{"id":278,"date":"2022-05-02T11:23:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T11:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/startups\/blog\/?p=278"},"modified":"2024-10-15T01:46:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T09:46:23","slug":"zerotoone-intro-to-ux-and-design-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/startups\/blog\/zerotoone-intro-to-ux-and-design-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"#ZeroToOne: Intro to UX and design thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This new, fresh idea that you\u2019ve been sitting on for the past few months is eating you alive. Perhaps it started with a problem you\u2019ve always had, like a productivity issue at work, or a product that demands a better consumer experience. Maybe you\u2019re working on a solution to a problem that most people haven\u2019t recognized. Whatever the case may be, you feel passionate about it, you feel as that you are uniquely qualified to solve this issue and you\u2019re going for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve validated your idea with everyone that matters (a.k.a. your grandma and your dog), ironed out some of the kinks and worked on your first 10-second pitch, you need to bring your idea to life. I\u2019ve seen many founders, including myself, who had the right intentions when building a product, but didn\u2019t have the structure or framework in place. Not to worry, I\u2019ve failed enough times along the way so you all won\u2019t have to. Let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is UX and why should I even care about it?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to building and delivering digital experiences my rule of thumb is, \u201cBuild with the end user in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, the basic concept of UX is \u2018How a Product Feels\u2019. It\u2019s about understanding the various needs of your users and how to meet them. UX creates a friendly environment for users to fulfill their needs simply, and without any fuss. Good UX design demonstrates a complete understanding of the user.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Phases<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UX stands for User Experience and before you look to take your idea to the next level, you should start with the why<\/strong>, the what <\/strong>and, most importantly, the how <\/strong>to create products and experiences that drive a solution to your end users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope that didn\u2019t go over your head. If it did, not to worry because we will be referring back to the previous statement in later posts so store that in the back of your mind for now. On to one of my personal favorite topics, design thinking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is design thinking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Design thinking is an ideology and process that allows you solve complex problems with both a solution-oriented, and an action-oriented approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re essentially taking the mindset of a designer and applying it to your approach to solve a given problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five phases of design thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Design thinking has five distinct phases of execution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n