UX design through the Scientific Method
How I pivoted into UX design after graduating with a science degree
Pivoting from a Natural Science degree to a design career was not easy. Why I was able to accelerate my path was I found similarities between the two fields that I am passionate about and used them to my advantage.
I noticed that UX design essentially follows the same process as making a new discovery in science. The scientific method is based on empirical evidence and many iterations. Similarly, UX design also bases the deliverables on data analysis and improvements upon experiments.
Having internalized the method, I found it easier to convince my team of my logic and design decisions for any project.
Observe
The scientific method begins with an observation or a question. Newton saw an apple fall from a tree and discovered gravity. Fleming saw blue mould kill his bacteria sample and discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic compound.
UX design begins with observing a problem that users have and strives to solve that need. Both fields begin with a problem statement, stemming from curiosity and determination for a solution.
Research Topic Area
Before starting any scientific research project, I always had to read plenty of literature to gain the most updated findings and methods. If I understand what others have discovered or tried, I have a better sense of how I can tackle the problem.
Similarly, UX design begins with user research and formulating a user story. As the product is primarily people-oriented, one must understand the needs and behaviours of the user extensively. One can only do that if you have done enough research.
Hypothesis
The next step is formulating your hypothesis. We propose a tentative explanation for the observed phenomenon based on our research. It is essentially the foundation where we work off for the rest of the methodology.
Wireframing in UX design serves a similar purpose. It is like a scaffold, a barebone structure, upon which we build a product. We don’t know if the wireframe or the user flow would work until we test it, but we sure hope it does.
Testing with experiment
This section differs greatly based on the field of science we go into. However, a typical process is learning or creating a method to test a variable under a controlled environment. We can gather data to validate our hypothesis or to iterate the project.
Prototyping is a key step in the UX design process. Of course, it serves the purpose of visualization for stakeholders but it also allows for valuable feedback. Combined with A/B Testing and its equivalent, prototypes generate feedback that validates the product and usability.
Analyze with Data
Data collected is then rigorously analyzed for their integrity. Once the data agrees with the hypothesis, the results are then validated and ready to publish.
Data collected from UX design will also validate the wireframe. Eventually, the product will undergo testing on a bigger scale for quality control. Just like FDA has multiple stages in approving a newly discovered drug, a good product would have gone through multiple tests until the beta release.
Conclude and Iterate
Even the best discovery will have to follow up research. In this process, we discover something new again. Similarly, no product design is infallible. The exciting part of UX design is that we can always find a chance to improve the product.
The similarity in the practices of science and UX design does explain why I was attracted to this field after studying for a science degree. I leveraged my soft skills gained from university— like analytical thinking, communications, and teamwork— to pivot to the design & tech industry. Yet, the overlap in design thinking and the scientific method helped me grow faster and efficiently.
I was thinking about writing this piece for a while. Let me just wrap up this post with an excerpt from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind because I think it captures the essence of the rapidly growing field of UX design:
Modern science is based on the Latin injunction ignoramus – ‘we do not know.’ It assumes that we don’t know everything. Even more critically, it accepts that the things that we think we know could be proven wrong as we gain more knowledge. No concept, idea or theory is sacred and beyond challenge.
— Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari