As design professionals, we often find ourselves in a situation where an business idea, project idea or product concept has already been established and worst case, the development has already begun. The big problem, strategic ground work like positioning, ideation, benchmark analysis, etc is missing, user research got neglected and as a result, the user-centered concept is lacking – not to mention the visual design. In some cases there are market acceptance studies already in place but due to the missing strategic ground work, the connection to target-oriented release plannings or measurable objectives are not given. It’s also common that no clear process exists on how to handle new feature ideas which can lead many stakeholders down different paths without a cohesive end goal in sight. With all of this, being successful is getting close to gambling.
Consequences
What does this mean for us? Unfortunately, if we as designers get involved too late in the process, it has far-reaching consequences that usually affect the quality of our work:
- We have to neglect valuable preliminary work: Due to time constraints, important steps such as user research, best practice analysis, benchmarking, competitor analysis and stakeholder alignment are neglected. However, these steps are essential for developing a deep understanding of the product and its target audience. They also help to ensure that the design is focused on the needs of the users.
- We are under time pressure in the concept phase: user story maps, user flows and wireframes have to be created quickly in order to not delay development unnecessarily. This often leaves no room for new and innovative ideas. In addition, the level of detail and our aim to create a holistic concept suffers.
- We create basic designs under time pressure: keyscreens, design systems and visual prototypes have to be developed quickly in order not to slow down development. However, this can lead to a lack of care and attention to detail, which in turn can affect the user experience later on. It also increases the risk of inconsistencies, as time is not spent as it should be.
- Rebuilding elements that have already been developed becomes necessary: Because we, as designers, were not involved from the beginning, the development started with designs that were not matching the needs of the users. This often means that components have to be adapted or, in the worst case, developed again. This can significantly delay the project and drive up costs (not to mention the frustration of those involved).
- We interrupt development by introducing processes: Development processes often need to be adapted to make room for strategic, conceptual and design work. If this is done in the middle of development, it usually leads to inconsistencies and delays.
Overall, it is crucial to involve designers in the process from the beginning to ensure that the resulting product is aligned with user needs and that important steps such as user research and stakeholder alignment are not neglected. Involving designers at an early stage can also ensure that time pressures and the need to redesign during development can be avoided. This saves time and money.
Our appeal
Involve design from the start: the earlier, the better! This ensures that the necessary strategic and conceptual steps are taken to create the same target image in everyone's mind. It ensures that the product meets the real needs of the user and that design standards can be maintained (which, by the way, go beyond mere appearance). Design has the power to create a product that users need and love, and that adds value to society.
