The Design Process

1. The Design Process Notes created by J. V. Walton for SYS364 Systems Analysis & Design

2. A Universal Design Process • Before we begin learning to design business information processing systems, we are first going to study “The Design Process”, a way of designing anything! • From bridges and buildings to aprons or fashionable garments to menus or recipes to rocket systems... • And even Business Information Processing Systems !

3. The Design Process • This methodology, taught to visual Design students in the School of Communication Arts, is another cyclic methodology, like so many in our IP world • It is not formally a part of the SYS364 curriculum, but will be helpful in our exploration of the Design phase of the SDLC • It is a “universal” Design Process, used by many engineering and creative industries • Remember that Design is always one of the preliminaries to construction

4. Another 5-Phase Cycle! • In this universal Design Process, the following five phases are recommended: • 1. Acceptance • 2. Exploration • 3. Ideation • 4. Selection • 5. Implementation

5. Strengths of the Design Process • It is “universal”, once learned can be applied to a variety of challenges • Can be used for “Problem Solving” as well as Design Challenges • Not only provides “good” designs (or problem solutions) but also provides assurance that the design (or solution) is thebestthat could have been achieved

6. Acceptance Phase • This first phase is about accepting or “adopting” the challenge (by person or team) • The symptoms that this phase has been done: • the project has a name (a “working title”, not necessarily its final name) • a date/time has been set for design completion (or problem solution) • time has been set aside (allocated) for the work • files (document or computer) have been set up to store relevant documents • a journal or diary has been created or adapted as a place to record progress

7. Acceptance Phase - continued • For any design project (or problem solution), it will be practically impossible to prevent premature ideation; however, it will be impossible to capitalize on any fresh and great ideas if the Acceptance phase has not been completed! • The Acceptance Phase really must come first!

8. Exploration Phase • This second phase has three sections: • Research • Analysis • Definition • However, they constitute a single phase, because the next phases will prove useless until all three are done! • It is usually desirable to do further Research after some Analysis of prior research reveals the need for more information • Definition will also usually prompt more R & A

9. Exploration Phase - continued • The symptoms that Exploration is complete are that the following Definitions have been collected and documented: • objectives for the design (or solution) and their relative importance, and the priorities of the person funding the design • criteria by which achieving these objectives will be assessed (preferably measurable criteria!) • the nature of the designs or solutions for similar or related products • the entire life cycle of the product being designed • a solid profile of the end users of the product

10. Exploration Phase - continued • More necessary symptoms of completion of this phase are the following definitions: • sketchy profiles of other users of the product throughout its life cycle • constraints on the product and on the project to create the product • resources available for the product and for the project to create the product • Note that constraints do not limit design possibilities, they illuminate them!

11. Exploration Phase - continued • Establishing all these Definitions will obviously entail doing a lot of Research, and proper Analysis of the findings • It is dangerous to proceed to the next phases until these Definitions are achieved, and well documented • In particular, the criteria defined for achieving the objectives will be essential for the fourth Selection phase of the Design Process

12. The Ideation Phase • A lot of people think that this third phase of the Design Process is the only “creative” phase of design, and that it is only possible for people with an inborn talent for creativity • They are wrong ! • Ideation usually involves “lateral” thinking, as well as the “linear” thinking which is reinforced by most of our schooling • However, it isn’t difficult, it’s fun! And easy for all of us, once we unlearn unnatural inhibitions!

13. Ideation Phase - continued • The watchword for this phase is bulk! • Quantity, not Quality (that comes later) • There are a lot of techniques for coming up with ideas, and we’ll discuss them as the semester unfolds • One lovely technique is “brainstorming” which involves collecting other people’s bright ideas in a wild session of uncensored “cerebral popcorn” • Since you will be responsible for the Selection phase, it is not “cheating” to use others’ ideas during Ideation!

14. Ideation Phase - continued • Another technique is conversation, with others, or with yourself, or with imaginary Martians! • Or you can use a dictionary or thesaurus to explore each word of your definitions of objectives, its alternatives and opposites • A very useful technique is called “Immersion and Incubation”, where you alternate between intense concentration on your objectives and leaving the problem alone (for your subconscious mind to process) (Yes, It will !! )

15. Ideation Phase - continued • Whatever techniques you use (bottom up, top down, sideways, personal or shared) to come up with ideas, the most important reminder is to record and file all of them • Too many ideas is an absolute impossibility • An irrelevant idea may prompt a relevant one • A partial solution may combine with others or stimulate the production of others • Never be without pencil and paper to record the latest idea (even when asleep)

16. Ideation Phase - continued • Some people like to work on huge pieces of paper (or rolls of shelf paper) because they find that each idea may spawn several others and it’s handy to record each as it occurs • Some people like to work on tiny “indexing slips” of paper, so that they can shuffle and sort, and lay them out around them to inspire new ideas • Do whatever works for you at the moment! • But record every idea! • There is no “symptom” for the completion of this phase--it probably won’t ever really end!

17. The Selection Phase • This fourth phase sounds like the dull and mechanical phase of the Design Process • However, it’s just as creative as any of the other phases, and usually stretches your imagination • It’s also the phase which makes the design (or the problem solution) your very own (or your team’s very own) • All that’s involved is evaluating each of the ideas recorded during Ideation according to the criteria for evaluation you recorded during Exploration

18. Selection Phase - continued • Sometimes, you’ll want to list the criteria, with priority weighting factors, and build a matrix of all your ideas versus all the criteria, and use a spreadsheet to calculate scores for each idea • More often, you’ll find you need to combine ideas, and this will send you back into Ideation to create the missing pieces • The “symptom” of a completed Selection Phase is your chosen design (or solution) together with your verifiable reasons for choosing it

19. The Implementation Phase • Remember that we’re talking Design here, not construction! Specifying, not building. • Implementing a design simply means adequately documenting it for the people who will construct from your specifications (even if that means yourself) • Implementation varies all over the map depending on the nature of the product being designed -- for an IP System Design, it’s the DFDs and Data Dictionary, and specifications for all the input/output documents and screens, and for all the programs and procedures

20. Implementation Phase - continued • For other kinds of Design challenges or Problem solutions, implementation may mean other kinds of specifications (blueprints, material lists…) • Whatever, the challenge, the symptom of a completed Implementation Phase is a complete set of specifications ready for constructors to proceed

21. Two Warnings: • Like all of the Cyclic Methodologies, this one has no guarantees that work on one phase won’t necessitate extra work on a prior phase • And it is recognized that some “premature” work may be done on a phase before prior phases are totally complete, however, • 1. Premature “Selection” will prevent good Exploration and Ideation • 2. No design project can succeed if Acceptance doesn’t come first

22. Post-Implementation Activities • Never scrap all your files once you’ve chosen and implemented the design, and turned the spec’s over to the constructors • Some of your research may be relevant to other projects you encounter later; file by topic • Your diaries and journals may help you estimate future projects (and predict bottlenecks!) • Raw ideation scribbling may prove useful for other projects; compress (if possible) and file • Only discard what is truly useless, but re-file every potentially useful document

23. The Design Process: • Accept the Challenge • Explore (Research, Analyze, Define) • Ideate ( a lot! Any how at all! ) • Select (using previously defined criteria) • Implement (Get ready for construction)

24. The Design Process • Three important facts about this methodology: • it works! On many different kinds of design projects (or problem solving challenges) • anyone can achieve good results with it, because it blends solo and social activities, linear and lateral thinking • the resulting designs are verifiably the best possible (You not only know you’re right, you know exactly why you’re right!)