CHAOS TO CLARITY: WHY I DESIGN WITH INTENT

I want to be conscious, present and in control of my design process.

Achieving good user experience and delivering quality work requires a solid design process, collaboration, and direction. My foundation consists of four main iterations: Understand, Investigate, Ideate, and Create. Each iteration is driven by my search for knowledge, led with empathy, and constant experimentation. Having a streamlined approach allows me to be creative and successful in my search for results.

Solutions Define The System

Graphic by @halfool_draws

01

UNDERSTAND

First, I understand the project and its deliverables. This is my favourite part! I conduct research to obtain insight on the target audience, business goals, and project requirements. This stage is important for me to create a design strategy, identify timelines, and truly be aware of the scope of the task.

Problem
Market
Business
User
Goal

02

INVESTIGATE

Once I understand the project, I deep dive into developing the research phase. I determine the type of research required (qualitative or quantitative) to define user pain points. Using surveys, interviews, card sorting and various exercises, I deconstruct, analyze, and reflect on the user needs. These will drive my design decisions for the project.

Pain Points
Deconstruct
Observe
Analyze

03

IDEATE

In this phase, I begin to visualize results by creating personas. I like to brainstorm with the team to come up with a various ideas for the final product. This helps guide what direction my designs will take. Through wireframing and prototyping, I test and iterate ideas until I have a solid concept that meets the project requirements and aligns with the business goals.

Personas
Journey Maps
User Flows
Storyboards
Wireframes

04

CREATE

The fun part! I love bringing my ideas to life by creating interactive high-fidelity screens. This is where I get to think outside the box, be attentive to detail, and ship designs that will impact how people interact with the world. I like to reflect on previous steps and validate ideas with usability tests.

Prototype
Usability Tests
User Interface
Brand Design
Design System