Hi, I'm Joe!
A product designer from the Ohio area with experience in providing industrial design and UI/UX services with one primary goal in mind: creating new experiences for consumers that solve everyday problems. Whether it be digital experiences or physical product development... I believe that practice makes progress.
How I Work
Although there are many ways to "skin a cat" so to speak as it relates to the design process, I tend to stick to the fundamental structure of research, brainstorm, ideate/design, prototype, user testing, refinement, usually more testing (ha!) and then finalizing the design for production. The end goal being a product solution focused on the user.
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In my experience, the design process can be applied in business to many product applications and it usually translates well from physical products (Product Design) to digital products (UI/UX) pretty easily. Below you will find a step by step simulation of completing the process of re-designing a countertop food mixer with the ability to sync with a smart device to guide the user through a recipe, from initial concept to production assets. If you would like to know more, click the link to message me below.
Research
The beginning of any good story is the exposition. Understanding the characters that are a part of the story as well as the intricacies of how the viewer experiences the product itself. That being said, the research leading to the completion of any product is the backbone of any good design. Studying the user's experience, learning what the competitors in the market do well and where there are opportunities in the space.
Brainstorm
In order to work through the insights learned in the research phase, typically brainstorming from different perspectives in the production team (with users as well when possible) allows for many solutions for the problems in the user journey as well as possible issues in the production process. At the end of a brainstorming session, the goal is to round up and package the ideas that are viable based on user insights and business constraints.
Design
It's safe to say this step is most designer's favorite part of the process. It is where opportunity lies. It is where one does countless sketches in order to get the idea "right" but you know that it is merely a stepping stone on the road to the right answers for the consumer. This phase is where things like accessibility and human factors are considered. Whether it be wireframes for an application or rendering out a concept to share with users in the target market, this is where ideas start to come to life.
Prototype
"From blue sky to tangible and testable" is how I would describe this step in the design process. Once an idea has been visualized and is a possible solution to test with consumers, prototypes must be generated for the user to validate. Typically, in product design this means rapid prototyping via 3D printing and machining. In UI/UX scenarios this usually means low and high fidelity prototypes in Figma.
User Testing
In this phase of the journey, the prototypes we created in the last step are presented to your target market or user group in order to determine what works and what needs improvement in the user experience of the product being designed. This step may require several rounds but is important in the goal of making the design the best solution for the consumer and ultimately the business selling the product or service.
Refinement
The lessons learned from testing the prototypes with consumers come with a couple different benefits. First, it allows the team to narrow down the options for the final design. Additionally, it provides a a pretty good picture any issues that may be present within a design like any accessibility issues in a user experience or any biases that the designer may have had prior to this point.
Production
In the final phase of the design process, the little things close the gap between the user and the team executing any design solution. For physical products, things like injection molding cost, fit and finish, packaging and unboxing, etc. come into play. In the digital space, organizing the visual assets and interactions for hand-off to programmers.