Process & Reflections –
As a human centered designer, my process nearly always starts with a deep understanding of the user or audience, their contexts, and gathering as much insight as I can about the specifics of the problem we’re designing for.
Frameworks like the design thinking process and the double diamond are an essential part of a good designer’s toolkit, as they alternate between exploration and refinement to craft tailored solutions. They keep solutions rooted in specific user needs, and help ensure a best solution was thought through against a range of possible alternatives.
A Few Core Design Principles
Over the course of my career there are three fundamental principles I have always come back to as the foundation of my design work.
It’s all about context and user/audience
Human centered design is all about starting with the context and specifics of the audience you’re designing for. It’s about solving for their needs, rather than with a predetermined solution in mind.
Constantly challenge your assumptions
It’s tempting to draw quick conclusions. One of the key things I’ve learned however is that you don’t know what you don’t know, so it’s best to verify assumptions and go back to the research or users when needed.
Pull the thread from discovery to solution
Each stage of the design process should build upon the last, and draw decisions and rational through from previous stages. This is key to delivering critically examined solutions that are well thought out.
Reflections
As of the time of writing (in October 2023), I’m currently planning and working on a series of articles that look back on various experiences and learnings throughout my design career to date.
One big goal I have moving forward is to build a body of thoughts, reflections, and examples that can help myself internalize lessons learned, and help myself and others continue to improve and work more meaningfully.
Planned articles include:
- The Role of Data in Project Prioritization
- Working Collaboratively With Stakeholders
- Measuring Impact of Designs
- Using The Shape Up Methodology to Structure Projects
- When User Assumptions Turn Out Not to Be True
- Creative and Critical Thinking in Design Work
- Working With & Managing a Design Team
- How Product & UX can better work with Engineering
- The Importance of Generative User Research
- Thoughts on Usability Testing
- The Value of Design Process in an Organization
- Narrative and Storytelling in Design Work
View My Process and Reflections in Action: