The Design Process

We looked at this chart last week, but I think it’s worth another look

Step one is identifying the problem.  When the problem is identified you need to to write a problem statement.  This forces you to make the problem you’re looking to solve explicit. and gets all team members on the same page.

After you’ve identified the problem you must identify the what the product needs, what you’d like, what would it make it great, and what’s possible, given the limitations of available time, money, knowledge, etc.

During this phase it is important to listen to the client.   They are the ones paying and what they want matters.  If what they want is impossible or too expensive, tell them immediately.

It is often important to make trade offs in order to keep the price down, make the product more user friendly, or more fashionable.

Let’s say you’re on a team designing a new bike helmet

What the most important of the various design criteria?

a) style       b) safety       c) price

Moving on to steps three and four, brainstorming and generating ideas.  This involves meeting with other team members, talking about the problem, and trying to come up with innovative ways to solve it, likely making sketches along the way

As you explore possibilities and  assess the pros and cons of each idea, you may make use of a chart called a decision matrix.

You eventually select the best suited approach and move on to building a prototype, the first working model.

Once you’ve achieved a working prototype you continue to evaluate you’re design and work to make it better, cycling through the design process again and again.

Even after your design is on the market, you should use any criticism it generates to continue making it better.