1. Design Process
1.1. Know
1.2. Ideate
1.3. Apply
2. Advertise
2.1. Marketing and public relation for acquiring clients
2.1.1. The act of making the public known about the design service can sometimes even surpassed the importance of actually committing to the work
2.1.2. A project can be initiated either internally through strategic planning or external marketing and public relations
2.1.3. Two channels: “(I) past experiences, (II) word of mouth and superior reputation
2.1.4. Without quality work, reputation is difficult to establish and rather easy to lost
2.1.5. Top-down or bottom-up
2.1.5.1. from the senior management or the CEO
2.1.5.2. from the superiors in a focused team
2.1.6. Manifesting a consistent business plan
2.1.6.1. define companies’ core values, vision statements and mission statements
3. Define and research
3.1. Research stage for initiating the creative projects
3.1.1. Identifying the problems, objectives, core functionalities and constrains.
3.1.2. Differernt Terminologies
3.1.3. Immense research
3.1.4. Necessary to acquire external knowledge
3.1.5. User-driven mentality and considering future changes
3.1.6. Seamless transition between the research and the ideation process
3.2. Devising the design brief
3.2.1. Specify problems and needs
3.2.2. Grand vision
3.2.3. Budget
3.2.4. Timeframe
3.2.5. Team composition
3.2.5.1. Internal
3.2.5.2. External
3.2.6. Inspect current conditions
3.3. Actual practices design projects often do not proceed with the most optimal or cost-effective approach
3.3.1. Poor management
3.3.2. Miscommunication
3.3.3. Corporate politcs conflict with project objective
3.4. Utilising design research methods, not only by design consultancies
3.4.1. Visulising data
3.4.1.1. data visualisation methods
3.4.1.2. brainstorm graphic organisers
3.4.1.3. concept map
3.4.1.4. content inventory & Audit
3.4.1.5. Customer Experience Audit
3.4.1.6. Eye tracking
3.4.1.7. Kj technique
3.4.1.8. mental note diagram
3.4.1.9. semantic differential
3.4.1.10. Site search analytics
3.4.1.11. Stakeholder maps
3.4.1.12. Triading
4. Generate ideas, Iterate and test from low fidelity to high fidelity
4.1. Conception/Ideation stage for iterating and evaluating concepts.
4.1.1. discoveries from previous stages are compiled into parameters
4.1.2. Rapidly generate and test concepts
4.1.2.1. Visualising the research data
4.1.2.1.1. Mindmap
4.1.2.1.2. Diagrams
4.1.2.1.3. Category charts
4.1.2.2. Brainstorms
4.1.2.2.1. Mood board
4.1.2.2.2. Inspiration collages
4.1.2.3. From low fidelity concepts to high fidelity concepts
4.1.2.3.1. Low fidelity
4.1.2.3.2. High fidelity
4.1.3. Utilising a complex range of medium
4.1.3.1. Drawing
4.1.3.2. Prototyping
4.1.3.3. Testing
4.1.4. Address issues from within and beyond the company
4.1.4.1. competitor analysis
4.1.4.2. Social context
4.1.4.3. Culture context
4.1.4.4. Economical context
4.1.5. Devising user-centric plans
4.2. Timeframe varies depending on discplines and project scale
4.2.1. Detailed understanding of the design context, including the market, audiences, manufacturing cost and complexity
4.2.2. Move to production
5. Manufacture and Evaluation.
5.1. Development, launch and evaluation. the development stage commences after the final sign-off of concept proposals from the ideation process.
5.1.1. Final sign-off of concept proposals
5.1.2. Obtaining corporate financial support
5.1.3. Concentrates on refinement and fabrication
5.1.4. Materials, logistics, time-to-market and other influencers
5.1.5. Rely heavily on multi-disciplinary cooperation
5.1.5.1. Feedbacks from production experts and different stakeholders
5.1.5.1.1. marketing team
5.1.5.1.2. Engineerers
5.1.5.1.3. Programmers
5.1.5.1.4. Developers
5.1.6. Explore the technological and production capabilities
5.1.7. identifying any final problems or constrains prior to manufacturing
5.1.8. inspected against production standards and legal requirements, damage testings
5.1.9. proceeding to manufacture stage
5.1.10. responsibilities are shifting from designers to manufactures
5.2. After launch, design companies actively monitor its impact, adjust and modify the product on course.
5.2.1. Provide data for next project