Software Design

Below are some of the steps I take to research and design software solutions.

Concept Development

I begin my projects by constructing verbal concepts consisting of a pain point / unmet need statement followed by a verbal description of a solution. I test these with participants and SMEs alike, looking for "resonance" and then a preference ranking across all concepts.

TYPE 2 DIABETES PROJECT

VITAL SIGNS MONITOR PROJECT

Concept Development with images

I've also used images in my text-based concepts to get a read on the emotions involved. How bad is the pain point? How liberating could the solution be? Is it as bad/good as we think?

"Pushing" participants and SMEs to either extreme will reveal if any concept is a true emotional winner.

Storyboarding for flow

Before moving into the land of wireframe creations, I describe the overall experience of the software solution. This aligns the team with the overall direction of the proposed solution.

PURCHASE WIZARD

Wireframes

I was tasked with prototyping the purchase wizard for a customizable hardware system of varying SKUs (think Ring alarm system). Here my idea is to follow a concept similar to buying a Volvo online where, based on answering a few questions, the purchaser is presented suggestions for purchase. However, I wanted to tweak the idea and also allow purchasers to build their system from scratch.

I created relevant wires in Illustrator to get team feedback. The wires were also used to get our first technical assessment.

I used Volvo's purchase wizard as my inspiration for half of my purchase wizard concept.

Visual user stories

I prefer to create visual user stories as they provide a more comprehensive communication of the emotions we want our solution to capture. In these stories, I also include the human drivers - such as control, belonging, and contributing - which we are aiming to fulfill. This approach has proven to be successful in generating more ideas from the team. By clearly outlining the purpose behind each feature, we stimulate creativity and encourage thinking outside the box. Additionally, this method allows others to join in and contribute their own solutions, as they are fully aware of the problems we are trying to solve and the underlying motivations behind our decisions.

CAMERA HARDWARE & IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Concept definition & feasibility

Here I came up with different app solutions for retrieving saved photos. The UI, IX and micro-interactions were all non-standard at the time.

I used Illustrator (my favorite of all brainstorming tools) to put these flows together.

These were used for team discussion, exploration, and further brainstorming/tweaking.

REAL ESTATE & NEUROLOGICAL DIAGNOSTIC APP EXAMPLES

Interaction Maps

My IX maps typically outline element interactions intersected by user type and/or task/workflow (see color lines)

I've used Sketch, Figma and probably even more tools to do this, but I prefer using Illustrator for the freedom to create what I want to show, the way I envision it working.

SETUP / UNBOXING WIZARD

Make friends with a graphic designer

Once the intent, screens and flow has been preliminarily ironed out, I will then look for a graphic designer to work their magic and start making the prototype look professional.