My process is user-centred
I follow a user-centred approach based on the international standard ISO 9241-210. This standard is easy to understand and is a proven path to improve the quality of a product.
- Specify the context of use:
Identify who will use the product, what they will use it for, and under what conditions they will use it. - Specify requirements:
Work with others – such as product management – to identify business requirements and user goals that must be met for the product to be successful. - Create design solutions:
This part of the process I handle in stages: start with rough sketches – to check assumptions – and then iterate these from concept to a complete design. - Evaluate designs:
Whenever possible this means evaluating the design with actual users. This could be an interview, a formal usability session or even a brief interaction at a conference or trade show.
The end of this process can lead to a completed design but can feed back on itself; after evaluating the design it may be necessary to to revisit the requirements or design solutions.
My process is lean
When I started in web design I was enamoured with beautiful design documentation and deliverables. I kept a folder full of the best and even wrote an ancient conference poster on this. I now feel these are a distraction; the task is to create great products not deliverables.
When creating design concepts, I prefer to:
- Keep concepts and designs low fidelity and rough for as long as possible. We are building a product, not selling wireframes.
- Collaborate with as many people as possible: work with product managers, developers, marketers, sales people to improve the design.
- Make design concepts easily shared and available. You get great feedback by having a rough looking user journey on a wall, rather then an amazing looking version in a pdf on a hard-drive.
- Work closely with developers. This is crucial; developers translate the design in to reality.