The Design Process

TechTeacher

September 24th, 2022

The Design Process
By: Brisa Willis 

The Design Process:

    In instructional design, one can't just simply begin designing, there are steps that one must take to

 ensure that the product is successful and that the intended audience benefits from what is produced.

 The design process (depicted in figure 1) is a never-ending cycle that consists of the following steps

 according to the DiscoverDesign Handbook (n.d.)...
    
          1. Define 
          2. Collect
          3. Brainstorm & Analyze Ideas
          4. Develop
          5. Feedback
          6. Improve
Each step is vital for instructional designers to use to support them as they navigate through their

 projects. If instructional designers can use the design process then the project becomes more

 manageable. The first step of the design process is to define. To have something to create you

 have to determine the problem. Defining the problem can be achieved through data collection.

 Instructional designers can collect data in the following ways according to Piskurich (2015)... 

          •  Focus groups: Focus groups is a gathering of those who work for the company and are considered the experts at what they do. If designers can facilitate a successful focus group then they can learn about what the problem is. 
          • Interviews: When one decides to perform interviews there are two ways to go about it. One can already have preselected questions and provide those questions in advance to those whom they are interviewing, or they can ask questions as the conversation progresses.   
          • Observations: Through observations, one can see what strengths and challenges workers are demonstrating. During an observation, to get a variety of data, it is vital to observe not only those who have been doing their job for many years but also to observe those with less experience or brand new to their position. 
          • Questionnaires or surveys: Workers receive questions which they are to answer. 


Once the problem has been defined, the next step is to collect information. The information that is 

collected is to be relevant to the problem that was defined in the previous step. After

 collecting more information about the problem, one can then move to the next step which is

  brainstorming.  When one is brainstorming, they are considering all the possible solutions to the

 problem using the information that they collected. When enough brainstorming has occurred, an

instructional designer may then move to the developing solutions stage, which is stage 4. In Stage 4 of

 the design process, prototypes are created so that they can be presented to others, and feedback

 can be given, which occurs in the fifth step. The final stage of the design process consists of taking the

 feedback given and improving the prototype to ensure that what is being produced is the best version

 of itself, and can provide the desired results.  

      Once a solution has been created for the problem identified, the solution is then implemented and

 two outcomes can occur. The first outcome could be a positive one, meaning that what

 was created was truly the best solution and the desired results are being made. On the other hand, once

a solution is implemented, it might be observed that the solution is not producing positive results. In

that case, designers will have to go back to the drawing board and go through the design process again.

There is no guarantee of what the outcome will be once the design is implemented, however, that is

why the design process is a cycle. It's important to keep in mind that a product that was positive when it

 was first implemented could easily change. What worked for a couple months may start to not be as

 effective, and if that turns into the case then designers will have to go back and go through the design 

process again. 

Figure 1: The Design Process





Why Follow the Process? 

        The significance of the design process is to provide organization and structure for designers. A 

project can easily become overwhelming for one, so using the design process allows for projects

given to be broken into smaller chunks. To ensure that what is being produced will give the best

results it is vital for designers to take their time, consider everything, look at data, and improve

their solutions. 

Implementation Situations:
    
        The outcomes of situations will differ due to differences in TAP statements. TAP 

statements allow one to provide information regarding the topic, audience, and purpose of their design.

 Figure 2 and figure 3 most likely had different TAP statements which resulted in different outcomes.

 The topic for figure 2 was CPR, the audience was citizens, and the purpose was to educate individuals

 on how to perform CPR correctly. In figure 3, on the other hand, the topic was mindset, the audience

 was students, and the purpose was to educate students on the difference between having a fixed vs. a

 growth mindset. 
Figure 2: CPR 



Figure 3: Growth Mindset



    
  Example: The Design Process and Instructional Design 

                    Instructional designers do not just work for corporate America, they can also be tasked

 with designing something for an educational setting, such as improving training for educators. In the 

first step of the design process, instructional designers would need to identify the problem. The best 

way to identify the problem would be to conduct a focus group and ask teachers what their opinions 

are of the current state of the training provided for them. Follow-up questions such as, what 

information do you feel confident in and what do you need more support in, could guide designers to 

identifying the problem, and also ensuring that they are designing something that would be 

meaningful for educators. Once the problem is identified, one can then move through the design 

process. Data can be collected, brainstorming can begin, prototypes can be created, feedback can be 

provided, improvement can be made, and implementation can be done. If the design process is done 

correctly done then the product will be successful. On the other hand, if steps were skipped or rushed 

through, it could be possible that the product is not beneficial. 
   
     Implementing the design process is not just used in instructional design, even though that is the main

 focus of this blog post. It's important to point out that engineers also use the design process. Figure 4,

 provides a real-life example of the design process being implemented. The picture 

depicted below, was used when the PlayStation controller was first designed. Due to the design 

process, an efficient console was made for the gaming system. 


Figure 4: PlayStation Controller




References:

American Red Cross. (2022, June 2). CPR & Conscious Choking Poster Set. Red Cross Store. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://www.redcross.org/store/cpr-conscious-choking-poster/754108.html

biglifejournal.com. (n.d.). How to Teach Growth Mindset to Children (The 4-Week Guide). Big Life Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/teach-growth-mindset-kids-activities


 DiscoverDesign Handbook. (n.d.). DiscoverDesign. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from

 https://discoverdesign.org/handbook

George M. Piskurich. (2015). Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right: Vol. Third

   edition. Wiley.

Passi, A. (2021, December 11). Design Thinking and Its Implementation in Real Life. Medium. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://medium.com/nyc-design/design-thinking-and-its-implementation-in-real-life-994b52366603







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