01Research before design, on every project
Process · research first
Designstarts on day onestarts after research
UX design process:
the 6 steps behind every product we ship
Good design isn’t luck, it’s process. This is the UX and product design process we run on every project: from research and wireframes to polished UI, usability testing and developer handoff, with no black boxes.
A structured UX process is the difference
between building it once and building it twice
02Validated with real users at every stage
Testing · every stage
Each stagetested at the endtested along the way
03Aligned with engineering from the first wireframe
Design · engineering
Engineeringsees it at handoffthere from the first wireframe
04Documented so your whole team can reuse it
Documentation
The decisionsin someone’s headwritten down for the team
What happens when you
skip the UX process
Revisions that never end.
Without a validated process, every review brings new changes. Settle the basics at the wireframe stage and revisions shrink.
Users can’t find the value.
Navigation built without journey mapping gets harder as the product grows. Users who can’t reach the value simply leave.
Every redesign starts from zero.
Without design documentation the product drifts. When the redesign comes there’s no system to build on, just code and a blank file.
UX process work thatmoved the product forward
Real projects: the challenge, the approach and the outcome.
SaaS · Onboarding+44%Onboarding completionThe full six-phase process, from research to testing, cut drop-off from 72% to 28%.
E-commerce · Navigation−31%Bounce rateDiscovery revealed navigation confusion. An IA restructure and usability testing fixed it.
Fintech · Support−58%Support ticketsDiscovery showed 60% of tickets were UX-related. The redesign removed the root causes.
The 6 stages of our
UX design process
Six UX design phases. Each builds on the last, and none gets skipped.
Discovery & Research
Business goals, target users and the competitive landscape. Interviews, analytics review and market research form the base for every decision that follows.
User Personas & Journey Mapping
Personas built on data, not guesses, and journey maps that show key touchpoints, drop-off risks and the moments that shape the experience.
Information Architecture
Content hierarchy, navigation and user flows, organized around how users think about the problem, not how the database is structured.
Wireframing & Prototyping
Low-fidelity wireframes settle layout and hierarchy. High-fidelity interactive prototypes let you walk through every critical flow before development.
Usability Testing & Refinement
5 to 8 people from your target audience test the prototype in structured sessions. Findings go back into the design before final delivery.
Implementation & Optimization
Developer-ready specs, design system handoff and our involvement during development, so the shipped product matches the tested design.
DISCOVERY · WEEK 2
INTERVIEWS+6ANALYTICS · GA4MARKET · 8 COMPETITORSSynthesize
DECISION 01Build for finance teams firstBASED ON0interviews · 3 sources
Every decisionmade on instincttraced back to research
PERSONA · MAYA
MMayaPRIMARY PERSONAGuessesFrom research
ROLEYoung professional, 25–35Finance lead at a 20–80 person companyGOALWants beautiful softwareClose the month in days, not weeksCONTEXTWorks at a desk all dayApproves invoices on a phone between meetingsBUILT ON0interviews · GA4 · support ticketsThe personaa guess with a stock photoa person from the data
CARD SORT · 14 PARTICIPANTS
GROUP 1Get paidGROUP 2Pay billsGROUP 3See the moneySend an invoicePay a supplierSee cash flowChase late payersApprove a billMonthly report
Show user groupsAGREEMENT0%
The menusorted by the teamsorted by 14 users
BILLING APP · INVOICES
InvoicesOCTOBERNew invoiceOUTSTANDING$48,240OVERDUE$6,050PAID IN OCT$31,900Acme CorpOct 02$4,200.00OverdueGlobexOct 05$1,850.00PaidInitechOct 09$9,600.00SentUmbrellaOct 12$3,120.00Draft
One screenboxes to agree the layoutthe real thing, before code
PROTOTYPE · INVOICE · V1 → V2
Invoice #1042Send$9,600.00FOLD
FINDING 02 · SESSION 3–64 of 6 missed Send — it sat below the foldApply fix✓ Fixed in v2
FOUND SEND2/ 6
Each findinga slide in a decka change in the design
QA · BUILD OVER DESIGN
InvoicesNew invoiceAcme Corp$4,200.00OverdueGlobex$1,850.00PaidInitech$9,600.00Sent
InvoicesNew invoiceAcme Corp$4,200.00OverdueGlobex$1,850.00PaidInitech$9,600.00Sent
+6 PXRADIUS 6 → 999MATCHES THE DESIGN0%
The shipped productclose to the designchecked against it, pixel by pixel
Our UX design workflow,
week by week
You always know where the project stands and what you need to do next.
1
Discovery & Research
Kickoff workshop, stakeholder interviews and competitive analysis. By the end of week one you see user insights and a clear problem framing, not a deck asking for more time.
Week 1Architecture & Wireframes
Information architecture, user flows and low-fidelity wireframes. Review rounds are built in, and we move on your input.
Weeks 2 to 3Prototype & Test
A high-fidelity prototype, tested with real users. Findings are worked into the design before delivery.
Weeks 4 to 5~2 hrs / week
A weekly sync plus async feedback in Figma or Slack. We run the process, you make the decisions that matter.
Your timeA full UX design process engagement takes 4 to 10 weeks, depending on product scope and complexity.
Why product teams
trust Glow for UX design
Research before pixels, always.
We don’t open Figma before we understand your users. AI helps us spot patterns faster, so more time goes into what they need.
Tested with real users at every phase.
Wireframes, prototypes and the final design are each validated, while problems are still cheap to fix.
Engineers in the room from day one.
We involve engineers early and leave a documented component library, so what gets designed is what gets built.
No black-box weeks.
You see progress at every phase, with review and feedback checkpoints built into each stage.
Founders and product leads
on working with Glow
“About a week ago, we went a bit viral with 10k users in 2 days and we received a lot of positive feedback about the design - so thank you Glow for that!”
Israel Benarousse·CEO, Dropcall
View story
“Glow Design Agency delivered high-quality UX/UI designs that enabled the client to close more deals. Their animated video and design gained the client almost 500+ new LinkedIn followers. The team executed work on time and within budget.”
Doug Marinaro·CEO, Riptide
"The design work provided by Glow Design Agency completely exceeded project stakeholder expectations in terms of both quality and delivery. Their team was organized and communicative throughout the process, breaking down complex industry concepts and translating them into a sleek and useable UI."
Jon Fry·CEO & Founder at Lendflow (YC W21)
View story
"Glow Design provided UI/UX design for a office space provider and has since expanded their role to include design updates for the site's front- and backend as well as social media visuals and animations."
Eric Zellhart·VP Product at LiquidSpace
View story
"Glow Design Agency provided UI and UX design services for e-cars charging market company. They were tasked with designing the UX and UI of the app's prototype."
Max Grollmann·Managing Director
View story
"Glow was hired by an e-commerce platform for their UI/UX design services. They redesigned website and provided support. After the new website was launched, the client saw a significant increase in conversions."
Vinicius Rodrigues·CTO at E-Commerce Platform
Digital products
we design
The process adapts to the product, from an early-stage startup to an enterprise redesign.
Web Applications
Complex, multi-role web products designed for clarity. IA, flows and interface logic come from research, not convention.
Mobile Apps (iOS & Android)
Native and cross-platform apps designed around thumb reach, context of use and platform conventions, then tested on real devices. More on our mobile app design.
SaaS Dashboards
A SaaS UX design process for data-heavy interfaces: dashboard layouts, data hierarchy and navigation built for daily professional use. See our SaaS UX design work.
E-Commerce Platforms
Product discovery, filtering and checkout flows designed mobile-first and built for conversion from the first wireframe.
B2B Portals & Tools
Internal tools and partner platforms where efficiency beats decoration, designed for power users who need speed, not hand-holding.
Frequently
asked questions
What are the stages of the UX design process?
Our UX design process has six stages: 1. discovery and research, 2. personas and journey mapping, 3. information architecture, 4. wireframing and prototyping, 5. usability testing and refinement, 6. implementation support. Many guides list five stages taken from design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test). We add architecture and handoff, because that’s where products most often break.
Our UX design process has six stages: 1. discovery and research, 2. personas and journey mapping, 3. information architecture, 4. wireframing and prototyping, 5. usability testing and refinement, 6. implementation support. Many guides list five stages taken from design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test). We add architecture and handoff, because that’s where products most often break.
How long does the full UX design process take?
4 to 10 weeks from discovery to handoff. Complex products with many user roles sit at the long end. You get a clear timeline before work starts.
4 to 10 weeks from discovery to handoff. Complex products with many user roles sit at the long end. You get a clear timeline before work starts.
At what stage should we bring in UX?
Before development starts. Fixing a UX problem at the wireframe stage costs a fraction of what it costs after launch. For startups, that usually means before the first engineering sprint. We also redesign products that are already live.
Before development starts. Fixing a UX problem at the wireframe stage costs a fraction of what it costs after launch. For startups, that usually means before the first engineering sprint. We also redesign products that are already live.
Do you work with our in-house design team?
Yes. We often act as the UX strategy and research layer on top of an existing team. We work in Figma and FigJam, read your Hotjar, GA4 or Mixpanel data and adapt to the tools you already use.
Yes. We often act as the UX strategy and research layer on top of an existing team. We work in Figma and FigJam, read your Hotjar, GA4 or Mixpanel data and adapt to the tools you already use.
What do we receive at the end?
User personas, journey maps, a sitemap and flow diagrams, wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, usability test findings, a component library and a developer handoff file with full specs.
User personas, journey maps, a sitemap and flow diagrams, wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes, usability test findings, a component library and a developer handoff file with full specs.
How is AI changing the UX design process?
AI speeds up the work that used to take weeks: transcribing interviews, clustering feedback, finding patterns in session recordings and drafting early layouts. It doesn’t replace talking to users or deciding what the product should do. We use it so more of the project goes into those decisions.
AI speeds up the work that used to take weeks: transcribing interviews, clustering feedback, finding patterns in session recordings and drafting early layouts. It doesn’t replace talking to users or deciding what the product should do. We use it so more of the project goes into those decisions.
