Prologue
Last week Daniel asked us to start looking into UX design proposals, I found many different pieces of research regarding them. The lecture we had this week with Daniel was called Creative Entrepreneurship. In this lecture he first asked us what we found out about job proposals. Myself and the rest of the class where on the boat when it came to our overall understanding of proposals which was comforting to know. While researching I gathered a bit of research myself. I firstly researched how do we write them?
Any proposal will need to have a project name, date and details of who are the stakeholders involved. The overarching theme I gathered was to follow these steps;
- Define the problem – Here is where you state what is preventing you from reaching your goals. Defining the problem involves identifying the causes of the problem so that you can solve it.
- Provide background information – Why is this proposal necessary? In this part of the UX proposal, you will outline what led to this plan.
- Understand your goals and expected outcomes – Your goals should not be a shopping list of items. In just a few sentences, you should succinctly outline the goals for the proposal.
- Propose deliverables – After you have explained the problem and helped stakeholders understand it, it is time to provide the solution by outlining the deliverables necessary to be successful.
- Assumptions – Assumptions are just events that are expected to occur during the project life cycle – often without any proof or evidence, hence the name assumptions.
- What is the expected timeline and budget? – Be generous with your time. Giving yourself tight deadlines can lead to stress and poor work. If you are generous and realistic with how the project will pan out, it can help avoid any misunderstandings along the way.
When might we need one?
While a UX proposal at first glance may seem like a daunting undertaking, it is vital for both designer and stakeholder to be on the same page, understanding the same problems. A proposal acts as a reference for everybody involved in the project as well as the scope of the said project. A UX proposal is useful because it sets expectations before a project starts, by defining in clear terms what will happen during theUX design process.
Despite UX design‘s high Return on Investment, its benefits are still not universally acknowledged. When it comes to selling your proposal, highlighting the benefits can help you get the green light. Some benefits of a UX proposal include:
- Better products
- Streamlined workflow
- Less risk
- Insight discovery
It is not uncommon to hear designers and clients alike use the term design brief when referring to a UX proposal. The terms are interchangeable so use whichever phrase you feel most comfortable with. We will refer to it as a UX proposal here.
Conclusion
Good UX design can bring profit to the business. That much is known. A well-defined and thought out UX proposal can giveUX designersthe buy-in, influence and control they need to deliver a successful user experience.