Design Process

Creative Brief

The initial stage of my design process involves collecting essential information, requirements, and any other pertinent data necessary to inform subsequent decisions.

  1. Define the task, problem, or goal

  2. Identify and define the target audience/users (ie. create personas)

  3. Gather requirements: research competitors, tech specs, features, conduct a site visit and evaluation, etc.

  4. Gather constraints: budget, dimensions of the space, temporary/permanent, rental or custom build, travel requirements, time limits, etc.

  5. Get feedback and approval of creative brief from client. This is a chance to show the client that we listened and heard them AND gives them an opportunity to add, modify or delete requirements.

Ideate

We begin by identifying solutions to the problem outlined in the creative brief, focusing on how the user will interact with these solutions. Our team examines the problem from various user perspectives, empathizing with the target audience to gain insights and generate ideas for addressing the problem.

  1. Use “how might we” questions to create a list of ideas. The trick at this stage is to not limit, evaluate or censor ideas. That will come after we generate the list of ideas.

  2. Organize our ideas into one of 4 buckets (Most Rational, Most Delightful, Beloved and Long-shot).

  3. Choose 1-2 ideas per bucket. Now we should have 4-8 good ideas.

Evaluate and Prototype

Now it's time to put these 4-8 ideas to the test. Our goal is to find the most effective solution for each problem outlined in the creative brief. We thoroughly examine each idea, evaluating its effectiveness based on user experiences. Ideas are either accepted, refined, or discarded accordingly.

  1. Create a sketch or storyboard of each idea

  2. Does it fit the time frame?

  3. Does it fit within budget?

  4. Does it truly align with the target audience’s needs?

  5. Is it different from the other existing solutions?

  6. Gather feedback

  7. Choose best solution

Mock-up and Present

After determining the most suitable solution, I proceed to create a mock-up for presentation. This mock-up can take various forms, such as a detailed 3D rendering in many cases. Alternatively, depending on project timelines, I may opt for scaled elevations or line drawings to represent the space.

  1. Move to software (Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)

  2. Create polished layouts or 3D renderings

  3. Gather feedback and evaluate solution with the problem in creative brief - revise as needed

  4. Create pitch deck (many times this is concurrent with creating the layouts/renderings)

  5. Review pitch deck – does the deck and layouts/renderings communicate how we solve the task, problem or goal specified in the creative brief? Revise as needed

  6. Present and gather feedback

Implementation

Typically, my role involves ensuring that my designs are feasible to construct, properly executed, and appropriately utilized. It's important to recognize that revisions to a design are often necessary during the implementation phase. While a comprehensive design process aims to capture all essential information upfront to minimize oversights, unexpected details can emerge during production due to the inherent complexity of the process.

  1. Implement any feedback or changes from the client into the design solution.

  2. For graphic only projects that involves creating the final print-ready vector or high resolution files to hand off to the print vendor.

  3. For other projects that require a physical build, I will create a build document (often with the help of other professionals like programmers, printers, or manufacturers) that breaks out each element into individual components with dimensions and material specifications.

  4. Revise the solution and build document as technical issues arise or new aspects are discovered that need to be addressed

  5. Be present and available during the build or install to help address any questions or problems.

  6. Launch the design

Measure

The last step involves assessing the effectiveness of the design once it's in use. While thorough planning enables designers to make well-informed decisions, it's important to acknowledge that no design is perfect, and there may be unforeseen adjustments needed at the last moment.

  1. Evaluate how well the design performs

  2. Gather analytics, testing data, user interviews, sales data, etc.

  3. Identify any problems with the design and execute a mini design process to address any problem