing a clear value proposition that impacts users.

What resources should be made available? It directs where the company’s resources should be focused, ensuring that investment contributes to the overall vision and purpose.

The ultimate goal of the UX strategy is to gain a competitive advantage so you can fulfil your business vision.

It should not be understood as an isolated concept but rather as a mindset present in every decision, every iteration, and every line of code.

2 – The three dimensions of UX strategy

In UX context, the focus of the strategy is threefold:

Business objectives: to align what the company wants to achieve with the digital experience it intends to implement.

Responding to users: putting the user at the centre of the process, understanding their needs, expectations, and pains.

Deployment capacity: ensuring that the ideas expressed in the experience concept can be effectively translated into tangible digital products.

3 – UX strategy as a harmonising agent – The rationale behind decisions

In creating digital experiences, the UX strategy harmonises the three dimensions mentioned above: business, users, and deployment. Not only does it unite these dimensions, but it intersects them, creating cohesion with clarity and objectivity.

The space between these three dimensions is often fertile ground for misunderstandings and wrong decisions. The strategy works to remove these gaps, reducing ambiguity.

By eliminating guesswork, the strategy provides a solid basis for informed decisions – it is not based on hunches or intuition but on in-depth analysis and holistic understanding.

Every step of the experience creation process is carefully outlined by the UX strategy. From initial conception to implementation, each decision is supported by a clear rationale, underpinned by data, research and alignment, offering not just a functional product but an experience that fulfils or transcends expectations.

The UX strategy is a map that guides project teams through a complex terrain. Clearly define what must be done and, just as importantly, what must not be done, keeping the focus on the expected result.

4 – How we materialise a UX strategy at Xpand IT

How do we effectively implement this process in a company? The delivery resulting from the process can vary in terms of effort, depending on the depth and complexity of the challenges we face. From a one-day deadline to continuous presence, the process is flexible and adaptable to any situation.

UX Strategy in a day

  • Discovery session to define the problem;
  • Simple market analysis;
  • Identify improvement opportunities;
  • Presentation Pitch.

UX Strategy sprint

  • Discovery session to define the problem;
  • Research: Market analysis, competition, and digital approach (simple);
  • Target identification and analysis (simple);
  • Presentation of strategic value propositions;
  • Concept creation: wireframe;
  • Presentation and delivery of POC – proof of concept.

UX Strategy report

  • Discovery and ideation session;
  • Research: Market analysis, competition, and digital approach (extended);
  • Identifying and analysing the target (creating personas);
  • Presentation of strategic value propositions;
  • Concept creation – UI;
  • Presentation and delivery of POC – proof of concept;
  • Results report identifying value propositions.

Continuous – UX as a Service

  • Alignment with functional analysis team;
  • Continuous allocation to the project;
  • Active participation in several of the client’s strategic initiatives;
  • Identifying new As a Service trends;
  • Alignment of opportunities and long-term concept.

5 – Conclusion – UX strategy as a framework for experience

The UX strategy, outlined in this context, is not just a methodology but a structuring agent for all the elements of a project.

By eliminating guesswork, each step in the UX process is a conscious expression of strategy, where teams work collaboratively to create a cohesive narrative.

The success of a digital product is determined not only by its technical functionality but also by its overall experience. The UX strategy emerges as the guiding force behind this experience.

Finally, it is crucial to recognise that UX strategy is not static; it is dynamic and adaptable. As user needs evolve and business objectives adjust, the strategy is a flexible guide, ensuring that the digital experience remains aligned with the business’s vision.

Therefore, by incorporating a strategic mindset into the UX approach, we are not just creating digital products: we are forging experiences that transcend expectations, leaving a lasting mark on those who use and feel the digital product.

Carlos NevesUX strategy: From business vision to experience concept
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The importance of accessibility for digital products

The importance of accessibility for digital products

by Carlos Neves
2024-01-24
3 min
5 SECONDS-SUMMARY:
  • Can you imagine how tough it is to want to navigate online, read an article or see the colour of a product and not be able to do it?
  • These are some of the actualities for those facing one of the main challenges of digital transformation – lack of accessibility.
  • This article will explore the critical criteria of accessibility for digital products and explain how businesses can adapt to meet these standards.

The WHO (World Health Organization) say that more than 70 per cent of digital products and services are not adapted for people with visual and cognitive disabilities. So, it’s vital to raise business awareness around upgrading and improving digital channels.

When we approach a topic as important as this, we should bear in mind some of the basic principles underpinning an inclusive society – equal opportunities, autonomy and respect. But how do we build these principles into businesses with a digital presence? One of the first steps is implementing criteria and inclusive policies that facilitate the provision of accessible digital products to everyone.

Who needs digital accessibility?

Consider the following: approximately 16 per cent of the global population experience some sort of incapacity. The number of people with unique visual and functional disabilities is diverse, therefore making digital solutions accessible is not only an obligation of contemporary society, but a strategic mindset backing the long journey down a wider path towards inclusion. In line with this rational, it’s essential to design a package of criteria to improve the lives of those living with disabilities, giving everyone equal opportunities.

It was in response to the needs outlined by people with limitations that the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) created the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) guidelines.

These guidelines were organised through 4 principles – perceptive, operable, understandable and sturdy – to sustain the basis of 13 directives, and from these, testable success criteria in accordance with WCAG.

These criteria are divided into three levels that assess the degree of digital accessibility:

  • Level A – a basic standard with minimal implementations;
  • Level AA – worldwide standard accessibility, combining Level A and Level AA; and
  • Level AAA – the highest number of accessible implementations/features.

The business case for accessibility

1.3 billion people live with some sort of disability and face daily challenges accessing the digital world.

Investing in accessibility is more than adding value to the business; it is prioritising inclusion and taking social responsibility, with the added benefit of being able to meet the specific needs of a market segment that has been largely ignored until now.

This investment has a strong impact not only in terms of brand reputation but also as a market differentiator – positioning itself as a reference for the competition.

How we integrate accessibility into digital experiences

At Xpand IT, we offer an integrated view of the impact that accessibility for digital products has on businesses with an online presence.

We focus on designing Level AA experiences, allowing organisations to amplify their visibility and strengthen their relationships with customers via trust.

Implementing accessibility best practices not only benefits people with disabilities: it elevates the quality of digital experiences for everyone.

Features such as alternative text in images, video captions and a hierarchical content structure are not just tools for these specific users but ingredients that enrich the overall experience.

When a digital product is designed to be understood and used by everyone, efficiency increases, frustration decreases, and technology becomes an ally, eliminating instead of creating obstacles.

In conclusion, digital accessibility is not just a technical requirement; it’s a philosophy that promotes an inclusive digital society.

At Xpand IT, we prioritise inclusion and contribute to shaping a digital world that reflects human diversity, providing equal opportunities and rich experiences for all.

Carlos NevesThe importance of accessibility for digital products
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How Artificial Intelligence is transforming digital experiences

How Artificial Intelligence is transforming digital experiences

by Carlos Neves
2023-11-01
4 min
5 SECONDS-SUMMARY:
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) is often described as one of the pillars of the “4th Industrial Revolution” – a technological revolution that is fundamentally transforming the way we live, work and relate to each other. It is based on the convergence of various advanced technologies, including AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, the cloud and nanotechnology, among others. These technologies are developing exponentially and have the potential to cause profound changes in practically every sector of society, driving process automation, intelligent personalisation, advanced data analysis and improved human-machine interactions.
  • This article looks at the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and digital experiences and how AI is playing a vital role in the design of those experiences.

ArtificiaI Intelligence and digital experiences: a crucial role in UX

AI plays a crucial role in creating more personalised, efficient digital experiences.

The technology is capable of analysing massive volumes of data in real time and identifying patterns and mental models. This means it can understand and anticipate user behaviour, preferences and needs more accurately than ever before.

Predictive UX with AI is applicable in areas such as e-commerce, entertainment, health, retail, transport and education, among others.

For example:

• It can anticipate patients’ needs based on their medical history and suggest relevant treatments or consultations.

• The car industry uses AI to develop autonomous cars that can drive safely without human intervention.

• Investment platforms use it to analyse the financial market in real time and make recommendations based on the investor’s goals and risk profile.

• Online education portals use these technologies to offer personalised tutoring to students, assessing their progress and adapting content based on individual needs.

• In food retail, stock management and replenishment processes benefit from the potential of implementing AI tools, as exemplified in this Xpand IT use case.

AI is shaping the future and transforming how we design digital experiences. By having access to a vast amount of information about users, we can use it as the backbone of a relevant experience based on the user as an individual with specific needs and expectations.

The application of AI in UX design includes:

Intelligent Customisation

Personalisation is one of the most notable fields in which AI is making a difference. Companies like Amazon, Netflix and Spotify have adopted AI to offer personalised recommendations to their customers.

Virtual assistants

Chatbots and virtual assistants are examples of AI that offer more natural interactions with devices and applications, helping businesses to operate remotely. They respond to voice commands, provide information in natural language and can conduct specific tasks, making the experience more convenient and efficient.

Business process automation

Businesses are adopting automation for tasks such as customer service, inventory management and financial data processing. In more complex business processes, AI analyses data in real time and makes informed decisions to optimise operations.

Predictive UX

Predictive UX is made up of a set of powerful tools that analyse patterns, trends and correlations. These are some of its benefits and how it can be applied:

Contextual personalisation

The ability to analyse data and understand the context in which a user is interacting with a system or application. This includes considering information such as location, browsing history, personal preferences and environmental data.

Smart recommendations

One of the most visible aspects of predictive UX is the generation of intelligent recommendations, which is widely used in e-commerce platforms, content streaming and social networks.

Proactive assistance

AI is also used to provide proactive assistance. This means that instead of waiting for the user to ask for help, it can anticipate common problems or queries and offer solutions automatically.

Continuous learning

As the user interacts with the system, AI collects data on their preferences and behaviour, constantly refining predictions, and personalisation. The more data it has, the better it becomes at anticipating the user’s needs.

The future of AI in experience design

As AI continues to evolve, the future of UX becomes even more exciting. Personalisation will be taken to new heights, with systems that understand not only our behaviours but also why we make certain choices.
AI will improve accessibility, making digital experiences more inclusive for people with limitations. For example, AI systems can automatically translate content into sign language for deaf users, making such content even more accessible.

AI will also continue to play a crucial role in creating more natural and intuitive interactions. As voice recognition and natural language processing technology develops, it will be possible to interact with digital applications in a way that is closer to human communication, which will make technology easier to use and more accessible to everyone.

Final Thoughts

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we experience the digital world, making experiences more effective, engaging and convenient. However, like others before it, this technology still has a long way to go to mature and sustain itself. We have only just begun to explore the potential this technology has to revolutionise different businesses and industries.

The use of AI offers numerous opportunities, but also raises concerns that must be weighed up, such as the representativeness of models, data privacy, security measures, ethics and responsibility. Addressing these challenges is key to ensuring that AI is used consciously.

As we continue to move forward in this era of artificial intelligence, it is essential that UX professionals, in partnership with companies, are at the forefront of this revolution. The adoption of AI is not only a competitive advantage, but also a necessity in order to offer high-quality digital experiences in an increasingly connected and technology-driven world.

Carlos NevesHow Artificial Intelligence is transforming digital experiences
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UX Framework: how to create memorable experiences

UX Framework: how to create memorable experiences

by Carlos Neves
2022-06-28
3 min
5-SECOND SUMMARY:
  • The importance of psychology in UX and how to organise information;
  • The relationship between user behaviour and brands and the difference between UI, UX, CX and BX;
  • Users are at the heart of UX.

The UX process aims to build better experiences for digital products: it shapes the scenario, guides people and offers them something useful and valuable and affects how they feel. Content, structure and navigation come together to provide a memorable experience. An ideal experience allows users to perform a task effectively and positively, ending with a sense of satisfaction. Discover the UX framework at Xpand IT:

The importance of psychology in UX

The UX process starts with understanding the business goals and the best way to reach a target audience. By understanding the psychology (behavioural and cognitive) of the target audience, it’s possible to provide them with a positive and memorable experience.

In the field of Behavioural Psychology, we know it’s possible to induce people to have certain behaviours by submitting them to certain stimuli. In UX, this means that, through small stimuli in the interface, it is possible to guarantee that the user has the expected behaviour.

Therefore, when developing a digital product, it’s essential to consider the expected behaviour of the user and what can be done to reinforce it.

Cognitive Psychology is the area that focuses on the process of cognition and thinking. This field covers attention, memory, perception, language, and decision-making topics, among others.

Studies on perception and attention are most important in UX development routines: perception is how we capture and interpret external information through the senses. It is also related to attention, which deals with the prioritisation process our brain goes through when faced with different types of stimuli.

In addition, the experience must make sense from the point of view of structure and organisation: the human mind is constantly looking for patterns, and these must make sense to the user.

The relationship between user behaviour and brands

Sometimes we’re so obsessed with meeting user expectations that we don’t consider the need to focus on the brand for which we’re designing a product and experience. That is, we lose focus on what differentiates users from customers.

Before demystifying UX processes, it’s worth understanding the relationship between customer and user experience and the brand in a larger context. Each element of the customer experience contributes to creating a better brand experience.

So, what do the acronyms UI, UX, CX and BX mean, and how do they relate to each other?

UI – USER INTERFACE: The space where interactions between humans and machines take place.

UX – USER EXPERIENCE: How we feel when we interact with a product or service.

CX – CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: What happens when we interact with a product or service.

BX – BRAND EXPERIENCE: Build and aggregate the meaning of the brand in the consumer’s life.

UX + CX = BX: CX encompasses customer interactions with all facets of the brand, including the digital product, while UX is a part of the CX.

Users are at the heart of UX

As we’ve seen, UX is concerned with user motivations:

  • Why did they decide to access a website or an app?
  • What information do they need?
  • What problems are they facing?
  • What solutions are they looking for to solve them?

UX analyses users’ minds, designing an experience that will give them what they’re looking for or need in a simple and direct way.

Unlike UI, UX moves away from visual elements and focuses on connecting and engaging people with the product, building an experience that meets their expectations.

UX should be guided by empathy

The UX team constantly seeks to put itself in the user’s shoes and understand their logic reasoning. Their motivations and pain points are researched and uncovered to know how all the pieces fit together holistically, intending to help people achieve their goals.

It’s critical to understand their problems and the journey they will take to get where they want to go.

Research eliminates guesswork, letting us know real people’s challenges and expectations.

Genuine empathy cannot exist until we know deeply those we want to reach.

In conclusion, it is clear that UX is a multidisciplinary area that encompasses three fundamental characteristics:

  • Discover and analyse behaviours and mental models to understand them in their entirety and globality (holistic doctrine);
  • Have the ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes to understand their journeys and pain points, eliminating assumptions;
  • UX should be considered a central part of the macro scenario of the brand’s relationship with customers or potential customers.

In a follow-up article, we will pick up from where we left off to detail activities and tools we use to design intentional and memorable experiences that, at the same time, meet specific business objectives: How to solve a problem “the UX way”; Which activities do we perform in the moments of discovery, strategy and analysis; How to design a practical experience and design the final product.

Read the second part of this article. 

Carlos NevesUX Framework: how to create memorable experiences
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Applying ‘Product Thinking’ to UX

Applying ‘Product Thinking’ to UX

by Carlos Neves
2018-08-24
5 min

Life’s too short to build something nobody wants.

Ash Maurya in “Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan that Works”

UX/UI in Xpand IT

During recent years, Xpand IT has been investing in supplying UX/UI services, which has resulted in significant growth of our HCI (Human Computer Interaction) portfolio in B2B and B2C application software and mobile apps to both Portuguese and international clients.

Our interfaces and user experience design have always been based on the User-Centred Design concept and have been delivered in almost all industries: retail, banking, telecommunications, insurance, health, transportation, e-commerce, mobility, public utility, and others.

We are prepared for the next challenges concerning user experience in digital products  –  for example, we increasingly propose and design CUI (Conversational User Interfaces). However, we still find traces of a mentality that is not completely receptive to the idea of the digital product, and is more worried about lining up a huge number of functional requirements that sometimes are completely inappropriate to the needs of the final user of the product.

The immediacy experience offered mainly by social media apps is transforming our expectations concerning the way we want to use products and digital services. As UX designers, we feel the need to analyse the complete ecosystem that brands and users share, in order to define how a business can still be relevant in a world where immediacy is king.

User-Centred Design – with its concept of bringing users into the design process – exists to reduce the gaps between those who create a product and those who use it. The UX team from Xpand IT is focused on finding these gaps, preventing them and eliminating them.

Thinking about the product

In its traditional approach, UX/UI design is focused on the functionality of a digital product: the appearance of the interface (UI) and how users interact with it (UX).

However, a group of functionalities is just a small and fragile part of a product: it is just some of the many possible solutions to the problem the product is trying to solve.

It is not that functionality is not important, but it is usually secondary to the reason why people use a product. The reason is simple: the user uses the product to solve a specific problem in the real world.

In practice, this means we have to understand the product first. A particular function may (or may not) be a useful part of a product, but without the product, that functionality may be wasted.

For example, Uber’s app is frequently used as a good example of user experience design: one of the functions that creates the most empathy is the countdown that shows the time until the car is due to arrive, which is certainly convenient and is related to the goal of the app. However, what makes Uber so attractive is the ability to obtain quick and easy transportation in your area at any time. Even if the countdown functionality did not exist, the app would still be useful. In other words, Uber was conceived having in mind the goal of the product and not the resources that came with it.

Applying Product Thinking to the user experience has been experiencing increasing adherence by UX designers worldwide and expanded when well-known international professionals – such as the German Nikkel Blaase – brought it to a wider sphere of public disclosure. By the way, this talk might be a good starting point to learn more about the subject.

Defining the product

All in all, companies tend to assume that the more functions, the more useful the product will be; that the broader the target audience, the more people will use it; that the more use scenarios are mapped out, the more it will be present in people’s lives.

Which is not necessarily true: there are plenty of products out there with loads of functions that are not used by anyone.

A very common mistake is to start immediately by designing any kind of interface.

However, if the user’s problem has not yet been identified, why are functions and interfaces already being thought about?

It is precisely in this aspect that a lot of digital products fail: they try to solve a problem that does not exist.

A few things need to come before the solution that will be found to solve it: deeply understanding the problem, who the user is, and how the product is going to solve this problem.

However, the process of creation of digital products tend to be a little chaotic: inside a company, there are different departments, areas and businesses that have different opinions about what the product must be, for whom it must be designed and, mainly, which functionalities it must have.

That is why a thorough reflection to clearly define the scope and requirements of a digital product should be done:

  • Why are we investing in this product? What is the business deal in creating this product? Which data and statistics prove that the product is viable?
  • What is the product? What is its primary function? How does it stand out from the competition?
  • For whom is the product being created? What is the profile of the typical user? Which specific behaviours or needs of this user should be considered?
  • Where and when will the product be used? At what time and how much? At home, in traffic, at work? Is it a product for constant use or a one-time use product?
  • How do we want people to use the product? What do we want people to feel when using it? What problems do we want to solve?

Finding the correct answers to these questions constitutes the basic strategy to define a product and causes alignment between the various business areas of companies. This process, when well driven and supported by UX designers, brings huge advantages:

  • Build the right functions and interfaces for the user.
  • Understand the experience as a whole and not just a visual and interaction layer the user will see.
  • Ensure that the product solves real problems for its target users.
  • Minimize the risk of building something nobody would want to use, or that does not last a long time.

Conclusion

When this kind of thought about the product is part of the process from the beginning, UX designers can ask the right questions, communicate more efficiently and suggest appropriate functionalities.

It is easy to be overwhelmed with infinite functionality possibilities and ignore some of the important parts of the design process.

Avoid the potential traps when focusing only on functionality instead of on product usability, thereby turning the thinking about the product into part of the UX design process of the mobile or web app. There is nothing wrong with functionality, but it should not be more important than the real goal of the product.

Have this in mind, and the final result will be a digital product that is created, tested and personalised for the defined target audience, with greater probabilities of becoming essential and making users’ lives easier.

Carlos Neves

Senior Ux & UI Consultant, Xpand IT

Carlos NevesApplying ‘Product Thinking’ to UX
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