1.
First and foremost in the design process is to
recognize who your expected end-use is. Knowing your audience is crucial for a successful
design process. The information provided and the methods used will vary greatly
between different categories of people due to age, background, education, and
other differences.
2.
After the audience has been determined the next
step is to determine the information that is to be conveyed and the proper
method of design that may convey this information most effectively. At this
point in the stage the design is fluid, a rough idea of the end design is
created, it may change as information is gathered and analyzed.
3.
The next step is information gathering. As much
information must be gathered on the source material as possible. As stated on
pg. 44 “ The more you know about a client’s history … the better you can solve
the design problem at hand.” There is no such thing as too much information.
Yes, there will be a lot of useless information gathered and sorted but within
that mass of information may be information that either ties different unrelated
pieces together, sheds light on a new idea or approach or alters the entire
design concept.
4.
After the analysis of the information has occurred,
the vital information must be organized and a time-line or table of content
created. This process will help to organize and categorize the useful
information. This step will help to review the content to determine what information
may best express the design’s goal.
5.
Once the information has been organized, reviewed
and categorized, review the original design decisions to see if any changes
should be made due to new discoveries. At this point the final determination of
which media may be best to present this collection of data to the end users
should be selected. Questions to ask would include “Should the design be in the
form of digital media, pamphlets, charts, interactive programs, etc.”
6.
Always design the information to be presented
using plain language design. Do not muddy the presentation with technical
terms, abbreviations and overly sophisticated language. Again, go back to #1
and review who the end user is and design the presentation to fit their
understanding of the topic. The goal in information design is to convey
information to the end-user if they don’t understand the information than the
process has been for not.
7.
Continual and pre-release evaluation and testing
is vital to the overall design and success of the project prior to its final
release. Continual testing helps to expose problems early on so they can be
addressed early, before they create added expense and setbacks. Using testers that
represent your end-users are vital to the success of the testing phase.
8.
Post-release evaluation and critique follows. After
all design projects it is vital for continual success to evaluate the end
product. This evaluation should include all parties involved in the project,
such as the design team members, clients and especially the end-users. Questions
to review would include;
a.
Did all design members feel that they played an
active role in the design?
b.
Do we see any areas for improvement in the
design process?
c.
Was the client satisfied with the outcome of the
project?
d.
Was the presentation clear, entertaining and
easily understanding?
e.
What information was the presentation lacking
and what questions do you have after seeing the presentation?
