03 — approach

HowIapproachdesign.

My process is structured to ensure every aspect of the project is considered, while maintaining flexibility to adapt to each challenge’s specific needs.

how I work

Phase 01

Exploration & Discovery

  • Understand the problem
  • Explore the landscape
  • Listen to users

Phase 02

Ideation & Validation

  • Generate initial solutions
  • Validate internally
  • Validate with users

Phase 03

Delivery & Development

  • Prepare for implementation
  • Ensure quality
  • Close the loop

Phase 01

Exploration & Discovery

Understand the problem, gather insights, and align with stakeholders to lay a solid foundation.

Step 1: Understand the problem

Lay the foundation by clearly identifying the business objectives and user needs.

  • What problem are we solving?
  • What opportunities emerge from the challenge?
  • What are the business goals we’re trying to achieve?
  • What are the user needs and pain points we must solve?
  • Which stakeholders should be involved in the process?
  • Which metrics or KPIs should we focus on?
  • What hypotheses do we need to validate or invalidate?
CSAT insights for the pro tool.
CSAT insights for the pro tool.

Step 2: Explore the landscape

Look outward to gather inspiration and understand the wider impact across the organisation.

  • Benchmarking: Reviewing existing solutions in the market to understand trends and best practices.
  • Stakeholder Interviews: Gathering insights from internal teams to understand vision, goals, and constraints.
  • Technical and Business Considerations: Assessing feasibility and business priorities.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engaging with teams across disciplines to ensure alignment and incorporate diverse perspectives (Marketing, SEO, Legal).
Comparative between Fotocasa and Idealista.
Comparative between Fotocasa and Idealista.

Step 3: Listen to users

Dive into user research to uncover pain points, unmet needs, and expectations.

  • User Interviews/Surveys: Talking directly with users to uncover needs, pain points, and frustrations.
  • Synthesising Findings: Presenting research findings to stakeholders, product teams, and UX teams to ensure alignment.

Phase 02

Ideation & Validation

Generate design solutions, explore ideas, create prototypes, and gather feedback to refine the direction.

Step 4: Generate initial solutions

Start shaping ideas through collaboration and rapid exploration.

  • Collaborative Ideation with the Product Team: Aligning with development to understand their concerns and vision for functionality.
  • Initial Design Proposals: Creating early-stage concepts and prototypes based on research insights.
  • Assess feasibility with product and tech teams.
Participatory design example using Miro.
Participatory design example using Miro.

Step 5: Validate internally

Test the first ideas internally to refine direction before involving users.

  • Iterative Design: Creating multiple prototypes based on feedback, refining them into more polished solutions.
  • Design Critiques: Presenting ideas to the team and stakeholders to gather early feedback. Critiques often help identify blind spots or better solutions early in the process.
  • Feedback Integration: Continuously integrating feedback from stakeholders to refine the design.
Prototype created to test a specific functionality.
Prototype created to test a specific functionality.

Step 6: Validate with users

Put designs in front of users to test assumptions and identify improvements.

  • Usability Testing: Testing prototypes with users to validate design decisions and gather real feedback.
  • Feedback Loop: Iterating on designs based on user feedback to improve usability and satisfaction.
  • Final Validation: Reviewing the design with key stakeholders and the development team.

Phase 03

Delivery & Development

Implement the design, ensure quality, and monitor the product post-launch to ensure its success.

Step 7: Prepare for implementation

Finalise a robust solution that’s consistent, accessible, and ready for development.

  • Scalability & Modularity: Ensuring the design is flexible and scalable for future growth.
  • Design System & Consistency Check: Ensuring adherence to the design system for consistency.
  • Accessibility Check: Verifying compliance with accessibility standards to accommodate all users.
  • Edge Cases & Empty States: Ensuring all scenarios are covered and the solution functions across various use cases.
  • Handoff: Preparing all necessary assets, documentation, and design specifications for the development team.
  • QA: Collaborating closely with the development team during pre-production to resolve any issues early.

Step 8: Ensure quality

Support development with attention to detail and data-driven validation.

  • Final QA in Production: Ensuring everything works as expected after launch.
  • A/B Testing: If applicable, setting up A/B tests to validate hypotheses with key metrics.
  • Metrics Tracking: Monitoring key metrics to measure the success of the launch and identify areas for improvement.

Step 9: Close the loop

Follow up post-release to track impact, detect opportunities, and plan improvements.

  • Identifying UX or Technical Debt: Recognising areas that need further refinement or optimisation.
  • Future Phases Documentation: If it’s an MVP, documenting the roadmap for future enhancements.
  • Metrics Follow-up: Continuously monitoring metrics to ensure the product meets its goals.