3
Design with
capital D
The methods and practices within Design (the discipline) and how they will help you design (the verb).
Some people will try to convince you there’s “one design process” you are supposed to follow every time. There isn’t. Let’s dig into that.
Goal
Learn about the most common design methods and practices.
Illustrations by Michela Picchi
Design is a discipline that takes discipline. To achieve the best outcomes, you need to make sure you (1) focus on the right problem (2) explore feasible solutions and (3) translate everything you learn into a design that works.
Design methods are techniques you can use for (1) investigation, (2) exploration, or (3) validation. As you dive into the specifics, you might feel overwhelmed by how many methods are out there, what they’re called, and how you’re supposed to actually do them. You’ll see a lot of articles and e-books out there promising to teach you “The 10 Best Practices For Card Sorting”, or to save you from “The 5 User Testing Mistakes You’re Making Right Now”. That’s just not how design works.
The most important thing to remember is that design is about problem-solving. The most strategic designers understand that they need to deeply understand the problem (and bring others along on that journey) before jumping to conclusions.
“Design isn't finished until somebody is using it.”
At your job, you’ll receive design briefs that—more often than not—encourage you to jump straight to a solution: “Can you add a new social sharing feature to a mobile app?” This also happens in design exercises for job interviews: “Can you design an interface for a 1000-floor elevator?”
Pause. Step back. Resist the temptation to only design what people ask you to design.
Use design methods to lead your team to the right questions. Who uses the elevator? What are the most common floors they are trying to reach on a daily basis? How do they navigate the building before getting to the elevator? Why do they use the elevator? When do they use the elevator? Do they feel safe using the elevator? Who doesn’t use the elevator? Who can’t use the elevator? Why are we building a single elevator that serves 1000 floors? Why does a 1000-floor building exist in the city in the first place, and how does it impact the landscape around the building?
Design is hard work. After you learn the most common methodologies, it will still take time until you feel truly confident with them. You’re not going to be perfect on day 1, and that’s okay. Practice makes perfect. As you work on projects, seek out methods that will help you achieve your specific goals at each step. Learn as you go. You’ll have years and years to practice.
Reading list
1.
The User Experience
Team of One
A comprehensive practical guide on applying basic ux methods and deliverables, for teams or on your own. By Leah Buley.
Borrow this book from local public libraries or buy it from local bookstores.
2.
Description or prescription?
Aga Szóstek (5 min)
3.
UX design methods & deliverables
Fabricio Teixeira, Caio Braga (17 min)
4.
The illusion of different design processes
Maximilian Schmidt (4 min)
5.
On design thinking
Maggie Gram (20 min)
6.
Design criticism and the creative process
Cassie McDaniel (12 min)
7.
How to remove subjectivity from the process
Stuart Silverstein (19 min)
8.
Design's unsexy middle bits
Christina Wodtke (12 min)
After going through the lists of design methods, which ones do you feel the most excited about trying? Why?
Some methods require soft skills (e.g. moderating a user testing session), while others require technical skills (e.g. prototyping). Which ones do you feel you will be stronger at? What are the skills you already have that make you strong at it?
Looking at the bigger picture, which skills do you think you will need to develop in the first 5 years of your career? How do you think you can improve those skills?
Reflection
Build your own guide
Start a quick reference guide for yourself with the methods you learned in this chapter and the ones mentioned in the portfolios you found in chapter 1. Which methods are you most excited about? What are the methods you want to dive deeper into?
![Surreal illustration of a horse](https://i-p.rmcdn.net/5ecbe27f82f5b3005df02f46/1937030/upload-54fbdbf2-911d-40a8-886c-b6a297103201.jpg?w=1006&e=webp)
![illustration of a person wearing colorful sunglasses](https://i-p.rmcdn.net/5ecbe27f82f5b3005df02f46/1937030/upload-a3053554-0891-46d3-81b9-dcbea431eacd.jpg?w=1006&e=webp)
![Book: the user experience team of one](https://i-p.rmcdn.net/5ecbe27f82f5b3005df02f46/1937030/upload-abc34ead-5a40-411b-b25d-2d829dbd6baa.png?w=196&e=webp&nll=true)