Design Bits

Research template · 1–2 weeks

Evaluative study

Does this design work for the people who will use it?

Takes 1–2 weeks. The part only real people can do: usability sessions.

Phases

Frame

Agree what you are testing and what working looks like.

Done when: Can you name the tasks people must complete, and what counts as success?

Methods that fit: Write a project brief, Frame a decision, Build a prototype, Write a usability test script, Map assumptions, Check for bias

Test

Watch real people try the design.

Done when: Have at least five people tried every core task?

Methods that fit: Run usability tests, Code the data, Find contradictions

Findings

Turn what you saw into fixes and a call.

Done when: Does each finding have a quote, a severity and a fix?

Methods that fit: Write how-might-we statements, Write a readout, Write a handoff spec, Synthesize insights, Audit the evidence

The usual steps

  1. Write a project brief (Frame)
  2. Build a prototype (Frame)
  3. Write a usability test script (Frame)
  4. Run usability tests (Test)
  5. Write how-might-we statements (Findings)
  6. Write a readout (Findings)