A HUMAN APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING
Coming from an engineering background, my definition of design was simply the process of envisioning and planning the creation of objects. User Experience Design exposed me to a broader and more empathetic definition of what design is. To me, design is problem solving made by humans for other humans. Out in the world, this definition is constraint by business goals and the technological tools we have at our disposal. The lines below will show you, in a nutshell, how I approach design within these constraints to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences for other humans.
Humans as the foundation
But, why humans? Because we are creating experiences for them. The process I follow has set its foundation on Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking, which keep humans at the center of every process. Human-Centered Design helps us place people at the core of the design process and allows us to not only design for them, but with them. Now, in a technological oriented business, Design Thinking provides the framework to execute Human-Centered Design by placing the designer in the intersection of human desirability, business viability, and technological feasibility. Design Thinking also fosters collaboration within an organization and relies on empathy as core to problem solving, which furthers the importance of having humans at the center of design. These two main ideas have provided me with the basic blueprint on how I approach problem solving within design.
Photo by Robin Worrall (edited)
A process to go from A to B
The process I will be describing is meant to provide you, at a high level, with the steps I follow when tackling a design project. I recognize that there isn’t a single ‘hero’ process to tackle and solve all problems within all industries, which is why I keep an open mind to learn new approaches and techniques to expand my design toolkit.
The process I follow is based on the Double Diamond framework developed by Dan Nessler and influenced by Lean UX techniques and principles.
The first phase of this process is all about context and inspiration. Here, I set the project’s context by defining and aligning business and user outcomes with assumptions and testable hypotheses (risk assessment). Then, I define what additional knowledge we need, and immerse myself, through research, in the user’s life to understand their problems and needs.
The second phase is ideation. I synthesise and analyse what I learnt and identify insights and emerging themes. Then, with the aid of cross-functional collaboration, I facilitate brainstorming sessions to generate ideas and possible solutions to the problem(s) we are trying to solve. The selected ideas become the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
The last phase is prototyping and implementation. The ideas used in the MVP are prototyped and turned into tangible potential solutions to be tested against our original hypotheses. After testing, the new learnings are then incorporated, and the process is repeated again in an iterative manner.
Not all the steps in this process may be used in all projects or by all organizations. Being able to adapt to a project, available resources, and work environment is a skill I practice.
A mindset for problem solving
Starting a project with the right mindset can define the success or failure of your design. Having a mindset model based on experimentation is something I encourage and value because it leads to evidence-based designs. Another mindset model I encourage is to know that your first solution will not be the last. Continuous research and iterative prototyping will improve your work over time. That said, do not be afraid to pivot if needed. Also, have an open mind for new ideas. Innovation doesn’t come from conventionalism.
Photo by Jonny Caspari