Austin Web Design
Designing for the web has transformed dramatically in the past 5 years. No longer are creators and decision makers on different pages of the creation process, now they can collaborate in real-time with meaningful tools. Tools we put to use with our clients @ lakewaywebdesign.com every day. We practice an agile design sprint methodology with our clients and give them a meaningful, inclusive and all-encompassing iteration process. Let’s go over a few of the highlights for how we get hands on.
Challenge Mapping
Starting off we jump to the end, somewhat. We look at the desired end results. This allows us to create a map on a whiteboard or stickynote a wall. We talk to the decision makers, examine the competition and scale of the project. Finally we select a target, or set of targets, for the project. Specification of metrics that will allow us to guage the success of the project are laid out at this point and go much deeper then a simple analytics package install.
Conception + Target
Focusing on the solution is what allows us to create the inspiratin that will drive the design. A quick sketchup of the critical thinking parts that demand the most attention to detail. We focus on the user persona definitions that we will create to ensure our demographic mix and project are in alignment. We create multiple paths here to the same solution.
Storyboard
This is decision time for the team. We now have a stack of possibilities, and it is time to evaluate these. It can be formal, it can be informal. It is almost always a combination. Not all concepts are born equal, and we weed out the lesser concepts. At the end we will have a small handful of concepts that are all very good, seemingly. This is when move the concepts into storyboards. Mocking up the use case that is supported by a specific design elements. Mixing and matching encouraged.
End-to-End
The prototype is a realistic representation of the desired end result and we create this so we can concept the design end to end. It does not have to be perfect, but it does need to allow for a “client centered” approach to the evaluation of the project. This is checked for its conformance to the prior user persona definitions and targeted success criteria.
Testing
The loop is closed on the design decision by this final step, when we put the product prototype into the hands of real world end users and see how they are able to interact with the solution. Note taking and gathering feedback during this stage is critical, but we watch the interaction as well to ensure point bias is not introduced. Now we have a pathway for the product to move forward.
