Design is messy..

 

No process can be achieved to its 100% efficiency aka perfection. But there are some useful principles that I lean on to consistently get a project to the desired outcome. 

This is the design squiggle. It illustrates the journey of a design process.

It starts with uncertainty that we tackle by gathering information, uncovering insights, generating concepts, iterating and testing prototypes etc.

With time and effort, we gain certainty and understand the why, the who and the how of the product which materialises as design.

Zooming in, the iterative nature of design is revealed. Looking at the double diamond method allows to visualise the path to a working product. It usually follows a few broad steps:

Discover — it starts by going wide and exploring the problem space with an open mind and gather anything that can be a potential source of inspiration.

Define — all ideas are narrowed into a clear definition of the problem.

Develop — build a prototype and test with end-users to validate the idea, the user journey, set of features or any other open questions.

Deliver — combine all insights and feedback, build the final-ish design and hand off to engineering to prepare a product launch

double diamond process

Inspiration

  • Lean Inception

    Facilitating discoveries

    This book taught me to approach product discoveries more like a game. If everyone is focused on a specific goal but still having a good time, we will have better outcomes.

  • don't make me think book

    Running user tests

    This book taught me to approach usability testing like a regular conversation with a person. People are offering their time to improve the product. Everyone is a human.

  • lean ux book

    Working optimally

    UX can seem like a huge process but this book taught me to strive for a quick iterative process over a long formal one. Speed matters.

  • hooked book

    How humans work

    Everyone is human. We’re bound by our psychology which can be taken advantage of. This book taught me that as designers we should be careful how we use these tools.

  • Lean product playbook

    Building products

    This book really re-iterated the fact that putting the user needs first and validating often will mean more likely success for the product.

“Keep things simple and iterate quickly.”