The Design Process

Typical stages of the design process include:

Pre-production design

• Design Objective - a beginning statement of design goals, challenges, theme, topic, and or perspective


• Mind mapping - a visual diagram used to generate, visualize, and categorize ideas. An aid in organizing, problem solving, clarifying objectives, perspective or point of view; which aids in decision making


• Analysis - analysis of current design goals, challenges and state of design. A study of multiple ideas and their interrelationships in making up a single objective or perspective. Identifying a common theme and its needs, problems and core ideas


• Ideation - generating, developing and communicating ideas through writing and sketching, where 'idea' is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete or abstract.


• Research - investigating designs and designers that deal with similar solutions or topics. Looking deeper into the design theme, topic or point of view that you have chosen. Looking deeper into the design theme, topic or point of view that you have chosen. Exploring posisble cultural meanings, social contexts, personal meanings, etc.


• Design specification - a statement of what your designed ppiece is intended to do. Its aim is to ensure that the design and development of a piece meets the objectives of your design idea.


• Prototyping - the ability to explore, in a physical form, design alternatives, test theories, analyze composition and scale along side testing the performance prior to starting production of a final piece. It is used to figure out and solve the unknown problems present in the intended design.


• Problem solving - conceptualizing and documenting design solutions. Coming to a solution on how to modify the design based on analysis of the prototype

Design during production

• Development - continuation and improvement of a designed solution


• Documentation - any communicable materiel such as test, video, sketches, photos, etc. or combination thereof used to explain attributes of the piece being produced, and the process taken to get there.

Post production design feedback for future designs

• Implementation - introducing the designed solution into the environment


• Evaluation & Conclusion - summary of process and results, including constructive criticism and suggestions for future improvements


• Redesign - any or all stages in the design process repeated (with corrections made) at any time before, during, or after production.