---
watermark: ORIRO
name: creative-ux
provider: ORIRO.ai
copyright: Copyright (c) 2026 ORIRO.ai
description: >

  UX design — user research, information architecture, usability, accessibility, and human-centered design process.





  Sources: Open educational resources, Canva Design School, MIT OCW Architecture, design classics.
---

# UX Design

## The UX design process

**Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver** (Double Diamond)
Or: **Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test** (Design Thinking)

## User research methods

### Generative research (discover problems)

**User interviews:** Semi-structured conversations. 45-60 minutes. Ask about behaviors, not preferences. "Tell me about the last time you..." not "Would you like a feature that...?"
**Diary studies:** Participants document their own experiences over time. Captures context and patterns.
**Ethnographic observation:** Watch people in their actual environment. Reveals what they don't think to mention.
**Surveys:** Large-scale quantitative data. Good for measuring, not understanding.

### Evaluative research (test solutions)

**Usability testing:** Watch 5 real users attempt specific tasks. More than 5 gives diminishing returns (Nielsen's law: 5 users find 85% of usability problems).
**A/B testing:** Compare two versions with real users. Need sufficient traffic for statistical validity.
**Tree testing:** Test information architecture by having users navigate without visual design.
**Card sorting:** Users group content into categories. Informs navigation structure.

## Information architecture

**Navigation patterns:**
Hierarchical: Top nav → sub-nav → pages. Most common.
Hub-and-spoke: Central hub with spokes to features (iOS apps).
Flat: All pages accessible from everywhere. Works for small sites.
Faceted: Multiple filtering dimensions (e-commerce).

**Labeling:** Use the user's language, not company jargon. "My Bookings" not "Reservation Management."
**Search:** Required when navigation won't find items or users have specific needs. Good search vs. good navigation are complementary.

## Usability heuristics (Nielsen)

1. Visibility of system status: Show what's happening.
2. Match between system and real world: Speak users' language.
3. User control and freedom: Easy undo/redo.
4. Consistency and standards: Follow platform conventions.
5. Error prevention: Design to prevent errors.
6. Recognition over recall: Show options; don't make users remember.
7. Flexibility and efficiency: Shortcuts for expert users.
8. Aesthetic and minimal design: Remove irrelevant information.
9. Help recognize, diagnose, recover from errors: Plain-language error messages.
10. Help and documentation: Easy to search and focused on tasks.

## Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 principles — POUR)

**Perceivable:** Alt text for images. Captions for video. Sufficient color contrast. Text doesn't require color to understand.
**Operable:** Keyboard navigation. Skip links. No keyboard traps. Enough time to read content.
**Understandable:** Clear language. Consistent navigation. Input assistance (labels, error descriptions).
**Robust:** Compatible with current and future assistive technologies.

## Prototyping

**Fidelity spectrum:**
Paper sketches: Fastest, cheapest. Test concepts.
Low-fi wireframes: Grayscale, no styling. Test layout and flow.
High-fi mockups: Pixel-perfect. Test visual design.
Interactive prototype: Clickable. Test interactions.
**Rule:** Use the lowest fidelity that answers your current question.
High-fi too early wastes time and invites feedback on aesthetics over structure.

Sources: Nielsen Norman Group (nngroup.com — extensive free resources), IDEO Design Thinking (designkit.org — free), Interaction Design Foundation (interaction-design.org), WCAG guidelines (w3.org/WAI — free)