In the Development of digital products, Design appears in the interfaces of applications, systems, and platforms; and in the journeys and user experiences. Did you know that the area also supports the inception of digital solutions and their commercialization? 

In the following article, we will discuss concepts of some types of Design, in order to clarify the various functionalities of the area so that you can choose one that suits your business.

The design gives forms to ideas

There are several currents and trends that propose to conceptualize Design. In the book Design – History, Theory and Practice of Product Design, the author Bernhard E. Bürdek points out that most people’s lives are no longer imaginable without design. “Design follows us from morning until night: at home, at work, in leisure, in education, in health, in sports, in the transport of people and goods, in the public environment – everything is configured consciously or unconsciously”, he defines.

For the author, we communicate with people and define social groups through products. To understand this idea, just think about Apple. Anyone who has a device from this brand ends up belonging to a certain social group. In fact, Apple uses this awareness to create targeted advertisement that talks to this audience and further strengthens the sense of being part of such a community.

The definition by Tai Hsuan-An, author of the book Design: Concepts and methods, completes that of Bürdek, but relates more to the work of the designer: “Design is simply the professional activity that involves the entire process of creating and developing products, in order to meet the needs of the population in favor of a better and more pleasant life. These products are extremely varied in size, function, utility, style, material, complexity, quantity and breadth.”

In other words, design has the function of giving form to ideas and being the basis for the creation of products and services that meet people’s needs. But after all, what are the most known types of design in the universe of digital products, and what is their importance in the innovation journey?

Form, Function, Experience and Interface

Graphic Design is present in a very visible way in our daily lives. Its functionality consists of applying the art of design in graphic pieces. In these projects, the Designer creates solutions for digital and printed materials, which will be used in social networks, e-mail marketing, magazines, books, packaging, etc.

For this, it is necessary to have knowledge in visual communication, texts, typography, colors, layout and image editing software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Canva. The main objective is to organize the most diverse information and convey a message that is clear, useful and interesting to the target audience. 

Web Design is also one of the types of design. This aspect is fully connected to the internet universe, focusing on the creation of digital interfaces for websites. In this area, knowledge in HTML and CSS is crucial; after all, Web Designers are responsible for creating online pages. In this sense, creating quality interfaces has to do with some non-aesthetic factors, such as the image size, which impacts: page loading speed, and layout flexibility, which concerns the responsiveness of the websites.

Additionally, there are other types of design focused on digital solutions, which are very important to ensure the best usability. This is the case with UX Design. When we talk about User Experience (UX), we bring the needs of users and businesses to the heart of the debate. Among the responsibilities of UX Designers is the understanding of the product user, for better creation of user journeys. This professional may also be responsible for writing explanatory texts that make up the solution, an area called UX Writing.

When it comes to User Interface (UI), the main concern is to create the screens of the digital product. In this area, UI Designers are responsible for defining colors, typography, composition, Information Architecture, Interaction Design and UI Guidelines (iOS and Android) so that users can use the products in a simple and intuitive way.

Think Like A Designer

We have already realized that in our routine we are impacted by design daily – both in physical and digital products – and that for the most different types of design there are the most varied forms of application. However, one area that we don’t always understand is Design Thinking. Much more than a buzzword in the technology world, this approach can be an excellent ally to solve problems and make important decisions that drive business evolution.

In the book Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, Tim Brown points out that Design Thinking explores capabilities that we all have, but which are neglected by more conventional problem-solving practices. “Design Thinking depends on our ability to be intuitive, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that have emotional and functional meaning, to express ourselves in ways other than words or symbols. Nobody wants to run a business based on feeling, intuition and inspiration, but relying too much on the rational and the analytical can be just as dangerous.”

In recent years, large companies and startups have adopted this approach in their creation processes, with the mission of improving solutions and seeking innovation. Design Thinking can be applied to the development of applications, systems and platforms, and if you are thinking of creating a digital product, you will certainly need to use it. However, exploring this universe alone can be risky. After all, the approach has specific tools and practices that require knowledge. At SoftDesign, we solve problems based on the designer’s way of thinking through Design Thinking. Thus, we seek to understand the user’s perspective to test ideas and ensure the creation of an ideal product.

Design Is For Everyone

But we don’t use just Design Thinking. UX and UI Design also support us in various ways in our services. They are the starting point for investigating and understanding scenarios, problems and behaviors. Through them, we raise hypotheses, improve processes, create solutions and transform ideas into desirable products.

• Product Conception: in this creative process, we use theories and knowledge such as Design Thinking, Design Sprint and Lean Startup to establish project goals, plan development and define investment.
• Product Experimentation: we put the idea of your solution in the hands of users to validate hypotheses and experiments. Thus, we help you to save time and ensure investment security.
• Software Development: our product team has knowledge in UX, UI and Research, which allows us to create user-centered solutions. As a result, we deliver applications, systems and platforms with excellent usability.
• Consulting: to improve your users’ experience, we carry out diagnosis and implementation of strategic solutions focused on User Research, User Experience and User Interface.

Now that you know, what types of designs need to be integrated into the development of your digital product, fill out the form below and talk to one of our experts. Together, we can shape your ideas.

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Launched in 2004 by the English institution Design Council, Double Diamond is a diagram formed by two diamonds and four triangles, which aims to favor creative processes through design. Initially, it was used only by designers, but over time, its applicability in the most diverse areas of business proved to be useful, mainly to favor innovation. Let’s understand this better? 

Diverge to Converge

In the proposed diagram, the diamonds represent divergent and convergent thoughts. They are interspersed in the four triangles that symbolize the discover, define, develop and deliver phases: the first two are related to exploring the problem, while the last two are related to solving that problem. 

The model starts with a challenge, which could be a problem to be solved within an organization or the need to create a new product. A multidisciplinary team composed of different people, partners, and stakeholders engages in solving the challenge based on four principles: 1) Focus on people; 2) Visual and inclusive communication, 3) Collaboration and co-creation; and 4) Constant iterations. Going through the phases of discovering, defining, developing, and continuously delivering, the goal is to design an innovative solution. 

Discover

The first phase focuses on exploration. The brainstorming technique is recommended, as it is the best time to discuss ideas, share opinions and diverge. It is important to be open to receiving information and thinking about it, listening empathically, putting yourself in people’s shoes. 

Research techniques are also welcome, as they help not only to understand the problem but also to identify users’ needs. But remember: it is important to work with valid data samples. Conducting just one interview or asking if the person would use the product, for example, is not enough. 

Define

The second phase of Double Diamond works with the information gathered in the previous phase. Now the effort is towards the convergence of ideas and the effective definition of the problem. This is why this phase is also understood as a delimiter: all the people on the team need to determine a common and single objective. 

Personas must also be established at this phase, as well as their behaviors, thoughts, and experiences. The Empathy Map is a technique that can help with this, in addition to User Journey studies. 

Develop

In the second diamond, the third phase starts, again, with brainstorming techniques. At this point, the divergence of ideas focuses on possible ways to solve the problem. This means that technical solutions need to be raised, considering their execution possibilities. 

The focus remains on the users, so all solutions must be designed to satisfy their needs and expectations. A critical point here is to remember that this is a phase of divergence, that is: the objective is not to create a solution but to think and explore multiple ideas for solutions, and then, in the next phase of convergence, to funnel again, choosing the one the team wants to proceed with. 

Deliver

Finally, it is time to deliver the result of this Double Diamond cycle. This means that you need to understand the potential of the solution(s). The level of complexity and fidelity of testing conducted with them depends on where you are in your product lifecycle. 

In an initial framework cycle, it is normal for testing to consist of evaluating low-fidelity prototypes. In a later cycle, delivery can be the test of an MVP. The important thing is that this phase brings more data so that the team can decide between one of the following three options: 

• Continue with the proposed solution and persevere in its implementation, if the tests provide good indications; 
• Pivot according to user feedback, keeping the vision of the problem to be solved, but adapting the solution to better serve the market; 
• Give up on the project if the prototype solution does not fulfill its problem-solving function. 

Remember to iterate!

In the diagram image, if you look at the blue dotted line, you will notice that it runs along different paths. This means that the four phases of Double Diamond do not always have to be performed in sequence. 

If after Discover and Define, the team thinks it needs to go back to the first phase, there is no problem in doing so. It is best to start the second diamond with a clear definition of the problem and personas, to avoid rework. Likewise, if after delivery, the solution is not well received by users, it is worth re-developing before abandoning the project. 

Double Diamond at SoftDesign

This framework is one of our favorites. It helps us explain to the teams we work with that divergence is very important to innovation and that convergence is necessary to proceed. 

Our Product Conception is the first iteration of Double Diamond! In it, we usually collect the first research data, manage to create the first definition of the central problem of the product, and then work on solutions with low-fidelity prototypes. 

After this step, during the Experimentation or Development of digital products, we continue to diverge and converge, increasingly with more real market data, and with more adequate and complete solutions. 

Thinking about applying the Double Diamond approach to get your idea off the ground? Contact us so we can help! 

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