97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 40. If You Show Something Shiny, They’ll Assume It’s Done

John Yesko

UX designers tend to follow something like this general path when documenting a digital user experience:

user flow > sketch > wireframe > visual design comp > prototype

We may start with a rough flow or sketch to get alignment on the general concept. Then we design wireframes to add detail to the interactions, and we start suggesting the layout while documenting the non-“happy” path. Ideally, we also conduct user research along the way to make sure the experience is meeting customer needs. Once we feel good about all that, we create a polished visual design—either a static comp or an interactive prototype. Despite any nuances in our individual processes, the important theme is that the fidelity of the deliverable increases as the details of the experience take shape.

Sometimes, though, we fall into the trap of presenting a finished-looking design when we’re still in the early stages of thinking it through. This often happens when we’re trying to impress executives with “what could be.” We assume that they will respond only to a high-gloss interface and that they can’t be burdened with the less glamorous design work that must happen first.

Our stakeholders might walk away impressed, but this approach has pitfalls. For all the “work in progress” caveats and “FPO” stamps on screens, polished designs give ...