Design & user research processes

Human Centered Design Processes

Human-centered design relies on four basic principles and provides the high-level model for our work:

1. Put people (users) at the center of what we do. Talk to users to build empathy and understand their wants and needs. Create solutions that best meet those needs. Never assume we know what’s best for the user.
2. Solve the right problem. Take time to research and understand the problem before ideating solutions.
3. Everything is a system. The platforms we manage are just one part of the user journey at eRulemaking - which is just one part of the user experience with the government - which is just one part of interconnected socio-political-economic systems.
4. Make small and incremental improvements. While working in Agile, use rapid iterations of testing, prototyping, and implementation.

There are many models for the phases of human-centered design. eRulemaking uses a six-phase model:

1. Define: Make sense of and learn about the problem. Investigate what related work has been done before. Determine if the initially identified problem is really a problem or if further research is needed to specify the problem.
2. Research: Gain deep understanding of intended user's experience via user research. Analyze collected data and identify user needs to address with a design solution.
3. Ideate: Explore many possible ideas that could evolve into solutions.
4. Prototype: Develop some of the ideas into tangible designs or objects.
5. Test: Evaluate finished designs with users and collect input for improvement. Based on the findings, return to any of the earlier phases as needed to revise designs and products.
6. Implement: Once designs and products meet user wants and needs, implement the solution and push live. Implement the best possible (not perfect) product at that time, knowing improvements will continue to be made.