Ashley's Design Tools Library
Welcome to my mini design tools library. Here I share some design resources and tips that I have learnt and reflected that guided me with the design process.
Framework for Innovation by Design Council 2021
This framework is used as a guideline to help designers utilise two types of thinking, which are “divergent thinking” and “convergent thinking”. In “discover” and “develop” process, divergent thinking help us consider any possibilities and open to new ideas.
On the other hand, after “defining” the problem and while “delivering” the solution, convergent thinking occurs when we try to think narrowly focusing on a few ideas and solutions.
- Literature review
- Online user survey
- Visual anthropology
- User interviews
5 why’s
This method is utilised to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a specific problem. By working back the cause of one effect to another up to five times, designers can expose root causes and explore effective solutions.
Affinity diagram is commonly used to group similar observations together. It helps to visualise the key issues among the respondents during discovery phase.
2×2 matrix
This tool is utilised to understand the relationships between two things on a spectrum. It is used in research findings to map issues that are more important in order to prioritise which issues to tackle first.
Empathy map
User journey
User flow
Dot-voting
Card-sorting
Card-sorting technique is used to organise different topics into groups. It will be used to create an information architecture that suits the user’s expectations and create a smooth user flow.
Information architecture
Information architecture reflects the organisational structure of the site. It should reflect how users think about the organisation
Deliverables:
Site Map
Content Inventory
How:
Discoverability – search, navigation, information organisation or categorisation
Paper sketching
Lo-fi wireframes
Hi-fi prototype
User testing
A/B testing
Heuristic evaluation
10 Usability Principles by Jakob Nielsen - Heuristic Guidelines
- Visibility of system status
- Match between system and real world
- User control and freedom
- Consistency and standards
- Error prevention
- Recognition rather than recall
- Flexibility and efficiency of use
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- Help users recognise, diagnose and recover from errors
- Help and documentation
Heuristic Evaluations
Conducted by experts to evaluate and determine if the system meets the heuristic guidelines. It is not usability testings, it can be conducted using tasks or scenarios.
Heuristic Report provides key recommendations to issues to improve. It includes executive summary/overview, project background, methodology, findings, recommendations for improvement, conclusions, references, appendix.
Usability Reports
Purpose: Summarise usability issues from usability test results
Goal: Communicate to stakeholders how to take action on the results
Includes:
1. Executive summary
2. Participant recruitment
3. Methodology
4. Findings and recommendations
5. Conclusions
6. Appendix
How: Task-based approach
1. Clearly written
2. Clear goal or hypothesis
3. Mirrors real-world scenarios
Participants: At least 5 to determine patterns
Measure if the experience is usable, such as task completion rate or the ability to complete the task.
Usability Test Process
1. Set up tasks
2. Recruit participants
3. Set up the observation details
4. Collect and analyse the data
5. Create the report with findings and recommendations
