Design Methods

Design Methods

1. Understand the problems

   • Not all problems have the solution. Every solution is not desirable by total set of users.
     • To find the solution that satisfies most people, we have to communicate with a large group of people.
       • Communications can be done in different ways.
         • Surveys
           • It is a structured form of communication that is asynchronous but the outcome from this type of communication is very limited.
         • Interviews
           • It is a semi-structured personal form of communication that is synchronous and the outcome is much deeper in this case.
             • What to do?
               • 1.Focus on the theme. 2.Prepare an organized list. 3.Refine until the goals are achieved. 4.Record. 5.Analyze.
             • What not to do?
               • 1.Don't ask leading questions. 2.Don't ask loaded questions. 3.Avoid double-negatives.
         • Observations
           • Communicate with people by connecting with their spaces, collaborations with others. It requires more time and commitment than interviews.
         • Contextual Inquiry
           • This form is the opposite for an interview, in this we directly observe some aspects of life and draw the conclusions.

2. The whole scenario of understanding the problems comes here.

   • After understanding the problems, we need to define the problems
     • Discuss the causes of problems and consequences of it.
       • Derive the goals.
         • Understand what users are trying to achieve.
       • Design the personas.
         • Persona is a fictional user which is created to understand the needs of different types of people.
       • Define the scenarios.
         • Scenario defines who, what, when, where, why, and how often someone tries to accomplish a goal.
       • Write a simple argument.
         • This is the final step of the process. In this we try to convince the people about the solution.