Creating User-Centric Designs: Harnessing the Double Diamond Approach

Intro

User Experience (UX) design is a crucial aspect of creating products that look great and provide a seamless and intuitive experience for the user. Designers use the Double Diamond as a popular framework to guide their design process. This article explores the Double Diamond and its application to UX design.

What is the Double Diamond?

The Double Diamond is a design process model developed by the British Design Council. It is called "Double Diamond" because it consists of two diamond-shaped diagrams representing the design process’s divergent and convergent stages. The model is based on the idea that a designer's work involves exploring many possibilities before narrowing down to the best solution.

The Four Stages of the Double Diamond

The Double Diamond model consists of four distinct stages: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. Let's take a closer look at each stage:

1. Discover

The Discover stage is all about understanding the problem space and gathering insights. Designers conduct research, analyze data, and explore various sources of inspiration to deeply comprehend the user's needs and pain points. This stage is characterized by divergent thinking, where designers generate multiple ideas and possibilities.

2. Define

Once designers have gathered enough insights, they move on to the Define stage. Here, they synthesize the information collected during the Discover stage and define the problem statement. This stage involves convergent thinking, where designers narrow their focus and identify the key challenges to address.

3. Develop

In the Develop stage, designers start ideating and brainstorming potential solutions. They explore different concepts, create prototypes, and test their ideas to gather feedback. This stage involves experimenting and iterating on the proposed solutions to find the most effective and user-centric design.

4. Deliver

The final stage of the Double Diamond is Deliver. Here, designers refine their chosen solution and prepare it for implementation. They create detailed designs, develop the final product, and ensure it meets the user's needs and expectations. This stage requires attention to detail and collaboration with developers and other stakeholders to bring the design to life.

Benefits of the Double Diamond

The Double Diamond framework offers several benefits to UX designers:

Structured Process: The Double Diamond provides a clear and structured framework for designers to follow, ensuring that they cover all the necessary stages of the design process.
User-Centric Approach: By emphasizing the importance of understanding the user's needs and pain points, Double Diamond helps designers create designs tailored to the user's requirements.
Flexibility and Iteration: The model encourages experimentation and iteration, allowing designers to explore different ideas and refine their designs based on user feedback.
Collaboration: The Double Diamond promotes collaboration between designers, developers, and stakeholders at each process stage, leading to more effective and successful design outcomes.

Wrapping up

The Double Diamond is a robust framework that guides UX designers through the complex process of creating user-centered designs. By following the four stages of Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver, designers ensure that they thoroughly explore and refine their ideas before delivering the final product. Whether you're a seasoned UX designer or starting, incorporating the Double Diamond into your design process helps you create better user experiences.

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My flexible pricing model

Working with traditional freelancer/agency pricing can get complicated. My pricing model is simpler.

Simply hire me by the month at a fixed cost starting at $3k.

Need to pause the work? That’s fine. Since there aren’t any long-term contracts, we can pick things up later when the time is right.

Schedule a consultation call to discuss my other rate tiers, go over any questions you have, and walk through the next steps.

A little about me

My Niche

As a Product Design Lead, I specialize in unraveling UX to provide an unmatched UI with hands-on design for companies around the globe.

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My purpose

Everything I do is centered around helping people live fuller lives — a driver for what gets me up each morning. That can take many shapes, such as pro-bono work for non-profits, mentoring other designers, or designing life-changing products.

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Life-altering moment:

In 2016, I suffered a life-altering traumatic brain injury and lost my ability to do much of anything. Without the ability to fully comprehend language, living with constant vertigo and depression, and the loss of my creative problem-solving skills — my life was turned upside down.

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Fast-forward to today. I consider myself one of the lucky few who fully recovered from something like that.

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My superpowers

Simplifying the complex, pinpointing a person's hidden pain, and breathing new life into outdated UIs.

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Some facts:

I live in Portland, Oregon, once had a 30-person design agency for over a decade, launched my own SaaS products, and am raising 3 boys (the latter being the hardest but most rewarding!).

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Next steps & process

Once a pricing tier has been selected, we’ll coordinate a start date. What I do next is dependent on your needs:

Create a product from the ground up

I’ll start with deep research into your industry, including investigating what competitors are doing well or not. 

After synthesizing those findings, I will create a flow diagram, mapping every step of the customer journey. 

From there, I focus on wireframing every core screen of the experience. 

After collaborating to refine the UX, I move into UI designs, where I visually bring the product to life.

Often, creating a Design System at this stage is essential. If needed, I also create interactive prototypes for user testing and feedback. 

Once we’re happy with the design direction, I’ll finish designing as many screens as we need for a successful developer hand-off.

Revitalize or iterate an existing product

I’ll start with deep research into your product, including investigating what competitors are doing well or not. 

After synthesizing those findings, I will create a flow diagram, mapping every step of the customer journey. 

From there, I focus on wireframing every core screen of the experience. 

After collaborating to refine the UX, I move into UI designs, where I visually bring the product to life.

Often, creating a Design System at this stage is essential. If needed, I also create interactive prototypes for user testing and feedback. 

Once we’re happy with the design direction, I’ll finish designing as many screens as we need for a successful developer hand-off.

Audit an existing product

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