Design and Discovery Part II

by Pete Whiting

In-Depth Description of Design and Discovery Projects

To complement our initial post on Why Design and Discovery Projects are The Best Way to Kick-Off a New Product Initiative, here is some more detail on the deliverables for our process. While our design and discovery process was inspired by Google Ventures Design Sprints, it differs in timeframe and approach. Typically our engagements last 3 to 5 weeks with the output being the blueprint for our client's web or mobile application. The process is tailored for each client, but the deliverables for each design and discovery project are the following.

• Discovery Workshop: In this 1- to 2-day workshop, we will define the application requirements with all the decision makers. This allows us to ask questions about the problem we are trying to solve, define user personas, explore key features. We will also start to outline user stories, which are brief statements that include the role of the user and the activity they wish to perform to document the desired functionality of the application.
• Wireframes: We'll design a wireframe prototype that will outline the content areas and pages of the web or mobile application. Wireframes are a quick way to rapidly prototype an app before any actual visual design or building is done. This allows us to prove out the flow of information and explore key features.
• Visual Design​: Then based on the wireframes, we'll then design a couple of static pages in order to establish the visual style of the mobile application--things like fonts, colors, buttons, photography, graphics, icons, etc. Once the visual design is approved, we'll use that direction to develop the rest of the applications.
• Reviews​: Throughout the design process, there are several review points to provide feedback and make UX and UI adjustments. Client have 2 to 3 of these revision cycles (if needed) for each phase of the design process e.g. 1. Wireframes, 2. Visual Design, etc.
• List of User Stories and Technology Recommendations: This detailed list of user stories along with the application visual designs enable The Gnar Company to provide an accurate estimate of the amount of time and cost to build this software application. In some engagements we also provide technology recommendations on data model, infrastructure, and architecture for our client's applications.

Design and Discovery Projects - The Most Efficient Way to Start

Design and Discovery projects are the most efficient and cost-effective approach to build new products. With our proven approach, we are able to build a detailed blueprint for either a web or mobile app, as well as iterate on a design prototype before writing any code. This approach not only produces better work, it also results in a tangible application blueprint that can be referenced throughout software development.

Please reach out to The Gnar Company to learn more about Design and Discovery projects to kick-off your new software product.