Good UX starts before any screen is drawn. You first need to understand who will use the product, what they want to do and where they might get stuck.
Start with the problem
Ask the client:
- Who are the users? (Age, job, language, how comfortable they are with technology.)
- What is the main thing they come to do? (Order food, book an appointment, track a delivery.)
- What do they do today instead, and what annoys them about it?
- What does the business need? (More sign-ups, fewer support calls, more sales.)
Light research a freelancer can do
You do not need a big budget to learn about users:
- Talk to 3–5 real users for 15 minutes each. Ask about their last experience, not about what they would like.
- Review competitors' apps and read their app store reviews: users list their frustrations there.
- Check the client's data: support messages, frequent questions, analytics if the product already exists.
Never invent research results. If there was no research, say the design is based on assumptions that should be tested.
Personas and jobs
A persona is a short, realistic description of a typical user, based on what you learned:
A simpler alternative is a job statement: "When I [situation], I want to [action], so I can [result]." For example: "When I run out of milk at night, I want to reorder my usual items in a few taps, so I can get them before school."
User flows
A user flow maps the steps a user takes to finish one task. Drawing it before designing screens shows how many screens you need and where users may get lost.
- Open the appHome shows "Order again" with recent items
- Choose itemsTap previous order, adjust quantities
- CheckoutSaved address and payment method are pre-selected
- ConfirmClear total including delivery, one confirm button
- TrackDelivery time and status, with a help option
Each step should have one clear main action. Count the taps: if a common task takes ten steps, look for steps you can remove.
Information architecture
Information architecture is how content is organised and named: the menu, the sections, the labels. Use the words your users use ("Orders", not "Fulfilment history"). Keep the main navigation to around five items, and put the most frequent tasks closest to hand.
Practice task (25 min)
- Choose a product idea, for example a clinic booking app.
- Talk to two people who might use it and write one persona or job statement.
- Draw the user flow for the main task (5–7 steps) on paper or in Figma.
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