Build, Launch, and Measure
Once the team or UX designer is confident that the proposed solution will work for users and move the needle on the desired business metrics, the project transitions into build and launch mode. For the UX designer, this can involve producing assets for the development team (or working with a visual designer to do so), and generally being involved during the implementation phase to ensure that the design intent is being carried through to the final product. This can mean providing feedback to the development team, or doing QA testing on beta versions of a product to check that interactions are as intended.
Once the product is live, the measurement phase begins in earnest. Have the desired KPIs and metrics shifted? Is the design solving the initial problem identified? Are there any unintended consequences or surprises since the launch? For in-house designers, this means keeping an eye on web or application analytics and metrics. (If you need somewhere to start with quantitative analytics, check out this beginners guide to analytics for UX designers.)
Must haves for this phase:
- An implementation of the design which carries through the design intent
- A live version of the website or app
- Tracking metrics for the digital product to identify whether it’s producing the desired result