A) I start with mockups, then the polished design and at last the programming. For users, the interface is all that they have, then the UX stuff needs to be def

A) I start with mockups, then the polished design and at last the programming. For users, the interface is all that they have, then the UX stuff needs to be defined very early (in my case). I like 37signals "epicenter design" approach. Start with the more important pages and with the more important information chunks of these pages. B) useit.com and my collection maybe http://www.delicious.com/egogol/ui http://www.delicious.com/egogol/ui C) have someone good for design in your team. If you can't, exchange your programming hours vs design hours. Ideally it should be a collaborative process. D) The important thing is that the user gets the things done. The UX determine how the programming process should work. BONUS) Test a lot. Test your mockups, test your design, test your running app. Every step will reveal different problems.