UX discovery and asking questions 
Tags: webdev, ux, beginners, design
Published: 2021-10-26 17:40:32

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Hello everyone! 
This post is about a very critical phase of the UX process known as UX discovery or research. UX discovery is instrumental in solving the “right” problems that translate into a flawless user experience. I will try to unfold the basics of UX discovery and its importance. 
#UX discovery and the importance of asking questions
UX discovery is a preliminary phase of the design process where you learn about the business, its product & users, and the prevalent practices followed in the industry. The process starts with coming up with a problem statement and setting the scope. Then you collect data from the mentioned sources and set up a roadmap on how to build something that achieves the project goals. From personal experience, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to allocate resources and time for UX discovery than starting out on the wrong foot, only to revert back to square one later. 
#Ask the right questions while setting up goals 
The primary thing to understand is that you should know what you're constructing and why you're constructing it. You can also have a suitable draw close at the solutions to these two questions earlier than beginning the project; however, everyone must be on the same page before embarking. For example, the project lead can also additionally recognize the purpose why a project is being undertaken from an enterprise viewpoint (to advantage users, to extend function set, or to reduce sales losses, etc); however, a technical SME can also additionally recognize how the codebase desires to alternate an excellent way to accommodate a shift in-person experience. For this purpose, ask these essential questions with all stakeholders withinside the room. Moreover, try answering these questions on the basis of the data that you’ve gathered.
#Understand the Users
A user-centered design process doesn’t always require creating detailed persona profiles. However, it needs a thorough understanding of how they perform their job, what annoys and facilitates them, and how they will use the product you're working on. For this purpose exactly, you start up listing out every type of individual that might use this product. The next step is to set up a profile for each user type and try to understand their behavior. If you can not gather data from the existing users, similar products can help you get an idea of the right way to go. Understanding users is an integral part of the process, it provides an actual direction for the 
design as the product is built for their use.
#Conclusion
The guidelines above will steer you to set a better tone for your projects by asking the right questions at this crucial step. However, it's imperative that you allocate the right amount of resources and time for the process to actually bear its fruit. There are times when the product exists and you're supposed to solve some critical issues rather than starting from scratch. Following these key steps can allow you to cut down on unnecessary delays by putting your focus on the right area