The Design Process is broken down into 5 steps.

1. Define

2. Collect Info: Inspiration & Reference

3. Develop Solutions: Sketching & Concepts

4. Feedback & Critique

5. Final Product

Note: In some cases, you may loop back from Step 5 to Step 4.

Step 1: Define

Before you start designing, find out what you’re solving and define your problem and constraints. You can’t find a solution until you have a clear idea of what the problem is.

Constraints help narrow the focus of a designer and prevent endless spinning on ideas.

What are the project “rules”?

What are you trying to communicate?

Creative Block?—Don’t worry about recreating the wheel.

Step 2: Collect Info - Inspiration & Reference

Collect sketches, take photographs and gather data to start giving you inspiration.

Research different designers and their work similar to the work you want to create. How have other designs addressed similar problems?

Create MOOD BOARDS.

A Mood Board is a collection of images and reference material that shows off the theme and tone of what you’re going for.

Check out Pinterest.com

Check out canva.com

Reflect

It is important to reflect what exactly it is about your reference/inspiration material so you can start to understand how all the data and information you’ve collected may impact your design

Step 3: Develop Solutions - Sketching & Concepts

Take your preliminary ideas and form multiple small-scale design solutions. Use the data and information you’ve collected to sketch ideas that might solve the design problem.

It is normal for things to change, especially after you show your sketches to receive feedback and critique.

Sketching can be done in many different ways, so there is no real right or wrong. Just as long as it communicates your idea.

TRY: Drawing for Ideation — Draw fast and loose

Drawing for Ideation still requires strong fundamentals, but it’s not about rendering a beautiful polished image. The purpose is to get the essence of your idea in front of your peers.

A sketch can more often than not be enough for you and your peers to understand the idea. This is why it’s also good practice to write a brief statement that goes along with your sketch explaining for your future reference and peers, what exactly is happening in the sketch and your future goals for the design.

Step 4: Feedback & Critique

Getting the Best Feedback

Ask Specific Questions to your peers.

Keep Goals Clear.

Avoid broad questions such as “Do you like this?”

Approach from the goal’s perspective like “Which feels the scariest?”

Avoid Grand Reveals. Make sure to show your art early and often. If something needs to change, it’s better to know as soon as possible.

Present your work like you care about it. You want to inspire your team and others when talking about your work.

Why is critique so important?

A good designer will need to learn to take the feedback from their peers, clients, and bosses to solve a particular design problem. Critiques will also help you broaden your communication skills as a designer, as there is always the opportunity to articulate why you did what you did or to better explain your idea to the reviewer if they don’t see it as clearly as you do.

A critique will also allow you to better yourself as a designer. It will also maybe allow those with an uninvested perspective to possibly catch things you missed in the initial designs.

How to Give a Good Critique

1. Tell your fellow designer what aspects you like about the piece, whatever they may be. Be descriptive. Instead of just saying “I like it” explain why you like it while using specific examples from the design whenever possible.

2. Next, move onto the constructive criticism. If you think certain aspects of a design aren’t working, try to explain why or offer suggestions on how they can be improved. Asking the designer questions may help them to see problems in the execution of the design that they may not have seen on their own.

3. Don’t forget to repeat or elaborate on what you liked about the piece so that the critique ends on a positive note. This way, the designer knows the piece may need some reworking, but also that there are aspects of the design that work as-is, too.

You don’t have to agree or like the decisions of the designer but their work deserves honest feedback. Put yourself in their shoes.

How to Receive a Critique

It’s important that when you hear the good and the bad feedback to take it with stride. Design isn’t math. There are no right and wrong answers; only subjective opinions that may differ from one designer to another.

Remember that a critique is about your work and making it the best it can be; it shouldn’t be about you. Those who are giving critiques generally do so because they want to help you grow as a designer, so try not to get defensive or take their criticisms personally.

Anyone, even a non-designer friend or coworker whom you trust to give honest and constructive feedback, can be a good resource. And, a good round of feedback is always better than no feedback at all.

Step 5: Final Product

Reflect on all of your feedback and references/inspirations and decide if or to what extent it should be incorporated.

Does your final design solve the original problem and consider the constraints and criteria in the Define step?