My approach

A good human-centered design starts with the mindset of not knowing exactly what the solution to a design challenge might be. You first need to listen, explore, think, experiment and refine before you have the right answer to your challenge. The last few years I have been using different design and research methodologies. I made an overview of my favourite methodologies and best practices. Every project is unique, so there is never in ‘'set-in-stone’' design approach. It can adapt to the available time we have and what brings the most value and insights.

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Explore

It all starts with a great idea based on insights, data, trends or just by paying attention to the world around you. Inspiration is everywhere. I use methodologies to unlock great ideas and to immerse yourself into peoples’ mindsets.

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Frame

I can help to bring focus and frame design challenges based on feasibility, viability and desirability. This is all backed up by data from research and supported by the business.

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Concept

The design challenges are visualised and made tangible to be discussed with the team in the early stage. Also in this stage you can still be wild and creative in how you want to solve the design challenge.

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Experiment

We choose the final sketches and create low or high fidelity prototypes. We use the prototypes to validate the concept with real users and to feed developers with the designs that need to be build when everything is ready to go :)

My best practices

 

Explore

At the beginning of a design challenge, it is effective to step into the shoes of the people you’re designing for. Empathy is the key to understand peoples’ problems and to solve them from their perspectives. My passion is to immerse myself into another world to open up new creative possibilities you wouldn’t come up by yourself if you only look at your own ideas and ways of thinking. Some of my favourite methodologies to use during exploration:

  • Contextual inquiries

  • Expert interviews

  • Industry trend forecasting and research

  • Behavioural Analysis

  • Desk Research

  • Mindset analysis

 

Frame

This is where we need to frame our design challenges and set the target audience we want to focus on. The design challenge formulates the problem you are trying to solve, and helps you define a scope that is neither too narrow nor too broad. Some of my favourite methodologies to use during framing:

  • How might we questions

  • Define the target audience

  • UX canvas and Business Model Canvas

  • 2x2 framework

  • Service Blueprint

  • Customer Journey Mapping

 

Concept

During concepting / ideation we sketch different solutions for the design challenge we are focusing on. We can still go wild with ideas, but we do have a specific focus that is framed in our design challenge. Some of my favourite methodologies to use during concepting:

  • The Game of Social Solutions

  • Method Cards

  • Crazy Eight Sketching

  • Rapid Prototyping

  • Storyboarding

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Experiment

Human-centered design is an iterative process. By continually iterating, refining, and improving our designs we put ourselves in a place where we’ll have more ideas, unlock more creativity and come to successful solutions quickly. I always advise to get a design or product as quickly as possible out in the world to get feedback from the people we are designing for. Some of my favourite methodologies to use during experiment are:

  • Guerilla Testing

  • Clickable Prototypes made with Invision / Principle

  • Hotjar to measure behaviour realtime

  • Lookback to set up remote testing sessions

  • Miro to facilitate remote sessions and to document user data