I usually start by defining the general business needs and requirements for the project and understanding the deliverables, timeline, and expectations. It's crucial to stay aligned with the rest of the team. During this stage, I prefer to note down my own hypotheses about the expected problem.

In this phase, I gather information, communicate with people, and delve into the problem space. I also review user reports to understand the reasons behind the product's current state. If user research is not feasible within the budget or timeline, I will conduct impromptu interviews to ensure that I'm not designing blindly.

During the interpretation phase, I analyze the users, their needs, and pain points. I create or revise personas, journey maps, storyboards, and problem statements. In this stage, I establish our goals and the metrics we need to achieve for success. This phase is always very insightful.

The ideation phase is really enjoyable for me! I enjoy involving developers, other designers, stakeholders, and customer support in an ideation session to explore various options. I like to let my creativity flow freely and generate as many solutions as possible. At this stage, I prioritise quantity over quality.

I will create an interactive prototype in this phase. It could be a high-fidelity Figma prototype or an interactive website, depending on where I am in the process and what I want to test. The level of detail and fidelity will vary accordingly.

During this final phase, I will test the prototype with users. This may involve quick guerilla tests as well as full-fledged usability test sessions. The results of these tests will help us understand what needs to be changed and fixed.