The Design Process
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
The first stage of any design is to first identify the problem you are solving. Sometimes this comes in the form of a brief from a client, or something that I have noticed myself or picked up in customer research.
“Creativity is nothing but the way to solve new problems”
By first identifying the problem and empathising with the end user this will give you the ability to come up with the best solution. This can come in the form of customer feedback, user research or analytic data.
2. RESEARCH
Once a problem has been identified I then like to take time out to research the problem further, this may involve hearing from customers or accessing data analysis around the specific problem. I will also conduct competitor research to see how similar companies have approached the problem and if any inspiration can be gained. It can also help to look outside of the industry field we are working in, all these methods help to start the idea generation process.
3. SKETCHING
The next step I like to do is to get pen to paper, by sketching out rough ideas and scamps I can quickly articulate my ideas in a visual form to communicate to others. I have also started to use AI image generation tools such as Midjourney and Adobe Firefly to quickly generate images to convey my ideas. This helps for stakeholders to buy into the ideas. A great way to work is to use post-it notes and create an ideas wall when collaborating with colleagues to quickly generate ideas.
4. WIREFRAMING
After meetings with stakeholders to refine the initial ideas the best ones are then created into wireframes with a bit more detail and potentially some actions to build a prototype. This will usually include placeholder imagery and Lorem Ipsum copy to get a better feel for the idea without spending too much time refining the details. I use programs like Figma, Adobe XD, or even mobile apps like POP to create interactive wireframes.
5. REFINING SOLUTIONS
Relating back to the user feedback and initial problem that the project was based on the wireframes ideas are matched to the criteria and refined if needed. The wireframes can start to be filled in with the actual content and real life imagery to bring it to life.
6. TESTING
Once all parties are happy with the result this is a good stage to run some testing. This could be A/B or multi-variant testing to compare results vs the original or a control variant. User testing can also be used with the same participants from the beginning used in a focus group scenario. Another way to test is to collect data and look at the KPIs e.g. click-rate, bounce rate or conversion over a specific time span to see how the changes have impacted them.
7. ALWAYS IMPROVING
Even when a project is ‘over’ it’s never finished! There is always more we can learn and areas to improve. I like to alone and track the performance of my work to ensure it’s optimised to be performing its best and make any changes or enhancements if needed. There are always areas to improve design and user needs change with time so I can always jump back into the design process at any stage.