Design underpins every form of creation from objects such as chairs to the way we plan and execute our lives. For this reason it is useful to seek out some common structure that can be applied to any kind of design, whether this be for video games, consumer products or one's own personal life.
For such an important concept, the question "What is Design?" appears to yield answers with limited usefulness. The design process can be defined as "The management of constraints". The process of design then proceeds from here by manipulating design variables to satisfy the constraints and optimizing possibilities.
Typical steps
Typical stages of the design process include:
Pre-production design
Design brief - a statement of design goals
Analysis - analysis of current design goals
Research - investigating similar design solutions in the field or related topics
Specification - specifying requirements of a design solution for a product or service.
Problem solving - conceptualizing and documenting design solutions
Presentation - presenting design solutions
Design during production
Development - continuation and improvement of a designed solution
Testing - in-situ testing a designed solution
Post-production design feedback for future designs
Implementation - introducing the designed solution into the environment
Evaluation and conclusion - summary of process and results, including constructive criticism and suggestions for future improvements
