Hello Folks!
I’m Ornellius, UX Lead at Vodafone Idea.
Welcome to episode one of <beta> than ever, your ultimate weekly product design guide.
In today’s episode we’ll cover the basic product design process that me and my entire team over at Vi follow.
But, wait! What is product design?
My friends and family still get it all mixed up sometimes. My grandmother used to tell people that I design wedding cards. lol. Let’s understand product design through a simple example:
Let’s say you buy a plot of land and want to build a house on it. So you’ll reach out to an architect. The architect will
- Research: Measure the land, assess water and drainage sources, check legal requirements, and ask you about your dream house.
- Conceptualize: Draw a rough sketch and create a mood board that captures your vision.
- Visualize: Develop detailed 3D models of the house, suggesting tiles and finishes.
- Execute: Hand over the design to the contractor who will bring it to life.
Designing your house first, is always better before you build it. If you directly started constructing it without a plan then you might end up spending a large amount of money to make an unplanned and unliveable house which you will never be able to call home. I mean, who knows, you might end up having your toilet and kitchen in the same room.
Image credits: https://pix11.com/news/apartment-goes-viral-after-images-show-toilet-tub-combined-with-kitchen/
Well, just like architecture, product design is a practice that does this in the digital realm. Product design helps:
- in understanding the problems faced by customers and users
- in understanding the behaviour of customers and users better
- to visualise the solution or app layout to the particular problem
- to test the solution before it is developed and finally
- to develop a well tested full proof solution
Design used to be the seasoning you’d sprinkle on for taste; now it’s the flour you need at the start of the recipe.
John Maeda
Now you might think. ‘Okay. This is great, but when should I start learning Figma and make some crazy app designs?’.
The truth is, understanding the problem is far more crucial than mastering design software. Most designers I have met rarely understand the problem at hand. The need to solve without deep diving into the problem is why some end up creating bad design. The practice of product designs transcends beyond screens. A great product designer is one who is able to follow a structured process, a sort of method to the madness.
At Vi, we follow a simple 5A loop to continuously improve the quality of our work. Here they are
Ask
Dive deep into the problem. Learn everything about the product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence involved. Ask with a curiosity that uncovers insights no one else has considered. This phase is all about reaffirming the problem and setting clear success parameters.
Assess
Determine the scale of the problem. Consider the physical, technical, and social challenges that might impact the solution. Formulate hypotheses, and don’t stop at just one—explore multiple options.
Articulate
Weigh the pros and cons of each potential solution. Create information architectures, validate it with business and development teams, and thoroughly document your findings.
Act
Design the solution. Apply design principles, right from contrast to repetition to white space while creating stunning app layouts. Lay out the golden flow you want a user to go through. Ensure all edge cases are covered, and build a prototype for the development team to review.
Analyse
Once your solution is live, measure its success. Did the number of people using it increase? Did it save time? Did you notice a reduction in user drop offs?
If you didn’t achieve the desired success, start again. The 5A loop never stops. There’s always room to do better.
Technology is evolving at an extremely rapid pace. The future, where our minds are connected to the internet without the need for a mobile or laptop device is slowly turning into a reality. As tech evolves, platforms and mediums for which we design will change. Things will become a lot more immersive.
While everything around us will change, this the 5A loop will always stay constant. They will only help you be <beta> than ever!
That’s all for today. See you next week. May the force be with you.
