In this series of three posts, I have described the process I follow when designing and prototyping a new product. Let's follow up with how we can start drafting our experience.

Even though most of the time you will end up doing a bit of all the parts at the same time, the second part of the process is when you get creative and solve problems. Based on all the research you have done before, you should have enough material to start shaping your experience. Here is a list of some tools and techniques that will often come in handy!

Card sorting

A really efficient way to get a better sense of how information should be organized is to ask users directly. By letting them sort all the information, you can better understand how they think and what they are looking for.

Information architecture

Of course, all the information gathered during the research phase and the card sorting will help you create site maps and navigation schemas, which will help you organize your content.

Design studios

Keeping all of the previous steps in mind, a well-organized design studio with coworkers or even users is a great way to tackle the design.

Paper prototypes

I am a huge fan of paper prototypes. They allow me to conduct user testings while iterating really fast. With proper explanations, they can be a very powerful tool.

User testings

User testing is the best way to see where your design has succeeded and where it has failed. Testing allows you to gather the necessary feedback to iterate and improve your design.

Wireframes

Wireframes help to present the design in a visual way and to see if everyone understands it. They also provide a good base for developers to start building the product.