My design process

Design Process

In essence, when we talk about the design process we are talking about breaking up a project into managable steps. Process is important because it can increase efficiency, accuracy and the effectiveness of your outcome.

Define

The first step is to define the problem. Most of my job entails problem solving of some kind. My job is to find a solution that bests solves the problem, however if your unclear as to what the problem is and what the business need is, then you may well miss the mark.

Get the brief

So the first step is to get a thorough brief of the project. This means talking to the client and stakeholders to best understand what the perceived problem is and what the desired outcome would be in terms of quantifiable results.

You need to understand who you are designing for. Who are the people invested in this outcome. At this stage you are collecting as much information as you can. What are some unique scenarios where this problem is experience and who are the target audience. Other considerations are budget, deadlines, corporate guidelines and channels.

Explore

The second step is a research phase. Collect and gather data to understand the brief in more detail. I would also research what the competition are doing or what the innovators in this space are doing.

Experiment

Brainstorming and original ideas naturally begin to infiltrate my thought process. I draw, write down and collect examples that might begin to form a design concept. And then at some point, usually in the car or the shower, the accumulation of knowledge forms a solid idea.

Build

I then take these ideas and concepts and begin making low-fidelity or small scale high-fidelity prototypes. It's then possible to communicate these ideas with small-scale examples, or choose one aspect of the design solution and produce a design proposal or concept to sell your idea.

Gather feedback

Gather feedback and iterate your ideas and prototypes before jumping into a high fidelity product. At this point, depending on the scale of the project you may need to plan out the production methods and timelines to keep on track with

Produce

It's time to get stuck in and build out the real deal.

Test and Refine

It's all hands on deck at this stage to test and refine the final product to present to the world.

Reflect

Post the production phase it's good to look back and analyze what worked and what didn't, how the product or process could be improved for next time.