You have a project and you know you need some design, but you’re not sure where to begin. Do you do it all at once, how do you start? What does the process look like?! Don’t get overwhelmed, we successfully assist people in the design process every day. Here’s a quick walkthrough on where to start and how the design process works.
The Design Process
The Kick Off
First, your designer will sit down with you and hear everything you have to say about your idea. Don’t leave anything out. Share your idea, what you want it to be, who you want to reach, what comparable products you like, and what inspires you. Tell them everything. This gives your designer a good idea of the big picture.
The design process might sound fast, but depending on your designer and the magnitude of your idea it could take days or weeks. Extremely large projects or ones that change drastically through the process could extend into months. Don’t worry, often we can roughly ballpark the time beforehand and the finished product is worth it.
Build a Brand
While every project is unique, we often recommend starting with branding. It sets the tone for users’ expectations. Branding defines the product. It is the foundation upon which you build your business, whether it is a website or an application. Your branding is just as important as the product and should not be overlooked. After branding, the application is designed. A strategist can help you prioritize platforms and create a plan for a MVP (minimum viable product) based on your individual needs.
Creation and Feedback
After your kickoff metting, your designer will go off in his or her little cave and make the branding magic happen. They will go through sketches, colors, and fonts to come up with a look and feel. Depending on your designer, some will start off with a rough sketch of a logo and a color palette. I personally just go for it and create 2-3 different logos along with multiple color pallets for consideration. You’ll give the designer some feedback and they’ll make some changes. It might take a few rounds of this to really nail down a completely finished logo. Then you will have something solid to show your friends and the idea becomes even more real!
Wireframes
From there the designer creates a wireframe based on your idea. Wireframes are made to give everyone involved a basic understanding of what is being created. It’ll have all the components of your idea, but it won’t be pretty- that comes later. Wireframes are vital to the process to make sure your idea is fleshed out and everyone is on the same page.
Time to Shine
Now the fun begins! The designer will take your new branding and apply it to the wireframes, making a presentable app for the world! Once all the screens are laid out and designed, they will be sent to the developer. Then you will repeat the wireframing and designing steps again for your next platform (website or app). When this has been done for all of the platforms, MVP design is complete!
Know your goals and trust the design process. You’ll love the result!
