How to write a UX proposal?

A Forbes article by Steven Douglas highlights the importance of UX in transforming businesses. This article also brings forward a very important statistic researched by Forrester.

Every dollar invested in UX design brings a return of $100 i.e. a massive ROI of 9,900%

Obviously, User Experience design is big business. And to achieve such big returns, it is necessary for UI UX designers to not only create great work but also explain it well to the customers. That is where a UX proposal comes in.  

A UX proposal helps provide all stakeholders with an understanding of the project and its scope.

It gives an outline of proposed changes to the User Experience design of a digital product (mobile app, website or any such) hence, it is also known as a Design Brief.

So, while creating a UX proposal, a designer should ensure that he/she outlines the problem, explain why it is a problem and present a thorough solution with his/her design.

UX designers usually rely heavily on research and investigation before creating any design as they’re aware that even a small change can cost thousands. Therefore, it is extremely important that designers create solid UX proposals.

The proposal sets an expectation of work that will get done and defines a timeline for milestones and the final launch. It is the guiding document for the project that the developer/designer and client agree on before the work starts so that everyone is on the same page.

Importance of writing a UX proposal

Writing a UX proposal may seem like a daunting task at first glance, but it is a vital document for both, the designer and the stakeholder. It helps everyone to be on the same page and understand the same problems. A proposal acts as a reference for everybody involved in the project, it sets expectations before a project starts by defining in clear terms what will happen during the UX design process.

Benefits of a UX proposal

As a UX and UI designers, we know that you like to continuously work on identifying problems and offering design solutions, but before you start that process, it is a good idea to speak with your client and get a clear idea of what they want.

A first impression determines a lot of things, so before embarking on writing a proposal, it is best to talk to the client and understand the problem and their expectations of the solution you will offer.

This will help you in understanding the goals that your client wants to achieve as well as help you establish your own objectives.

Once these things are clear to you, it will be quite an easy job to draft your proposal.

Now that you understand the importance of writing a UX proposal, let us give you some tips on how to write it.

How to write a UX proposal?

Writing a UX proposal is simple. However, one thing you need to remember while writing it is to avoid jargon.  Keeping the document concise and easy to read is necessary as the client might not be from a design background.

Steps in writing a UX proposal

1. Have a Plan

This is perhaps one of the crucial steps in any process. You can lay out all the bullet points, data and structure of the UX proposal and expand on them later. This will let you know if you are missing out on anything.

2. Proof Reading is the key

Just like an over-crowded web page or glitchy interface is not desired by anyone, nobody would want to read a document full of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Language errors might distract the client and give an impression that you don’t care about your work. You must remember that your proposal is going to be your first impression and it is going to lead the way for your designs. Make sure it goes out well.

Get a second pair of eyes to proofread the document. Although you are confident about your write-up it is wise to ask for a second opinion. A writing consultant or editor or simply a second pair of eyes can detect flaws or inconsistencies that you might have missed.  Also, make sure you incorporate the feedback and suggestions you receive.

3. Keep it brief

We all have short attention spans. Hence, keep the document to the point to keep your client’s attention to the important parts. Try and make sure that every point is descriptive, of course, but do not go beyond the essential by rambling about unnecessary details.

4. Plagiarism is deadly

We would suggest you write your own UX proposal, and keep it original so that it doesn’t even have to go through a plagiarism check. But it would definitely be frustrating to find out that a part of it, or most of it is similar to an article on some website. More importantly, if the solution or design that you are proposing already exists, it will be a waste of time for your client to even look through your proposal. So, make sure that not only is your document genuine, but has also been checked for plagiarism.

While we understand that keeping a check on all these things on top of designing can be a hassle, here are some great tools and resources available online to help you with these pursuits.

• Online planner – Trello, Canva
• Grammar and Spelling – Grammarly, WhiteSmoke, Ginger Online, Grammar check, Language tool
• Writing guides – Ilys, Focus Writer
• Plagiarism checking tools online – SmallSeoTool, Duplichecker, Prepostseo

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