Stage 3: Information Architecture and IxD
2–3 minutes
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Process Methodology
Using storyboards and task flow diagrams to broadly articulate and visualize interactive sequences, wayfinding and various information hierarchies
Stage 3 is where intent becomes experience logic. After identifying user needs (stage 1) and defining system requirements (stage 2), this stage aligns teams around how an experience actually unfolds step by step, decision by decision. The goal is to surface ambiguity, risk, and flawed assumptions early, before they calcify into UI, engineering effort, or production debt. This is where teams ensure they are solving the right problems in the right order.
Process methodology
Stage 4
Nav and user interface designStage 5
Visual design
Risk mitigation
Not all flows deserve the same level of scrutiny. In this stage, the depth of iteration is proportional to risk to user adoption and trust.
- Low-risk flows (e.g., login, authentication): confirm conventions and eliminate friction
- Medium-risk flows (e.g., onboarding, guided actions): validate comprehension and sequencing
- High-risk flows (e.g., ownership transfer, selling a vehicle, autonomous negotiation): stress-test trust, timing, control, and failure states
Scenario 1
Acquiring the passport
What this scenario tests: Trust and clarity during first-time ownership transfer in a high-stakes, in-person environment.
Scenario 2
Trade-in (with dealership)
What this scenario tests: Timing, persuasion, and user confidence when a system proactively initiates a high-value transaction.
Scenario 3
Direct sale (peer-to-peer and marketplace listings)
What this scenario tests: Signal clarity, intent visibility, and trust when selling across both centralized marketplaces and local peer-to-peer networks.
Scenario 4
Avatar Negotiation
What this scenario tests: User comfort with delegation, loss of control, and transparency in autonomous decision-making systems.
Scenario 5