Observe the work
Talk with users who create, review and correct records. Document edge cases, handovers and access needs; a single stakeholder brief rarely captures them all.
- User roles and daily tasks
- Information hierarchy
- Errors and empty states
- Accessibility and device context
Prototype the risky screens
Test a complete task from start to finish, including mistakes and recovery. Then create reusable patterns for fields, tables, navigation and status.
An interface used across Birmingham and the West Midlands must work for real teams on their actual devices, not only in a presentation.
Connect design and development
Document behaviour, responsive states and component rules. Review the implementation against the intended journey rather than stopping at a visual handoff.
Questions worth asking
What is the difference between UX and UI?
UX concerns the overall task and journey; UI concerns the interface people use to complete it. They should be designed together.
Advice here is general; the appropriate implementation depends on the people, systems and constraints involved.