MyDesign Process

Discover

Divergent Thinking

This stage involves exploring and understanding the problem space. It includes activities like user research, market analysis, and gathering insights to identify user needs and challenges.

Define

Convergent Thinking

In this stage, the focus is on defining the problem statement based on the insights gained during the Discover phase. It involves synthesizing research findings, identifying patterns, and framing the problem in a way that guides the design process.

Develop

Divergent Thinking

The Develop stage is where ideas are generated, concepts are developed, and potential solutions are explored. It involves brainstorming, ideation, and concept development to create a range of possible design solutions.

Deliver

Convergent Thinking

The final stage is about refining and implementing the chosen solution. It includes prototyping, testing, and iterating on the design to ensure it meets user needs and expectations. The Deliver stage also involves finalizing the design and preparing it for production or implementation.

Discover

These activities in the Discover stage help designers gain a deep understanding of the problem space, users, and their needs. The insights gathered during this stage serve as a foundation for the subsequent stages of the design process.

• User Research: Conducting interviews, surveys, and observations to gain insights into user behaviors, needs, and preferences. This helps understand the problem space from the user's perspective.
• Market Analysis: Examining existing products, competitors, and industry trends to understand the broader context and identify opportunities for innovation.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Engaging with stakeholders such as clients, subject matter experts, and key decision-makers to gather their perspectives and insights on the problem.
• Empathy Mapping: Creating empathy maps to visualise and understand the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of users. This helps develop a deeper understanding of their needs and motivations.
• User Journey Mapping: Mapping out the user's journey or experience with a product or service to identify pain points, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• Data Analysis: Analyzing quantitative data, such as user metrics and analytics, to identify patterns and trends that can inform the design process.
• Persona Development: Creating fictional representations of target users based on research findings. Personas help designers empathise with users and design for their specific needs and goals.
• Problem Framing: Synthesizing research findings and insights to define a clear problem statement. This involves reframing the problem from the user's perspective and identifying the key challenges to be addressed.

Define

The activities in the Define stage help designers gain clarity on the problem they are solving and establish a shared understanding among the team and stakeholders. It sets the stage for the subsequent stages of ideation and concept development.

• Synthesis of Research: Analyzing and synthesizing the research findings from the Discover stage to identify patterns, themes, and insights. This involves organizing and summarizing the data collected during user research and market analysis.
• Problem Statement: Defining a clear and concise problem statement based on the insights gained from the research. The problem statement should articulate the user's needs, pain points, and the specific challenge that the design process aims to address.
• User Needs and Goals: Identifying the core needs, goals, and aspirations of the target users. This involves distilling the research findings into user needs and understanding what users are trying to achieve or accomplish.
• Prioritization: Prioritizing the identified user needs and goals based on their importance and impact. This helps focus the design efforts on addressing the most critical aspects of the problem.
• Design Brief: Creating a design brief that outlines the problem statement, user needs, goals, and any constraints or considerations that need to be taken into account during the design process. The design brief serves as a guiding document for the subsequent stages.
• User Personas Refinement: Refining and revisiting the user personas created during the Discover stage based on the synthesised research findings. This helps ensure that the personas accurately represent the target users and their needs.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Collaborating with stakeholders to align their understanding of the problem and gain their buy-in on the defined problem statement. This involves presenting the research findings and problem statement to stakeholders and incorporating their perspectives.

Develop

The activities in the Develop stage focus on transforming ideas into tangible design concepts through prototyping, testing, and iteration. It is a collaborative and iterative phase where the design solutions are refined and shaped based on user feedback and insights.

• Ideation: Generating a wide range of ideas and potential solutions to address the defined problem. This involves brainstorming sessions, sketching, and encouraging divergent thinking to explore different possibilities.
• Concept Development: Refining and developing selected ideas into more detailed concepts. This may involve creating concept sketches, storyboards, or wireframes to visualise and communicate the proposed solutions.
• Iterative Prototyping: Building prototypes of the design concepts to test and gather feedback. Prototypes can range from low-fidelity paper prototypes to interactive digital prototypes, depending on the complexity of the design.
• User Testing: Conducting usability testing sessions with real users to evaluate the prototypes and gather feedback. This helps identify usability issues, validate design assumptions, and make informed design decisions.
• Iteration and Refinement: Iterating on the design based on user feedback and testing results. This involves refining the prototypes, making improvements, and incorporating user insights to enhance the design solution.
• Collaboration and Co-creation: Collaborating with stakeholders, users, and team members to gather diverse perspectives and co-create solutions. This can involve workshops, design sprints, or collaborative design sessions to generate new ideas and insights.
• Design Documentation: Documenting the design decisions, rationale, and specifications to ensure clear communication and continuity throughout the design process. This may include creating design guidelines, style guides, or documentation for developers.
• Validation and Feedback: Seeking feedback from stakeholders, experts, and users to validate the design concepts and ensure they align with the desired outcomes and objectives.

Deliver

The activities in the Deliver stage focus on finalizing and implementing the design solution, preparing it for production or deployment, and ensuring a seamless transition from design to development. It involves close collaboration with the development team and attention to detail to deliver a high-quality final product.

• Finalise Design: Refining the design solution based on the feedback and insights gathered during the Develop stage. This includes making necessary adjustments, incorporating improvements, and ensuring the design meets the desired objectives and requirements.
• Detailed Design: Creating detailed design specifications and assets for the final solution. This may involve creating high-fidelity mockups, interactive prototypes, or design documentation that provides clear guidance for implementation.
• Design Validation: Conducting final rounds of user testing and validation to ensure the design solution effectively addresses user needs and meets usability standards. This helps identify any remaining issues or areas for improvement.
• Collaboration with Developers: Collaborating closely with developers to ensure a smooth transition from design to development. This involves providing design assets, clarifying design decisions, and maintaining open communication to address any implementation challenges.
• Iterative Refinement: Continuously iterating and refining the design based on feedback and insights from the development team. This may involve making adjustments to the design to accommodate technical limitations or enhance the user experience.
• Design Handoff: Preparing and delivering the necessary design assets, documentation, and specifications to the development team for implementation. This includes providing style guides, design files, and any other resources required for accurate execution of the design.
• Quality Assurance: Collaborating with the quality assurance team to ensure that the implemented design meets the desired standards and functionality. This involves reviewing and testing the final product to ensure it aligns with the intended design.
• Launch and Deployment: Overseeing the launch and deployment of the design solution. This may involve coordinating with stakeholders, monitoring the implementation process, and ensuring a successful rollout of the product or service.