“Every great design begins with an even better story.”

— Lorinda Mamo, Designer / Creative Director

Every human on earth tells stories. It is how we have passed history to each other for generations. It is a primal instinct to listen to a story and record it in our minds.

Each step in the design process is no different. It is listening to the story of the human. Gathering their perspective and translate those stories into thoughtful design.

My process is driven by 4 main categories: empathy, mindfulness, curiosity and aesthetics.

Design Principals

01

Empathy

A project begins and ends with empathy. In my work I empathize with the user and tailor a solution that a user has a real need for.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the act of having intention. When designing I am mindful I am focused on the main objective to solve for. This ensures my actions are always inspired by the correct intention for the user.

Curiosity

Curiosity is the act of questioning constantly. Testing a design is when we utilize curiosity and typically when we learn the most. It is thrilling to validate a design when a user lights up interacting with the new product. Curiosity is crucial and a hell of a lot of fun.

Aesthetics

Needs of the user are first but aesthetics seal the deal. Visual design of products are the icing on a well solved problem cake. I believe a great design has considered a well designed system while also looking gorgeous.

Design Process

02

While each project is unique, the scaffolding that holds up a project will follow a standard process.

Most design process steps are cyclical meaning they are not linear. More often than not we designers go back and repeat steps as we test things along the way.

In some cases we might need to have multiple usability sessions before the final product ships or we may have to renegotiate a design with a developer. Either way the process follows a standard process.

01. Define the Need and Context

Typically when I start a project I start with the need.

  • Why are we creating this product?

  • Who benefits?

  • Where is it being used?

  • What are our business needs?

  • What is the timeline?

After the requirements are defined I speak with my team if allocated and make sure we are all updated and ready to begin.

02. Probe the Problem

In this phase of the project I dive into interviews and market research depending on what the budget given allows. I focus on discovering where the problem occurred to start with and really understanding the issues from all sides. I this way I gather as much information to ensure I am designing with evidence not assumptions.

03. Translate the Analysis

In the analysis phase I have gathered the information from research and have a good idea of the users needs and pain points. I then start crafting personas, user journey maps, storyboards, and problem statements. These allow the team to define or adjust the proposed problem statements to best fit our projects main goals.

04. Craft the Solutions

In this phase the ideas start pouring out of the team’s minds. The best way to stay impartial is to have designers, developers, sales reps, customer support staff…. or others with interest in the project involved to help the ideas flow from many different perspectives. This phase is full of doodles, presentations and conversations…it’s quite a good time.

05. Prepare the Prototypes

In this phase I will work with a developer or on my own creating a prototype. Depending on time allotted the prototype might be low or hi-fidelity. The goal of the prototype is to create it so in the next step we can break it. We may create many prototypes, gain feedback when testing in phase 06, then create an updated prototype.

06. Test, Regenerate and Test Again

In the final phase of the standard design process we test the prototype with users. The best way to understand if it is going to work when launched is to get it to as many users as you can. The intensity and size will depend on the funds allotted. This could be quick feedback (such as Guerilla testing) or it could be long usability sessions with a target user one-on-one. After each session, we gather the information from the testers and this helps us understand what needs to be altered to craft the best solution.

Tessa’s Tid-Bits: Work Style and Energy

03

Be curious, be a teammate and be playful. Life is too short to be that serious.

Be Curious

It’s my belief that the best way to design something is to remain curious. Forget what you know or knew and be open to all sides of the problem rubix cube. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones you go back and re-examine with a fresh curious spirit.

Be a team! Involve Everyone

When I work on projects I am a strong independent worker but I also know the secret sauce is in collaborating with teammates. Really wonderful design and developing comes from teamwork. If we all work in mini-teams we are never getting the full picture. I am naturally extroverted and I find it enjoyable to encourage cross-functional teammates to come together to discuss a problem or product. In the crossing of different minds, lifestyles and expertises we remain neutral and design better.

Be playful

The working world can be stressful, demanding and intense. We can get lost in the nitty-gritty seriousness of the problem but like to keep my mind in a playful state. I find people connect with playfulness and it helps the team and the project goals often to seek out the play in every step of the process. Almost makes work not feel like work.