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Week 3 - Task 1 Discover & Define

I implemented the first diamond of the Framework for Innovation this week by contacting my client. I constructed a range of questions to gather insight into my client's design preferences and needs for their website.

Occupational Therapy website for Shar Bond

Project Overview:

Can you provide a brief overview of your business and its objectives?

Occupational therapy

Physical health

Mental health

What is the primary purpose of the website?

Portfolio

Informational (contact information for services)

Allied health services

Community mental health service

Target Audience:

Who is your target audience?

Support coordinators

NDIS workers and participants

Private clients

What actions do you want visitors to take on your website?

Contact me

Email

Phone

What will your visitors find when viewing your website?

Functional capacity assessments

OT interventions

Mobility equipment

Support worker training

Housing

Supported independent living options

What are your priorities for how your website to function?

informative

Accessible

Linking to other external services (NDIS etc.

Design Preferences:

Are there any websites whose design you admire? What do you like about them?

https://www.minervaalliedhealth.com/

Includes mission statement

Links to services and companies they work with

NDIS

Occupational Therapy Australia

Do you have any existing branding elements that should be incorporated into the design?

OT headshot

Do you have specific colour schemes or branding guidelines that should be followed?

Avoid bold text

Illustration preferred over photos

Accessibility focused

Organic feel

light

Stone

Leaves

Mossy

Soft

Sage

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Week 2 - Task 1 Planning and Research

I have started to think about how to integrate my future career goals in UX/IU design for this assessment. I think the best way to do this is to create a mockup of a website.

I want to approach this assessment as if I were working with a client. So I have asked a family member if I can work with them on creating a website for their business.

I would like to focus on human & user-centred design methodologies, as my client is an occupational therapist. Intend to use the UK Design Council Framework for Innovation to develop an appropriate web design for their clientele to access their services.

The process: using the Double Diamond

Design Council’s Double Diamond clearly conveys a design process to designers and non-designers alike. The two diamonds represent a process of exploring an issue more widely or deeply (divergent thinking) and then taking focused action (convergent thinking).  

Discover. The first diamond helps people understand, rather than simply assume, what the problem is. It involves speaking to and spending time with people who are affected by the issues.

Define. The insight gathered from the discovery phase can help you to define the challenge in a different way.

Develop. The second diamond encourages people to give different answers to the clearly defined problem, seeking inspiration from elsewhere and co-designing with a range of different people.  

Deliver. Delivery involves testing out different solutions at small-scale, rejecting those that will not work and improving the ones that will.

This is not a linear process as the arrows on the diagram show. Many of the organisations we support learn something more about the underlying problems which can send them back to the beginning. Making and testing very early stage ideas can be part of discovery. And in an ever-changing and digital world, no idea is ever ‘finished’. We are constantly getting feedback on how products and services are working and iteratively improving them. 

The design principles

The framework for innovation outlines four core principles for problem-solvers to adopt so that they can work as effectively as possible.

Put people first. Start with an understanding of the people using a service, their needs, strengths and aspirations.  

Communicate visually and inclusively. Help people gain a shared understanding of the problem and ideas.  

Collaborate and co-create. Work together and get inspired by what others are doing.

Iterate, iterate, iterate. Do this to spot errors early, avoid risk and build confidence in your ideas.  

The methods bank

We have authored, adapted or adopted a portfolio of design methods which help our clients to identify and address their challenges and achieve successful outcomes. We have structured these methods in three areas to help them use the design process to explore, shape or build:

Explore: challenges, needs and opportunities

Shape: prototypes, insights and visions

Build: ideas, plans and expertise

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Week 1 - The importance of design frameworks in the design process

These frameworks are structured approaches that help designers tackle complex problems, guide them through the creative process, and ensure a user-centred approach to design. I was interested in how the UK Design Council Framework could streamline my UX/UI designs for future clientele and help me better define their needs for the work.

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Designer Sentence

"I will be an efficient and empathetic interactive designer who embraces technology and addresses social problems."