design led engineering

OUR DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Tarun Kohli Founder and CEO

EMPATHIZE

PRINCIPLE ONE

A good design can only be created once we are in sync with the goals of the users, their operating context and their mental models. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DEVELOP EMPATHY – •  Listen carefully and understand the problem statement •  Observe users to understand their operating context •  Build Personas and their goals •  Reduce bias. Be open. •  Narrate the experience via visual storyboards

Good design solves users’ problems.

DESIGN WITH DATA

PRINCIPLE TWO

A good design is created when we leverage real instances of the kind of data for the product we are building. It helps you build the right visual hierarchy among various data elements. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DESIGN WITH DATA – •  Work with Product Owner to get real examples •  Try to gather minimal and fully flushed out examples of

data •  Make sure the application flow uses the same dataset

consistently

Death to Lorem Ipsum.

DEFAULT TO SIMPLICITY

PRINCIPLE THREE

A good design uses simple and easy to understand visual and interaction constructs to delight users. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DEFAULT TO SIMPLICITY – •  Remove the unessential •  Group things which belong together •  Hide things if you have to •  Use the constructs and mental models which are widely

used •  Use the concept of design affordance to your advantage

to make it simple •  Remember perfection isn’t achieved when there is

nothing more to add, but when there is nothing to take away

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication – Leonardo Da Vinci

BE CONSISTENT

PRINCIPLE FOUR

It’s important that we show consistency across all the pages/screens of our app otherwise the users have to struggle with learning new concepts. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DESIGN FOR CONSISTENCY - •  Create options for call to actions, labels and any other

aspect of the design •  Get an early buy-in •  Publish a style guide around it

Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don’t have to worry about what will happen. Instead, they know what will happen based on earlier experience – Jakob Neilsen

KEEP STATES IN MIND

PRINCIPLE FIVE

A good experience is created when the design takes care of the following scenarios - -  First Time Use -  No Data -  Loading -  Lots of Data -  Error -  Completed -  Success

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DESIGN FOR STATES– •  Think of all scenarios like a user. •  Show Empathy •  Design for all states so that users don’t get lost while

using the app •  Apply them consistently across all flows

We need to design for the entire experience, not only the happy scenarios.

PERFORMANCE MATTERS

PRINCIPLE SIX

Design needs to make sure that it not only looks pretty and usable but has an ability to work at breakthrough speed. The mantra of Simplicity and Performance go hand in hand. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE - •  Make sure the designs are simple. •  Make sure the development team gets to approve the

design as early as possible •  All designers need to know how browser and mobile

apps work •  Adopt all the Simplicity principles.

Design is not what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works – Steve Jobs

SEEK CRITIQUE

PRINCIPLE SEVEN

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN SEEK AND GIVE CRITIQUE– •  Narrate your design story before asking for critique •  Make sure you feel happy about the designs before

putting it out there •  For the critique givers, be polite but direct •  Be specific about your design critique and offer

suggestions that could help improve the design •  Last but not the least, share the things that worked in

the design

We need to seek critique to make our designs better.

THANK YOU

h"p://www.quovan.s.com    |  h"p://blogs.quovan.s.com    |    h"ps://www.linkedin.com/company/quovan.s-­‐technologies    |  h"ps://twi"er.com/quovan.s