Things To Do While Taking a Design Brief
Being an in-house designer, working on product’s multiple segments is something that we are constantly switching to. Before starting projects, we are briefed on the scope of work and the results they are expecting out of the design. Manier times the conversation shifts and ends up being our manager becoming art directors telling how they want the design to be. But the real objective of the meeting is still not achieved. So below is the list of things you should do/ask during any design brief meeting.
Ask about the end goal.
For every design we have to do, there is a certain goal or target that is kept in mind while creating the brief, which determines the design project to be complete. Ask about the goal of the design job. The goal can be one or many. They can be primary and secondary goals. To identify the goals and their priority will help you make the relevant decisions during the design.
Be Specific
After the goal(s) is/are identified, it’s time to be specific. This will help us measure whether we have achieved the goal or not.
Also, when there is a specific goal, the designer will focus on creating a solution so to achieve the goal rather than just shooting random arrows. The more specific the goal(s), the clearer it becomes to solve the problem. Ask questions until you get to a specific, realistic and agreeable goal.
For example, We need a redesign of our landing page because we need more engagement on our website. By next 3 months, we want the bounce rate to drop from 50% to 30%. Apart from that we also need 10,000 new signups via email registrations within the same time frame.
when you see above statement you see the goal is very specific, with a well-defined and realistic timeline.
Share Your Research/Experience
In-house designers generally know about our upcoming projects with a little knowledge of why. Due to that curiosity, We all do, not too deep but at least some surface level research with teammates and close proximity users if possible. But during the briefing, These insights are rarely shared. It’s good to share the data or information collected as it may help define the goal of the project and not just that it may also give you, the designer a step ahead and a starting point for your project. But sometimes we don’t have a research but we have experienced some of the facts in our research during any previous project(s). If you think it’s relevant and fits in the scope of your current brief, open its insights and information for a discussion.
Process and Reflect
During the briefing sometimes there are things that are said and agreed on but not documented. This may result in having an important point, casually put, to be forgotten during the design process. So during the briefing process whatever you are listening.
And when the speaker finishes talking, rephrase it in a word or sentence, and reflect. After the briefing is over, take a day to go through the brief and the notes made. Compose what you learned in an email and sent it to the stakeholders.
Doing this whole process may take some time but it’s better to design accurately than designing fast.
Thank you for reading…
Hello, My name is Manav Madaan. I’m a Digital Product Designer specialising in UX Design. Here on Medium to improve my story telling skills and share my experiences and learning.
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Things To Do-Designing A Landing Page
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