An unofficial extension of the why do you design? little red book.

inspiration + research came from

processes shared by
Neil Everette Frog Design
Danny Stillion ideo
generating
Bill Grant Grant Design Collaborative
phase 3 value

Creating the Perfect Design Brief: How to 12

Manage Design for Strategic Advantage
by Peter L. Phillips 11

Why Do You Design? book and site 10

< phase 2
aiga.org /content.cfm /why_design
s, 9

c o m e thi
and personal experience
ove r ch 8

g i n g. To n s f or ea
special thanks to
en io 7
Eva Roberts for research and thoughts ) . % 6 ) 4 ! " , %
b e chall i l e d quest a t w e call
33
)3
ca n mp h
Jennifer Powell for editing and advice
'2
% ledge a nd co st ep. W e
Neil Everette
2/ g h t k n o w
r o ce s s
i n g ea ch
i n g of th
er i ing P dur an d
Danny Stillion
ith th a Design ccess n derst becau
se

0
e n t w i z e s u i c u ss
i g ol i st c e
agem ea tim ro
Bill Grant

e n t eng g e s of th d e d to op n a b l es a h s i g n ing p r eatin

g
design
cl i st a n ee s, e he d e it h c
ga ve on on for t e
nnin rst fi mati uesti less w nd th
Begi
Matthew Muñoz DesignHeals
e fi n f o r h t q sp e ct a n d a r , a
th ei rig e ss ili
taken ce th g the per r usine s fam

/
v e o d u i n d ee i r b a l i ing

2
we ’ r sk a e i 6
t to p or a gain of th ater velop

,
o r ,” i ll d s s m d e

6
ff e w ee h i li n
Gam

in an
e ts en ft elpfu
PROTOTYPING
Clien th th uch o

$
u rA t . i m s h

&+
y o e x d w h c
POTENTIAL

ingin
g
in co
nt rne oug ecifi .
conce ution. Th roject

/
he sp
SOLUTIONS
“ Br s i n e ss
m o r e
sol e o f t
ing a p
t’s bu u are ow) d som s dur
clien tha t y o sh a ll u’ d fi n
mem
b e r
ically ht yo

4

k now g g t eam

'(
) e y a t e h o u n d
4 th str et ients
a
(yet e te, w cl
%
9/5 ,
"
e tt y p l i t h
a pr com gw
,
7)
# , ) % . 4 from actin
!.$

r
9/52

f a r n t e
list i
s of i
n m eans
ow 5
your seeking insight
to inform the
prototyping of
The mission of AIGA Raleigh is the solution
to inspire the dialogue, advance the
business, and enrich the community
of design in North Carolina. Once a band of gypsies, so to
raleigh.aiga.org
speak, is assembled, the next task
4 is to look at the work ahead and
inciting support

project success due to Br

inging your A game and then action be smart about it. Often it pays
to take pause and seek insight
that will enable the team to
prototype a solution. that
In some cases, not everyone will means research. Designers can
3 want to make the journey with help structure that research,
defining the
approach by
you. They’ll need to be inspired. and especially report its findings.
which victory can Convinced. Cajoled. Educated. As
be achieved What general information do we need?
designers, we call on our skills Are there any holes in the existing research?
2 as communicators to help them What are the main barriers to each goal and objective?
envisioning the
1 desired end state Once you know where you want to see why they should come along. What does your client’s client need?
defining the (knowing what Are there any mandatories?
problem victory looks like) go (as defined in #2), you need to Who are the primary stakeholders?
create a map to get there. that map Business information?
Who are the decision makers? What is your client’s business in one or two words?
must be imprinted in the minds of When did your client open his or her doors?
If you’ve ever been part of a team every participant along the way. Who is the ultimate/final decision maker? What position does your client’s company occupy
Successful teams first define the problem they are trying to Solve —  that seemed lost, it’s likely they Designers can literally make the Who are the enablers/inhibitors of project? in the marketplace?
skipped this step. Knowing what What specific industry is the product/service in?
they articulate it, they give it boundaries (what’s part of the problem, what’s map real. To convert the inhibitors …what story do we tell? Are there any industry trends your client should be aware of?
outside our control). They call upon designers to help cull, visualize, victory looks like becomes vital Appeal to emotion. How does the vision of your client’s company compare
What are the phases? Benchmarks? Milestones?
and express that problem in human terms — looking at it from many as you embark on the journey of to its competitors?
What will your process be? How do you ensure that stakeholders feel ownership What are the core values of the company?
different views. solving the problem. As designers, within the project?
Develop communication strategies, protocols and How should you portray your client’s company in comparison
we can help prototype the end expectations to create the right deliverables. to its competitors?
What specific problem are we solving? Can current data, metrics or comments from customers, users,
What aspect of the business does this problem affect? stakeholders, etc. help to better understand the situation? state (through scenarios, models, Prioritize the list of features/functions/content based Who are your client’s top competitors?
What parts of the problem are out of our control? What is working well? journey maps, etc.). on desirability and cost of implementation. What are your client’s competitors doing well?
What parts can we control? How did you get here? Prioritize and rank issues of budget, time, and desired What are your client’s competitors not doing well?
What strategies have you tried before? What are the client’s goals and objectives for the project? outcome (cost, speed, quality — pick any two). How does your client compare?
Are we defining it correctly? What are the business goals? Marketing goals? Branding goals? How are your client’s competitors using design as a
Are we expressing it in a way that is easy to understand? Who is the target audience? Are there certain goals that are more important than others? Discuss timelines and budget constraints. competitive advantage?
Who is the primary audience in a broad sense? Who will your team be? Are there major components/communication points of
How does it look from all perspectives? Who is the primary audience specifically? Create personas. What are the metrics for success? this project that need to be accessed globally?
Which of your client’s audiences will be affected by the problem? Consider age, gender, job, title, expertise, social, economic Is the goal to sell more products? Build awareness? Desire? What team members work on which parts?
Customers? Employees? Shareholders? and education background. Action? Improve profit margins? Add people? How will work flow between them? Brand/marketing?
How does it look from the branding perspective? Marketing? Where do they live? Who will be required for each phase of work? Does your client’s company have a unique story to tell?
Product/service design? What behaviors or actions are desirable? Are there any positive or negative perceptions that the project
What consumer brands does your audience associate with? What do you want your client’s audience to do?
Some good industries to start with: automobile, airline travel, will support or correct?
Why solve this problem now? What is the single most important message your project
Has there been a shift in the industry? A disrupting technology? computer hardware/software, clothing, food (any kind of What are the critical success factors?
restaurant, coffee shop, or grocery item) should communicate?
New federal/state involvement? What will your client’s target audience walk away with?
What television shows does your audience watch?
Is the client responding to a change in the marketplace? What books and magazines does your audience read? What should their emotional response be?
A move by a competitor? A merger or acquisition? A new product or What kind of music does your audience listen to? Is the current tone and voice of the writing style appropriate?
service? A new marketing campaign? What kind of movies does your audience enjoy? Can your client provide examples of visual styles that best
What kind of Web sites do they visit? represent the targeted aesthetic?
Has there been a change in the status of a client’s business? What kind of education does your audience have?
A crisis? A new development? Weak messaging? Loss of credibility? What other interests or hobbies does your audience have?
An older version of this project is expiring? An insufficient design? Are there secondary or tertiary audiences we should consider?
Is there a sense of urgency because of one of these factors? Why do these audiences care about the situation?
Is there any background information that can help define
the problem?
What are the current limitations of the situation?
What areas could be improved (design)?

aiga designing process

phase 1 defining the problem phase 2 innovating