3.3 Develop
This is where you come up with ideas, build quick versions of your solution, and test them out. You'll keep improving your ideas based on what you learn.
This phase is all about learning and improving. Don't worry if your first idea isn't perfect - that's normal!
tip
Try to involve users throughout this phase, not just for testing. Consider having sessions where users help create and refine ideas.
Key activities:
- Ideation
- Conduct brainstorming sessions to generate a wide range of potential solutions
- Encourage creative thinking and consider unconventional approaches
- Involve diverse participants to bring varied perspectives
- Concept development
- Refine and combine ideas into coherent solution concepts
- Evaluate concepts against your problem statement and success criteria
- Select the most promising concepts for prototyping
- Rapid prototyping
- Create low-fidelity prototypes to visualize and test key aspects of your solutions
- Use methods appropriate to your project (e.g., paper prototypes, wireframes, mock-ups)
- Focus on quickly demonstrating core functionality and user interactions
- User testing
- Test prototypes with real users from your target community
- Gather feedback on usability, desirability, and potential impact
- Observe how users interact with your prototypes
- Iteration
- Analyze user feedback and testing results
- Refine and improve your prototypes based on insights gained
- Repeat the prototyping and testing cycle as needed
- Technical feasibility assessment
- Evaluate the technical requirements and constraints of your proposed solutions
- Consult with developers and other technical experts as needed
- Stakeholder reviews
- Present prototypes and testing results to key stakeholders
- Gather input and ensure alignment with organizational goals and constraints
Resources to help:
- "User Testing Basics": https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-testing.html
- https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-beta-phase-works
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/service-design-playbook#Beta
- https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/archive/articles/design-methods-step-3-develop/
- THIS SECTION REALLY NEEDS SOME TECHNICAL RESOURCES; LIKE HOW TO USE GITHUB, HOW TO QUICKLY HOST A WEBSITE, TOOLS LIKE DOCUSAURUS, FREE DATA TOOLS, OPEN SOURCE STUFF, ETC.