Published inHow is Software Designed?·Dec 15, 2017Research“Research” is shorthand for “Let’s find out how our users behave to help us create a solution to their problems or address their unmet needs.” It’s also known as “design research” or “user research”. How much research you need depends on how new and different the thing you’re creating is…UX3 min readUX3 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 30, 2017The BriefAt the beginning of a project the design lead or product manager will write a brief, a document that summarizes what the team needs to start working. …Design2 min readDesign2 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 26, 2017ProcessAll human-centered software design can be boiled down to three essential activities: Researching the people and situations relevant to the project Designing the software Testing the design of the software to find out what works and what doesn’t The detailed process used will change depending on your project: Is it…Design1 min readDesign1 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 26, 2017RolesI’m using the word roles rather than jobs because the division of work changes per project. On small projects all the design work might be done by one person playing multiple roles. On large projects the design work might be done by several people playing each role. Here are some…UX2 min readUX2 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 24, 2017Table of ContentsHow is Software Designed? A Tiny Introduction to Human-Centered Software Design for The Real World (a book for non-designers) What is Human-Centered Software Design? Why Design? Roles Process The Brief Research Insights Design Prototyping Testing A Small Project Example A Medium Project Example A Large Project Example What is Good Design? How Does Design Work with Agile? Can Design be Used to Create a Strategy?1 min read1 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 24, 2017Why Design?The most obvious benefit of design is to make the user interface look better. Designers use color and fonts carefully, align things on the screen a certain way, and generally make everything more beautiful. Designers make the user interface more usable. For example, if people need to select one or…UX1 min readUX1 min read
Published inHow is Software Designed?·Oct 24, 2017What is Human-Centered Software Design?This book describes how designers create user interfaces by focusing on the people that use the software. If you have some familiarity with software — maybe you’re a project manager, a product manager, or a programmer — and you want to learn how software designers do their jobs, this book…Design1 min readDesign1 min read
Sep 20, 2016Pearson, You Can Do BetterPeople are worried about Common Core. People are worried about PARCC tests. Me? I’m worried about the way the PARCC tests are designed by Pearson, because when I see people get upset about PARCC what they are often reacting to how difficult it is to take the test, not the…Education3 min readEducation3 min read
Sep 8, 2016What Do Consumers Really Want From Financial Planning?In 2011 I was working on Wall Street. Every day for two months I would walk past the Occupy Wall Street protestors camped out in Zuccotti Park. And every day I passed them I wondered, “What am I doing to help the 99% improve their financial lives?” I’m not in…Fintech5 min readFintech5 min read
Jul 20, 2016What’s Next for Digital Product Design?Working in the fast-changing world of digital product design, there’s always some new and exciting tools and techniques to learn. The flip side of this coin is that you must keep learning to keep up with the industry or your skills become irrelevant. So naturally it would be helpful to…UX8 min readUX8 min read