A practical UX playbook covering the methods and tools I use across the entire design process, from discovery and research to testing and iteration.
Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.
A process model mapping the divergent and convergent stages of the design process: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
View ModelA five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.
View AgendaA concise description of the issue that needs to be addressed or a condition to be improved upon.
View TemplateA set of guiding values to help teams make consistent design decisions and trade-offs.
View WorksheetA method to define the scope and context of a problem before attempting to solve it, ensuring the right focus.
View GuideAn iterative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem.
View GuideThis section focuses on the psychology of collaboration and leadership. Building trust, openness, and effective communication is as important as the design work itself. It also includes strategies for setting a vision, coaching the team, and measuring impact.
A strategic framework to help teams align on their goals, values, and roles, fostering a shared culture and understanding.
View TemplateStructured approaches like SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) to give constructive feedback that promotes growth and trust.
View GuideA ritual to start and end meetings, allowing team members to share their current state and become fully present.
View ExamplesA metaphor for that thing that you carry around but don’t like to talk about; but the longer you hide it, the stinkier it gets.
View ActivityA strategy where the team imagines a future project failure and works backward to determine what potentially could lead to that failure.
View GuideA meeting design tool to clarify the Intention, Desired Outcome, Agenda, Roles, Rules, and Time.
View GuideA framework to understand leadership styles and team culture, aiming for high alignment and high autonomy.
View MatrixA tool for teams to evaluate their own performance across various dimensions like trust, conflict, and results.
View TemplateCreating a user journey map as a team activity to build shared understanding and empathy for the user.
View ActivityA simple, democratic method for prioritizing ideas or making decisions as a group using sticky dots.
View GuideA quick consensus check where team members vote with their fingers (0-5) to show level of agreement.
View GuideRegular meetings to reflect on the past period, identifying what went well and what can be improved.
View FormatsA structured session to gather feedback on design work, focusing on improvement rather than judgment.
View GuideA collaborative method where two designers work together on the same task to generate ideas and share knowledge.
View GuideA long-term guiding light that aligns the team and inspires stakeholders towards a shared future state.
View GuideA framework for meaningful growth conversations, moving beyond status updates to focus on career development.
View TemplateA regular pulse check on team morale, workload, and psychological safety to prevent burnout.
View ActivityAligning design decisions with business goals is crucial for product success. These tools help define value, analyze competition, and map out the business model.
A strategic management template for developing new or documenting existing business models.
View TemplateA 1-page business plan template that helps you deconstruct your idea into its key assumptions.
View TemplateA tool to ensure that a product or service is positioned around what the customer values and needs.
View TemplateA strategic planning technique used to help identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
View TemplateA framework for evaluating experience quality: Useful (Base), Usable (Middle), and Enjoyable (Top).
View GuideA strategic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors.
View TemplateA matrix to categorize stakeholders by power and interest to determine engagement strategies.
View TemplateMethods to calculate and communicate the business value of design efforts to non-design stakeholders.
View FrameworkUser research focuses on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies. It provides the context and insights needed to make informed design decisions.
A structured document outlining the research goals, methodology, participants, and timeline. Essential for aligning stakeholders.
View TemplateA guide ensuring consistent and unbiased user interviews. Includes warm-up, core tasks, and wrap-up questions.
View GuideQuantitative data collection tool to validate hypotheses with a larger audience. Focuses on closed-ended questions.
View StructureA method to ask users to organize information into groups, helping to build the site's information architecture.
View GuideA script to gather business requirements, success metrics, and constraints from key project stakeholders.
View ScriptA method to evaluate the findability of topics in a website's structure, often called "reverse card sorting."
View GuideA structured template for capturing insights, pain points, and quotes during user interviews.
View TemplateA collection of common mental shortcuts that can affect research outcomes and decision making.
View GuidePersonas are fictional characters that represent the different user types within your targeted demographic. They help you understand your users' needs, experiences, behaviors and goals.
A detailed profile of a fictional user, including demographics, goals, frustrations, and personality traits.
View TemplateA lightweight persona based on assumptions and existing knowledge, used for early alignment.
View TemplateA framework focusing on the user's motivations and desired outcomes: "When... I want to... So I can..."
View TemplateA collaborative visualization used to articulate what we know about a particular type of user. Says, Thinks, Does, Feels.
View GuideA narrative describing how a persona would interact with the product to achieve a specific goal.
View ExampleUsing narrative to build empathy, communicate findings, and frame design solutions effectively.
View GuideTechniques for crafting compelling narratives that build empathy, align stakeholders, and bring design concepts to life. A good story is often more persuasive than raw data.
A classic 3-act structure (Problem, Solution, Vision) for presenting design work and gaining stakeholder buy-in.
View GuideTransforming quantitative data into a compelling narrative that explains the 'what', 'why', and 'so what'.
View GuideHighlighting the impact of your design by contrasting the painful 'before' state with the ideal 'after' state.
View GuidePositioning the user as the hero and your product as the guide who helps them succeed.
View GuideA story arc where a character gets into trouble and then gets out of it. Great for problem/solution narratives.
View GuideTechniques to grab your audience's attention in the first 10 seconds of a presentation.
View GuideTailoring the story so the audience sees themselves as the protagonist solving the problem.
View GuidePeople buy on emotion and justify with logic. Start with the feeling.
View GuideDescribing the world after the solution is adopted. The "Happily Ever After".
View GuideExperience mapping visualizes the process that a person goes through in order to accomplish a goal. It combines storytelling and visualization to help teams understand and address customer needs.
A visualization of the process that a person goes through to accomplish a goal, capturing their emotional highs and lows.
View TemplateA diagram that visualizes the relationships between different service components — people, props, and processes.
View TemplateA chart showing the path a user takes through a product to complete a task, focusing on navigation and logic.
View ExamplesA sequence of drawings that represent how a user would interact with your product in a specific context.
View GuideA visualization of the entire system of people, devices, services, and environments involved in a user's experience.
View TemplateA comprehensive map tracking touchpoints, KPIs, and internal ownership alongside the user journey.
View TemplateA holistic visualization of an end-to-end experience, agnostic of specific products or features.
View TemplateIdeation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas. It transitions from identifying problems to exploring solutions.
Techniques and rules for generating a large volume of ideas without judgment.
View GuideA fast sketching exercise that challenges people to sketch eight distinct ideas in eight minutes.
View TechniqueA checklist of questions to spark creativity: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to use, Eliminate, Reverse.
View WorksheetA visual diagram used to organize information, showing relationships among pieces of the whole.
View GuideA method for reframing problems into opportunities for design, bridging research and ideation.
View GuideA method for parallel thinking, allowing a group to look at a problem from different perspectives one at a time.
View GuideA reverse brainstorming technique to lower inhibitions and uncover innovative solutions by generating terrible ideas first.
View GuideWireframing is the process of creating a blueprint of your interface. It focuses on layout, content hierarchy, and functionality without the distraction of visual design details.
A basic visual guide used to suggest the layout of fundamental elements in an interface.
View TemplateA combination of wireframes and flowcharts to document the workflow and screen layout simultaneously.
View ExamplesDetailed notes attached to wireframes explaining functionality, interactions, and edge cases for developers.
View GuideA method to arrange user stories into a useful model to understand system functionality and plan releases.
View GuidePrototyping involves creating an experimental model of a proposed solution to test or validate ideas, design assumptions, and other aspects of its conceptualisation quickly and cheaply.
A clickable simulation of the product used to test flows and interactions with users before development.
View ChecklistSmall, functional animations that provide feedback, guide tasks, or enhance the feeling of direct manipulation.
View ExamplesRules defining how elements move within the interface to ensure consistency and brand alignment.
View GuideA fast, iterative approach to creating drafts of a product to validate ideas early and often.
View TechniquesSketching interfaces on paper to quickly visualize and test layouts without digital tools.
View GuideUsability testing involves observing users as they attempt to complete tasks with a product. It identifies usability problems, collects qualitative and quantitative data, and determines participant satisfaction.
A document outlining the scope, methodology, tasks, and metrics for a usability test session.
View TemplateA summary of findings, including success rates, time on task, and severity ratings of issues found.
View ExampleA legal agreement ensuring participants understand how their data and session recording will be used.
View TemplateA usability inspection method that helps to identify usability problems in the user interface design.
View ChecklistComparing two versions of a webpage or app against each other to determine which one performs better.
View GuideA comprehensive list of checks to ensure your product is usable by people with diverse abilities (WCAG).
View ChecklistDesign doesn't end at handoff. This phase ensures the vision is realized correctly and sets the stage for future iterations through planning and review.
Preparing assets, specs, and documentation to ensure developers have everything they need to build the product accurately.
View ChecklistReviewing the implemented product to ensure it matches the design specifications and quality standards before launch.
View GuideA strategic plan that outlines the vision, direction, and progress of the product over time.
View TemplateA 2x2 grid to help teams decide what to work on next based on Impact vs. Effort.
View GuideA periodic review of the system's health, consistency, and adoption across products.
View ChecklistUsing the MoSCoW method (Must, Should, Could, Won't) to decide what to build in the next release.
View GuideA process for proposing, designing, and adding new components or patterns to the design system.
View GuideA template to define the sprint goal, select backlog items, and align the team on the work ahead.
View TemplateA 15-minute daily sync to align the team, track progress, and flag impediments.
View GuideDesign is a journey of continuous learning. Reflecting on your experiences and actively planning your growth ensures you evolve as a professional and a person.
A strategic document to define your career goals, identify skills to develop, and outline the steps to achieve them.
View TemplateA record of feedback received from peers and stakeholders, helping you identify patterns and areas for improvement.
View TemplateA practice of writing down thoughts and experiences to gain clarity, process emotions, and learn from daily events.
View PromptsGuidelines for establishing a successful mentor-mentee relationship to accelerate professional growth.
View GuideA template for documenting your design projects to showcase your process, problem-solving, and impact.
View Template