A focused light starts a fire

Be like a magnifying glass throughout the Design Thinking process to be ultra focused and get great design results!

Set clear goals

I always like to say, “a problem well stated is half solved,” and it never fails. Often we reach for solutions in our desperate need for clarity, but this only slows us down making us go in the wrong direction. If the goal is clear, what you build will be helpful.

Do targeted user research

Once the goal is clear, then you can clarify to whom you need to speak (persona) and what pain points they have that you want to discover. Hopefully you have a backlog of user research information. If not, now it’s time to get cracking! Don’t let your past research go to waste.

Prioritise features

Remember that serving everyone serves no one, so be very honest about which features to keep and which to leave out. A simple, clean interface that helps the user get to their goal is your goal too, as a designer. It takes guts to make these hard choices.

Consistency

Apply consistent, powerful pressure to creating a unified experience. If something doesn’t belong or distracts from the Goal, then throw it out. Consistency stretches from the usability (UX) all the way to the user interface (UI). Users notice when a design has been well thought out. They get confidence from consistency. Feel the heat! 🙂

Feedback and iteration

A design is a living thing so keep gathering feedback and keep improving it. Acknowledge that a design is a living thing, it doesn’t stop once you release it to the world. Don’t be afraid to refine a design based on feedback – in fact, expect feedback and be ready for it when it comes.

Accessibility

Always shine a bright, focused light on how accessible your design is. Can a disabled or temporarily disabled user navigate and use it and be served by it? If not, test for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and fix any issues you find. Accessibility (a11y) is part of iterative design based on understanding and feedback.

Engagement

This laser-like focus shows in what you create, and it’s more engaging. How exciting is it to find a site/application that has a strong and helpful point of view? Sure it might not do your accounting, but it does help you find a place to stay in a new town; and it does this very well. Users remember good experiences!