UX design is a user-centred, iterative process that starts with understanding people, moves through designing and testing solutions, and continually refines those solutions based on real user feedback. The work we undertook on MilitaryArchives.ie is a good example of how this process works in practice.

Step 1: Understanding people

The UX design process starts with the discovery phase where we learn who the site is for, how it’s used, and where people struggle.

For MilitaryArchives.ie, this meant running surveys on the existing site and working closely with stakeholders. This helped us understand:

  • the range of users, from Historians and archivists: who require extensive access to archives to Family researchers, students, and hobbyists: seeking specific information.
  • how confident or unsure people felt using the old site
  • where frustration and hesitation crept in
  • what their hopes were for the new website

At this stage, no design decisions were made. The goal was understanding, not solutions. 

Step 2: Designing ideas

With that understanding in place, the team began exploring possibilities based on what was learned during discovery. 

In UX design, this is where ideas take shape, but they’re still assumptions. And assumptions need to be tested.

Step 3: Assumptions into evidence

User Testing is the point in the UX design process where ideas meet reality.

Rather than waiting until the site was built, we tested early using high-fidelity, interactive prototypes — versions of the site that looked and behaved like the real thing.

Testers from key user groups were recruited through surveys on the previous MilitaryArchives.ie website. These were people who already used the archive and had real expectations and habits.

Testing sessions were run live, with UX team members observing through screen sharing. Participants were asked to:

  • complete realistic tasks
  • talk through what they were doing
  • explain what felt clear or confusing

This allowed us to observe behaviour, hear reasoning, and understand emotional response.

Screenshare User Testing
Screenshare User Testing

Step 4: What works and what doesn’t

User Testing showed us things we couldn’t have known otherwise:

  • where users hesitated or felt unsure
  • what reassured them
  • how first impressions shaped confidence
  • whether users felt supported or slowed down

Discovery highlighted that many users don’t know where to start. Testing showed us whether the design helped or hindered that.

Participants consistently responded well to:

  • clear entry points
  • descriptions explaining what collections contain
  • imagery that provides context

  • a sense of being guided, not overwhelmed

     

“Although there is lots of content, the new layout is more user friendly. It’s not just a list of collections — you can see what you’re looking for.”

That was discovery insight, validated through use.

We captured their first impressions and their emotional response.

For example:

“I was skeptical, but it is definitely a big improvement on the old one.”
“It’s not intimidating. I feel relaxed.”

These reactions weren’t prompted. They emerged naturally as people used the prototype.

This is why user testing is vital: it reveals how an experience actually feels to use.

Step 5: Refining the experience

Because testing happened before development, we could refine the experience while it was still flexible.

Small issues were addressed early. Larger decisions were validated with confidence.

This is one of the practical benefits of user testing in UX design: learning early avoids costly changes later.

Step 6: Building trust

Only after discovery, design, and user testing did we move into building the new site.

At this point, we weren’t guessing. We had already seen real users interact with the experience and shape it through feedback.

This also helped build trust. By involving existing users early, change felt collaborative rather than imposed.

For a public service managed by the Military Archives of Ireland, that trust is essential.

What MilitaryArchives.ie proves about UX design

UX design works best when:

  • it starts with understanding people
  • user testing is treated as a core part of the process, not a checkbox
  • real users are involved early
  • feedback is acted on, not just recorded

User testing is where what we think we understand about users is tested, and where genuine empathy begins.

It’s the point where ideas are challenged, risk is reduced, and confidence is earned.

That’s why user testing is essential in UX design, and why it mattered so much on MilitaryArchives.ie.