7

The classic development phases are

  • requirement elicitation
  • design
  • implementation
  • testing
  • maintenance

Currently we are having issues with UX joining the mix. My current job lets UX build wireframes as the very first step, and they are treated as SRS. This has led to a lot of incomplete designs, wrong technical assumptions and a lot of mistakes as well.

As wireframe driven process is not working for us, I would like to know exactly how UX fits in development and already existent disciplined approaches

Sorry I could not think of a proper way to google this

EDIT: Just a bit more context on this

The devs (me included) are familiar with Scrum. Our company got restructured a fair bit and as a result our projects do not start with Requirements anymore, but with Wireframes and fairly broad User Stories.

We used to treat Requirements (business rules) as being written in stone, with small changes here and there. But now that UX/UI comes first, the designers assume all is common sense and critical pieces of code design are left to the devs imagination.

Should I assume UX/UI products are also iterative? part of the actual design phase of coding, and not requirements? References to methodologies are greatly appreciated

Improve this question
1
  • Have you tried googling 'UI driven design'?
    – Eternal21
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 19:08

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

Sounds like your current software development process is not iterative, and it needs to be.

The customer doesn't know what they want, and they're not qualified to determine whether or not a routine wireframe diagram will fully meet their needs. Having an iterative process will allow you and the customer to make adjustments along the way as the development proceeds. When the project is completed, it will align with the customers expectations because they have been adjusting those expectations (and yours) throughout the development cycle in response to your iterative prototypes.

Improve this answer
2
  • thanks for the reply, I reckon agile and iterative sprints is a blessing. But we still have a gap as to where UX design goes. Obviously we are doing it wrong as making it part of the product backlog. In that case, are wireframes part of the actual coding Design Phase? updated on each sprint? what are your thougths
    – javaNoober
    Commented May 2, 2016 at 13:48
  • I think you need to focus on how you interact with the customer first. If you build small, working prototypes and let the customer work with them and approve them during the development process, you won't need wireframe prototypes.
    – Robert Harvey
    Commented May 2, 2016 at 14:31

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.