Personally speaking, I have always felt perplexed by the quantity of knowledge/content accessible on the internet or elsewhere when I first started with my UX case study as a newbie with no prior expertise in design.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The majority of these resources, in my opinion although very helpful, lacked chronology and structure in terms of what I needed to know before, after, or even where to begin? 😥 This at times made me feel as though I wasn’t doing enough or that this was too much for me. 😞

But, say no more! I’ve put together this piece to help anyone else who could find themselves in the same situation as myself a few months ago. 😌🥰

1. How do you know when you’re ready to start working on your first case study?

Let’s face it, you probably won’t. That’s because there’ll always be that one thing you don’t know how to do or implement, or the feeling that you’ll do better after you’ve learned a bit more. I believe you should begin your case study after you have a basic concept of how a problem is solved using any of the processes (design thinking, system’s thinking, design sprint, etc). As you continue, you will gain more knowledge and practice. You’ll most certainly come across terminology or procedures that you’re unfamiliar with but don’t let that stop you. Remember that no one can teach you the practicality or mindset that is required in any subject or field. They can only provide you the idea or the fundamental concepts. It’s on you to interpret and apply. 💃💃💃 This however doesn’t imply you should go right into a case study without some background knowledge; that won’t help anyone.

2. How do you choose a topic or a problem statement?

In my opinion, it’s better to start with a problem you’re familiar with, care deeply about, or have a personal connection to. This is to ensure that you remain steadfast throughout the process of solving the given problem since you not only enjoy it but also come up with a viable solution rather than seeing it as a drudgery. It may be something as simple as learning how to operate your washing machine more efficiently (I am definitely a victim to using one repeated setting over and over again as the other settings seem too complex. Yes, don’t @me). 🙃😆

Address a problem with the intention of solving it from the root rather than creating yet another market solution/product. The latter is not truly a solution; it’s only a band-aid, a quick fix.

3. BUT??!? WHERE? DO? I? START?!?!?

First and foremost, congratulations. You’ve recognised a problem that you’d try to solve, which is far more than most individuals are capable of. But it gets real from here, we’re only getting started! 🤭😆

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

Here’s how I go about solving any problem:

1. Understand the problem spectrum

I know it seems ridiculous, but owing to the overwhelming amount of information and knowledge accessible, many of us feel overwhelmed at this stage. It’s critical that we restrict our search range and concentrate on what matters most. W.r.t my washing machine example, I wouldn’t need to know how the inside mechanics operate or what the internal mechanics are made up of (I mean you can and should but that’s not the problem here. The problem is to use the features of the machine to effectively make use of it). In this case, I’d want to know what are the different functions my washing machine can perform: Is there a way to dry my clothes? Is there a way for it to figure out what sort of garments I’ve placed in it and clean them depending on that?

But how do I do this? Research!!!

To fully comprehend the problem, it is necessary to delve deep into it in order to see the big picture as well as the smallest of intricacies.

2. Planning and creating a timeline!

Creating a timeline and jotting down all the activities/processes you are to do makes it easier to follow and abide by on a day-to-day basis just as how “to-do-lists” help us get through life 🙊

For example, in order to ensure that I publish these posts on a regular basis, my friend

and I have curated a list of topics as well as the dates by which we need to finish writing and uploading them in order to ensure that we both do it! (Check out his blog for some excellent posts chock-full of useful content). 😇

3. Follow through with your plan!

“Design is the solution to an incentive, a circumstance, or a set of needs which is an outcome of a well-considered strategy to learn about, iterate, and produce with a group of people with various views and abilities until you have something that is a meaningful, genuine and applicable. Thus, it’s more important to focus on the process than the actual end product itself.”

Starting with brainstorming, ideation,and solution development, and on through sketching, wireframing, prototyping, and any other forms of design!

Also note that it’s completely okay to push certain things for a day or two if you need extra time or simply don’t feel like it! However, stick to the plan and don’t put it off for more than a week after you set out to complete it. You are allowed to iterate and make modifications to the plan at any time, but the goal is to build some pressure for yourself to complete the task.

4. Now that you have a viable product, how could you construct a case study?

• Begin by making a list of the aspects of the process you’d like to highlight in the case study and how in-depth you’d like to go.
• Use other case studies as a source of reference/inspiration for how other folks have communicated their views.
• Make a rough sketch of how you want to present your project aesthetically.
• Make your case study utilising a tool you’re acquainted with. Tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Pitch, Canva, and others could be used. As much of my work is done on Figma, I utilise the same to build the case study by employing numerous desktop frames for each section (brainstorming to prototype).

Tips I wish were shared with me before I did most of the work 😅

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

• Create a story with your case study.

Give enough background information, explain why the issue you chose is essential, and why you chose the way you did. Simply explaining the methods will not help the reader think about or see themselves in your situation. But, just as when you watch a movie or binge-watch a show, you experience the characters’ emotions almost to the point of being the character yourself, you must be able to do the same with the characters in your case study.

“People are more receptive to emotions than to overt words.”

• Make the case study skimmable.

The attention span of a human is around 3 seconds, which is shorter than that of a goldfish. Make sure your case study is eye-catching. Include aspects of interest, and most importantly, make it simple for the reader to skim the case study as not everyone, especially recruiters, will have the time to read it extensively.

• Show your process, not just your end product.

I can’t stress this enough, the process, mentality, and research extensivity are far more essential than the end result itself, since it represents a real solution designed to address an issue rather than being created for a slot on your portfolio. Include all of your strengths and limitations, since this reflects your actual process rather than a sugar-coated version in which everything appears to be a piece of cake when in reality, it isn’t.

• Be authentic and creative

There might be a pattern that you’re seeing in case studies. But keep in mind that you may or may not be required to do so. There is no textbook defined way of approaching this. You are free to explore around and present it in the way that best suits your needs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a document, a presentation, or a video. Out-of-the-box thinking and innovation yield the finest results. So don’t settle for being one of a million; instead strive to be the one exception among a million.