I use the following design process when solving complex problems and helping clients understand their business challenge*

* Although it’s never as clear and straightforward as it seems. There is a lot of iterations, cross-collaboration and back and forth when designing and building products and services.

 
 
 

STEP 1: Understand Users and Markets

I focus on understanding user behavior and needs by observations and interviews. It helps me at all stages of the problem solving process, from early ideation to testing, and helps put a project into context.

Step 2: Define Business Challenges

Every project starts with a problem. I create a point of view based on user needs and insights. Framing a problem statement, provides the project team with defined objectives.

Step 3: Synthesize Findings

By humanizing the data collected about users, I’m able to identify the problems users face during an interaction and turn them into actionable insights.

Step 4: Create and Build Solutions

This is when I let my imagination run wild, brainstorm and come up with as many creative solutions as possible. I also prioritize the ideas based on the defined challenge.

Step 5: Prototype and Test

It’s important to build a representation of one or more of your ideas to show to others. The prototypes begin with rough sketches done on whiteboards, pen and pencil, paper mockups, or on iPads. Often user testing is conducted on the low fidelity - no frills prototype, so I’m able to gather feedback on the idea and usability.

 

Who is my user? What matters to this person? What is their goal?

What are we solving for? What are their needs? What are the pain points?

Notice trends & patterns!

Wild ideas encouraged!

How can I show my idea? What worked? What didn’t?

 

Just some of the tools I use

  • User Personas & Empathy Maps - Focuses on the end user group and helps drive insights about the user’s priorities, goals, and challenges.

  • User Journey Map - Captures the persona's interactions with other individuals and technology. We identify the different stages of their journey. existing pain points in their activities and prioritize those to build a better user experience.

  • Friction Point - Mapping out the friction points against the different stages in the user journey. To prioritize the friction point, I map out the frequency and severity.

  • Stakeholder Map - Encompasses anyone that is associated with the problem or solution. Serves as a systems map where the entire ecosystem is mapped out.