How I Created A Design Framework
UX Designers are problem solvers. Yes, they are an integral part in the creation of apps and websites, but at their core, they observe or are given a problem and they come up with a plan to fix it. I was hired a year ago out of college at a company called Xquisite Marketing (XM) as a Graphic Designer. Since then, I finished a UX bootcamp at Georgia Tech, and have greatly expanded my knowledge of UX, UI, and design thinking in general. Earlier this year, we had an issue with project management and client satisfaction with our brand creation department at Xquisite. I saw this as a problem, and I fixed it. As a UX Designer, not a Graphic Designer.
At XM, we are a very small team. All of us are on contract. This means that most of us end up working on projects solo, or in groups of 2–3, rather than as an entire team. This would make using frameworks like Agile or Waterfall ineffective, as they aren’t tailored to solo work, not to mention they appeal to developers more than graphic design or marketing teams. But our projects, no-matter their size, were taking months to get from start to finish, and it was very difficult to tell when we had finished, because clients were coming back and asking for revision after revision, slowing down our pipeline. As a Graphic Designer fresh out of college with new responsibilities, I didn’t much care, I just wanted money coming in and someone giving me design work to do. But now as a UX Designer, this problem stuck out like a sore thumb, and I had to do something about it. I didn’t know if my boss would be open to my ideas, but I figured I would try to come up with a plan to solve the problem first, and then pitch it to her in its entirety.
The first step to problem solving is identifying the source of the complication. In our case, I figured it was mostly lack of communication and organization, specifically between us and the client, but also between ourselves. Our work wasn’t bad, it just never seemed to be what the clients had in mind. Our vision rarely lined up with theirs, because we didn’t put in the work to make sure they did. We asked them a few questions on what they wanted, and then tried to crank out something to the best of our ability and send it over in whatever formats they thought they needed. This made every project different, from start to finish. We were in dire need of a repeatable structure. So, I broke down the graphic design process into 5 phases.
PHASE 1 — Research
Research was a substantial weak point for us. We used the internet for inspiration, but never allowed the client to be part of the brainstorming process. Knowing this, the first thing I did was create a list of questions to ask in our brief (or for the client to fill out in a Google Form) that would give us a solid understanding of what the client wants, or in many cases, how much the client actually knows about what they want. In most situations, they have no idea what they want their brand to look like; the best they have to go off of is a few images or colors they personally like. When this happens, it is necessary to give them a better idea of what they want before you even begin sketching. Once we gather that information, we write it down in the first page of a slide deck that we will deliver to the client at the end of each phase. This way, we have in writing what they want, and if they change their mind, we can provide reasoning for why we made the design decisions we made, and remind them of their original goals. We include their target demographic, basic objective, and potential color palettes that we may draw from later on. We also let the designer write a few paragraphs on what they see in the project. They can include words of caution against certain ideas, suggestions for potential directions, and their vision for the brand in its finality. This allows the client to see if our vision matches up with theirs. If it does not, we will not move on from this phase until we get it right. Otherwise, nothing else we do, no matter how good it is, will be correct. We also include a mood board of any images the client sent over, and ones of our own we find to be inspirational going forward. Phase 1 solved our problem of a conflict of visons.
IF AT ANY POINT IN THIS PROCESS the client is not satisfied with the direction, we iterate back to the previous phase, or the phase with the complication. This way, we would never get to the end of a project only to have the client decide its not what they wanted.
PHASE 2 — Wireframe
This framework takes into account that our clients don’t always ask for a brand package. Sometimes they want a website, or marketing work, mockups, 3D, etc. Whatever it is, we must show proof of concept at this point. I named this phase “Wireframe” but it really includes paper sketching, digital sketching, 3D wireframes, wireflows, whatever applies to the medium requested. In most cases, it ends up being digital sketches; rough drafts of our final design. After adding a quick paragraph on recommended options and notes on the process thus far, we send this over to the client as a slide deck to decide which direction they are leaning towards. These are rough drafts, and its always good to note that before sending this phase to the client. Phase 2 solved our problem of a lack of clear direction.
PHASE 3 — Design
If we have done well up to this point, the design phase should be easy. We should have a sketch to go off of, and a good few slides explaining how and why we got to this point. Our design decisions should follow this, and we should have a final product knocked out in no time. This is also where we include mockups of the logo, or any other deliverables asked for. Most importantly, this is where we include a style guide, showing font choices and color codes, and explaining how the design should be used for social media, print, etc.
I cannot stress enough the importance of following this process. If everything is done correctly and lined up by phase 3, the actual design process is incredibly smooth and fast. Any 12 year old with a laptop and a copy of illustrator can make a cool logo. What makes us designers is that we can explain our design decisions, how we got to where we are, and why. Making stuff that looks cool is only half of the job. The other half is making sure what you create is what the users of the product or service will ultimately connect with the most. Phase 3 solved our problem of a cluttered pipeline with little structure.
PHASE 4 — Iteration
It does not matter how good of a designer you think you are, you are not perfect. You will make mistakes, or fall short of what the client wants. This phase is dedicated to that fact. In this phase we can make any changes that the client (or XM) want to make. From minor mistakes in vectorization, to massive misunderstandings of the brief, this is where we make those changes. The client will either use this logo, or they won’t. If they don’t like it, we go back and find where the issue was, and fix it. If they do like it, we polish it here. We can even use this phase for the client to add any extra deliverables, now that they see the final product. Once we make it past this stage, we are golden. The job is pretty much done, and our money is on the way. Phase 4 solved our problem of frustrations when clients weren’t satisfied yet.
PHASE 5 — Deploy
This is where we send out the final product. We package up the full completed slide deck and all of the deliverables requested, and send them to the client. If they want to make any changes from this point or redo anything, they have to pay more. This is not a situation we like to see, but using this framework allows us to benefit from an otherwise frustrating reality. Phase 5 solved our problem of not having a clear set of deliverables for our clients.
I pitched this framework to my boss when everyone started going remote, and it has been wildly successful thus far. We have branded at least 10 new companies with it, and done smaller projects for many more existing brands. Our turnaround time has been drastically reduced, our client satisfaction has gone up, and our in-house productivity levels have increased. It hasn’t been perfect, we have come across some issues that have needed to be fixed, but with the help of our team, we improve with every project.
Being a UX Designer is about solving problems, not just designing cool stuff. Having the ability to say I created a design process that benefited a company I worked for will be very helpful in my career going forward. I can only hope to be an influential designer and make my mark on the industry, but I think this is a pretty good start. If you or your company are in need of a brand redesign, come check us out (link in the subtitle). And if you’re a company in need of junior UX designers, reach out to me, I’d love to talk!
