Discovery: The First Step of the Design Process

Discovery is the first step of the design process, where teams work together to develop an understanding of the problem they are trying to solve, and define the path they will take to explore solutions.

It culminates in the communication of a vision – a concise mantra of the team's conclusion. Teams need better ways to articulate their vision, to bring everyone together in a shared understanding. This is especially true in an agile environment.

In this seminar, Dan Brown shows us how to put our conclusions from discovery on paper.  He'll share tips for how teams can articulate what they’ve learned effectively in documentation, and provide context for design solutions. Discovery, Dan reminds us, is a state of learning and questioning that teams should pursue throughout the project.

State the problem

• Define the problem to provide context for teams and stakeholders
• Design journey maps, personas, mental models to draw attention to what can be improved

Create problem objectives and contextual statements

• Establish basic constraints for you discover effort
• Elaborate on the ecosystem in which the product will live

Use assertions to set the design direction

• Identify the six types of assertions and how to use them
• Create a framework for testing the assertions you’ve made in discovery

Pull it all together with effective documentation

• Explore different document structures and alternative formats to the design documentation you typically create
• Tell a story and make your assertions part of a larger narrative

If you are a designer, a product manager, or a member of a team interested in improving the outcomes of your discovery process, this seminar will provide you with the right ingredients for developing successful discovery documentation.