THE DESIGN
PROCESS
WHAT IS DESIGN PROCESS?
Design Process is often described as a problem solving process, but this is one
reason it might seem confusing. If you have seen a list of steps for the design
process, the first step was probably “define the problem”.
Design process is a way of figuring out what you need to do, then doing it.
Along the way you might solve one or more problems, try to achieve a goal,
and/or create something specific.
1. Define the Problem" is the First Step
Many design process models start with defining the problem, but this assumes that a
clear problem exists from the beginning. In reality, designers often need to identify,
explore, and refine what the actual problem (or opportunity) is before they can begin
working on solutions.
1.More Than Just Problem-Solving
While solving problems is a part of design, it's not the only goal. The design process can
also be about:
1. Achieving a specific goal (e.g., improving user experience)
2. Creating something new (e.g., designing a product, artwork, or service)
3. Making an experience better (e.g., refining a website layout)
2.An Iterative Process
Unlike a simple problem-solving approach where you identify an issue and solve it
directly, the design process is iterative—meaning designers often go back and forth
between steps, refining ideas and making adjustments along the way.
WHY DESIGN PROCESS IS
IMPORTANT?
Design process is the cure to both of these problems:
Design process helps designers to be reliable and creative without depending
upon inspiration.
Design process provides checks to ensure creative concepts don’t steer off
course.
DESIGN PROCESS STEPS
PLAN
The first step of the design process is critical for gathering information, requirements, and
other data you need in order to make informed decisions later.
Define task, problem, or goal
Research audience/users
Gather requirements: research competitors, tech specs, features, etc
Gather constraints: impose intentional creative limits
Write, edit, and develop content and text
Preliminary sketching & brainstorming: explore & evaluate data to ensure you have what
you need
MOCK UP
Creating a mock up is the step of the design process most people recognize—
it’s the most visual part of the process. The type of work varies with the
medium for the design, but always includes:
In-depth sketching and brainstorming
Design a final, polished solution using design software (Photoshop, Sketch, etc)
Revise the solution repeatedly
Create rough prototypes to evaluate the solution privately
BUILD
Many designers believe their work is done after they’ve created a mockup.
However, designers are also responsible for making sure their designs are
implemented and used correctly. Because of that, there are two additional
steps in the design process.
Implement the solution (often with the help of other professionals like
programmers, printers, or manufacturers)
Revise the solution as technical issues arise or new aspects are discovered
that you had not addressed
MEASURE
The final step is to measure how successful the design is after it’s put into use.
Again, while good planning allows designers to make informed decisions, no
design is flawless and sometimes the environment changes. Because of that,
especially in digital design, designers are involved with measuring the design’s
performance.
Launch the design and evaluate how well it performs
Gather analytics, testing data, user interviews, sales data, etc.
Find any problems with the design, and start a mini design process to address
each
HOW TO USE THE DESIGN
PROCESS
The design process isn’t linear; rather than following the steps in order, for a
single project you often repeat the whole process multiple times (for example,
once for each feature in a software interface) or even jump back and forth
between the steps out of order.
For example, you might finish planning a project and move on to creating a
mockup. As you work on your mock up, you could find a new area that you
need more data about. So you stop work on the mockup and return to the
planning step where you do additional research.
