| I rely on three facets: Stakeholders, the user community, and technology. After initial ideation or intake, I reach out to people and data sources from all three areas, aiming for reasonable depth as well as breadth. With people, I tend to work 1:1 with a few representative end users per Nielsen's' rule of thumb. I analyze and synthesize, then reflect back to ensure consonance. For reflection, I employ user stories, sketches and prototypes. These artifacts — when created with diverse team members in mind — are easy for people from any discipline to understand. I flesh out the artifacts with technical and contextual details, as well as the disciplines and resources required. I keep it all as light as possible, with room for subsequent modification as needed during subsequent phases. |
