1. Hear the proposition or business idea - convert it to one sentence
2. User Research: Competitors and spreadsheet analysis
3. User Research: Find the gaps and discover a competitive advantage
4. User Research: Make user personas and mood boards
5. User Research: User Interviews
6. Move forward or stop: evaluate whether this is a good idea or not
7. Create the business / marketing strategy

As a UX Designer, I would make these perfect designs that the share holders would love. I would then hand them over to the developers, who would then tell me that they could not code them the way I designed them. At the time, I realized I was working with a lot of Java developers who hated CSS. So I took it upon myself to complete the designs instead of just handing over the designs.

What a difference it has made in my career. I am no longer just a UX Designer, I am also a UX Developer.

FAILING! Failing in my career is the best thing that ever happened to me. For so long I was winning at everything. I designed (and coded) mobile apps that made a lot of money, designed a children's hospital, designed a tradeshow and even a large scale commercial.

I could do no wrong and then it came crashing down. Failure grounds us, humbles us and if you have any sense of dignity after your failure... you learn from it and become a better version of yourself.