I’ve built, tweaked, and managed project design and management processes in lots of the places I’ve been lucky enough to land. And while each was customized to suit the team, workflow, and lots of other little mitigating factors unique to an environment, for me there’s always a core set of progressive, iterative, goal-centered phases that form the basis of any good process.
DISCOVER: Planning, Research and Communication.
Quality projects begin with quality thinking. Too many projects miss deadlines, go over budget, or fail completely due to inadequate planning and preparation beforehand. A strong initial DISCOVER stage focuses on learning from and about our users, translating goals into measurable requirements, challenging assumptions, validating and mediating content, and building consensus on a clear project roadmap… all the while, creating a clear, open channel of communication.
Potential deliverables could include: Engagement Brief, Requirements Brief, Risk/Market Analyses, Observational Studies, Focus Group Results.
DEFINE: Envisioning the Framework.
Using the Requirements Brief and user research as a guide, the DEFINE phase details the users, tasks, assets, milestones and deliverables of our project. We’re building a strong framework upon which all future design and development will be based. Lots of flowcharts, Visio diagrams, and bulleted lists here, but the end result is a clear illustration of how the project will function, and, more importantly, why.
Potential deliverables could include: Personas/User Profles, User Scenarios, Content Audit and Architectures (Sitemaps), Task Analyses, Information Architecture Diagrams, Functional Wireframes, Localization and Accessibility Analyses.
DESIGN: Visualizing the Strategy.
With clear plans in hand, the design of the visual, navigational, and technical architectures can begin. With careful consideration of user goals, the DESIGN stage produces focused, engaging, user-centered designs and flexible, scalable technologies that allow users to intuitively access — and benefit from — a project’s content and functionality. Additional rounds of validation against our user feedback ensures we’re on track.
Potential deliverables could include: Design Studies, Expanded User Scenario Walkthroughs, Proof-of-Concept Prototypes.
DEVELOP: Building the Components.
Everything’s designed and agreed upon — let’s get to building! The DEVELOP stage engineers the design and technology that makes the project come to life. With strong user research and experience-driven design already laid out, the team can deliver a codebase and interface with superior functionality and usability. More testing with users along the way, but as we’re getting closer to our final product, our methodologies are becoming more quantitative: 1:1 usability studies with prototypes or live code.
Potential deliverables could include: Development Milestones, Design/Interaction Specifications, Visual Language Guidelines, Heuristic Evaluations, Usability Study Results.
DELIVER: Presenting It to the World.
The project looks great and works great; it’s time to put it to use. The DEPLOY stage runs a project through its paces in final testing — both systems-related and user-related — and then delivers it. Web-based projects are installed on clients’ servers or with third-party hosting firms. Applications go live, and information kiosks are installed. In all cases, any potential integration and accessibility concerns are addressed and resolved.
Potential deliverables could include: Completed Project, Training Documentation.
DEBRIEF: Evaluating, and Reevaluating.
Now that the project is out in the real world, the DEBRIEF stage critically examines its success and its developmental future. Can the project be expanded or improved? Is it beneficial to do so? And since no project exists in a vacuum, we also analyze how this project is affecting other aspects of the client’s business, and how to maximize its positive influence. We’re also doing followup research with users, to see if their original expectations, desires and pain points are matching up against the work we’ve created.
Potential deliverables could include: Post-Mortem Brief, Baseline Study Results.