In the initial phase of the process I try to understand what the users really want to accomplish with the product I’m working on.

It’s been my experience that users and other stakeholders will generally think of making the trains run on time, not designing a revolutionary new transportation system. The most important skill I bring to the design process is my ability to refine all the stakeholder feedback into a nugget of insight and then make the intuitive leap to a design solution that will bring the product to the next level.

For me, sketching is a rapid, iterative way to try out different design solutions at the start of a project. The value of sketching is that I don’t feel vested in any of the designs. I use the wall of my office or cube to post the sketches, think them over, and then I sketch some more. The wall of my cube serves as a social space where I can get feedback from stakeholders while I’m working through the process.

A paper prototype is higher in fidelity than a sketch, in that it’s a representation of an entire screen, rather than a collection of different ideas on a page. Paper prototypes provide a low cost (or no cost) way to iteratively evaluate design ideas. If the current one doesn’t work, there is no cost in throwing it away and testing a new paper prototype.

Wireframes are the next step in my process, in which I set the skeleton, or visual guide, of where the elements will appear on the screens.

In my process, these are the wireframes, with the addition of interactivity and more polished screen elements and artwork. The prototypes can be used to validate design concepts and processes while avoiding the costs of developing in a production environment.