We approach design as a problem solving process:

Research, Define, Design, Refine

Step 1: Research

  • Research forms the foundations of a successful project. To create a successful design we need to understand the context in which it needs to work.

    i. Customer / User Behaviour

    As our digital world becomes increasingly complex, the best way to tackle this complexity is to focus on people’s needs and desires. Customer research includes one-on-one qualitative interviews investigating behaviour, while surveys help validate and challenge ideas.

    ii. Business / Organisation Needs

    Business requirements drive projects. Research into business requirements can include stakeholder workshops and individual interviews.

    Even when a very detailed brief has been prepared it’s important to spend time working through the brief with a client, making sure that everything is clear.

    iii. Existing Products / Services

    Research into existing digital products often takes the form of usability testing, where people are observed and recorded carrying out tasks. Areas for improvement quickly become clear. Stats analysis also helps identify problem areas of websites.

    It’s also important to put the product or service into context by carrying out a competitor analysis examining how other organisations have solved similar problems.

  • Key Research Activities

    • User interviews
    • Survey design
    • Workshops
    • Stakeholder interviews
    • Process mapping
    • Usability testing
    • Competitor analysis
 

  • Step 2: Define

    During the definition stage of a project, findings from the research are pulled together and the problems that we need to solve to create a better product or service are examined.

    At a high level, what should the design do and how should it do it? What is the vision to work towards?

    Customer research is synthesised into personas – fictitious characters representing different groups of users. Personas help us focus on user needs during design.

  • Define Activities

    • Research analysis
    • Stakeholder workshops
    • Persona creation

  • Step 3: Design

    Pixel Thread specialises in designing simple and smart prototypes of digital products and services.

    We create interactive wireframes, user journeys and site maps representing product architecture, page layouts, interactions and functionality.

    Initially these can be fairly lo-fi – lots of post-its on flip chart paper if we’re running a collaborative design session, or quick sketches to get ideas across.

    Once concepts are agreed to be working functional clickable prototypes are created which can be used as a specification for the visual design and production phase of the project.

  • Design Activities

    • Paper prototypes
    • Information architecture
    • Site maps
    • Wireframes
    • User journeys
    • Clickable prototypes

  • Step 4: Refine

    Once a prototype is agreed to be working, it’s time to validate the ideas by showing them to potential users. When you’ve been deep inside a project for weeks, it’s possible to lose perspective, so these sessions can be helpful.

    Usability testing of prototypes and mood boards can resolve any issues with a design before it moves into full production. Feedback from the testing feeds into the final iteration of the prototype ready for final visual design and build.

  • Refine Activities

    • User interviews
    • Usability research
    • Task based analysis
    • Stakeholder workshops

See some of the projects that have benefited from this process »