Always Important

Preparation

Before the official design process kicks off, as a designer it is essential to do your own initial indepth research. Into the product, the industry, the organization … any area which will impact or be impacted by your work, directly & indirectly.

Why? when the workshops, stakeholder etc meetings begin, you need to be authoritative in guiding the process. Not to stake you claim, but to make sure your experience is used to its full potential. For most projects your roll will be to create the best overall user experience, which included the needs of the organization. You may have a brilliant design in mind but that design may not have holistic perspective on organizational strategy, operational models, technology boundaries etc.

No Matter What

Analysis

After the initial preparation phase, it is important to so some analysis. In its simplest form its just reviewing all the data and information you can gathered to develop an informed view of the environment and the upcoming project. In its more in-depth form it will begin to establish your initial view of the project roadmap / design outcome.

Why? Again it is important when you get to the strategy workshop phases you can impact-fully contribute. Not just in facilitation and design, but by having a holistic view (& having time to reflect on it) of the complete environment and potential influences. You will be able to provided more insightful suggestions to informed design direction and the stakeholders will know you understand their perspective, giving you more authority & trust.

Be clear & decisive

Vision & Strategy

Vision & Strategy will at look establishing & understanding the goals of the project. Requirements will be gathered to outline the pillars & elements of the project, ascertain the challenges, highlight any current and projected issues and as the title suggests outline the vision. This is the most critical phase of the project, because it establishes the foundations and should provide clarity. Enabling everyone to move in the same direction, knows & understand their role and supports every team member in achieving their object, to contribute to the overall vision.

This phase will also define the requirement for how the rest of the process is defined, not just the product.

Why? this phase is all about gaining clarity and ensuring everyone is on the same page when it comes to executing the project. It is also an opportunity to discuss alternatives, options, new approaches & ways of thinking … challenge the status quo in the quest for innovation. But not for innovations sake, it should be founded in logic and purpose to achieve the user, project and organizations goals and objectives.