UX Project Canvas Template
Visualize the big picture of your UX and design projects.
About the UX Project Canvas Template
What is a UX project canvas?
Inspired by Alexander Osterwalder's 2005 business model canvas, the project canvas will help your team visualize the big picture of your UX and design projects, providing a convenient structure that holds all of your important data.
This project canvas was created by Jim Kalbach, author and UX designer who has worked with Citrix, Elsevier Science, and other large international companies. According to Kalbach, the project canvas is designed to make an otherwise dry topic—defining a project—lively and engaging. It allows your team to visualize key elements defining a project in a single grid.
Advantages of using a UX project canvas
The UX project canvas is an innovative tool that helps transform an idea into a project plan, and stimulates collaboration and communication between all involved parties (project team, sponsor, stakeholders, etc.). The clear one-page overview provides insight into interactions between the different project topics (scope, time, cost, risk, team, etc.).
Unlike alternative models, the project canvas is a simple interface. There are few startup costs, and employees can easily be brought up to speed to start using the canvas quickly.
When to use a UX project canvas
The UX project canvas is an effective tool whether your team is working on a new UX or design project, or wants to structure an existing one. The project canvas is useful for project managers, designers, content managers, UX/UI specialists, developers, and client representatives. You can use the canvas whenever you need to quickly bring a teammate up to speed on a project, plan a new project, consult with stakeholders, or iterate.
Here are the five factors of a successful project canvas:
What is the nature of the project? Describe it in as much detail as you can.
Why do you need to complete this project? Tie the project to your business goals and team objectives.
Who do you need to help you complete the project? List any stakeholders or subject matter experts to consult with throughout the project.
When should the project be completed? What does the timeline look like?
How do you plan on getting the project done? List steps throughout the process.
Create your own UX project canvas
Miro’s whiteboard tool is perfect for creating and sharing your project canvas. Get started by selecting this quick and easy UX Project Canvas template.
Get started with this template right now.
Project Planning Template
Works best for:
Project Management, Project Planning
A project plan is a single source of truth that helps teams visualize and reach project milestones. Project plans are most useful when you outline the project’s “what” and “why” to anyone who needs to give you project buy-in. Use a project plan to proactively discuss team needs; expectations; and baselines for timeline, budget, and scope. The plan will also help you clarify available resources before you kick off a project, as well as expected deliverables at the end of the project.
Product Canvas Template
Works best for:
Desk Research, UX Design
Product canvases are a concise yet content-rich tool that conveys what your product is and how it is strategically positioned. Combining Agile and UX, a project canvas complements user stories with personas, storyboards, scenarios, design sketches, and other UX artefacts. Product canvases are useful because they help product managers define a prototype. Creating a product canvas is an important first step in deciding who potential users may be, the problem to be solved, basic product functionality, advanced functionalities worth exploring, competitive advantage, and customers’ potential gain from the product.
Empathy Mapping for Impact
Works best for:
Market Research, Research & Design
Empathy Mapping For Impact template is designed to help you capture and understand user experiences deeply. By focusing on what users think, feel, and do, you can create impactful and meaningful products. Perfect for UX designers and researchers.
Cross Functional Flowchart
Works best for:
Org Charts, Business Management
Have a quick look at everyone on a project and see exactly what they’ll contribute. That’s the clarity and transparency a cross-functional flowchart will give you. These are also called “swim lane” flowcharts because each person (each customer, client, or representative from a specific function) is assigned a lane—a clear line—that will help you visualize their roles at each stage of the project. This template will empower you to streamline processes, reduce inefficiencies, and make meaningful cross-functional relationships.
Work Plan Template
Works best for:
Mapping, Project Planning
A work plan is essentially a roadmap for a project. It articulates the steps you must take to achieve the desired goal, sets demonstrable objectives, and establishes measurable deliverables. An effective work plan guides you throughout the project lifecycle, allowing you to realize an outcome by collaborating with your team. Although work plans vary, they generally contain four core components: goals, strategy, tactics, and deliverables.
Opportunity Canvas Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Decision Making, Strategic Planning
Features and capabilities — they make or break a product, which is why companies spend so much time and effort focusing on them. Sound like you? Try it with an Opportunity Canvas. This streamlined one-pager gives you and your team the power to improve your product by exploring the use cases, potential setbacks, strategies, challenges, and metrics. An Opportunity Canvas is ideal if you’ve already built a product, because you don’t need to consider the operational or revenue model.