Design principles for better iteration
I recently wrote about iteration. Here are 4 design principles you can apply to this:
1. Frame the problem
Make sure that you frame the underlying problem whenever you’re designing a new solution.
2. Explain why
Every time you move to a new design approach explain why. Iteration should mean a new or different approach so write a summary of what’s changed or what you’re testing.
Examples:
We’re testing [this] approach for the first time. We’ve designed it [this] way [because]
We learned [this] in the last round of user research. We now think that taking [this] approach will mean that [this] will work better
Further reading: Everything is hypothesis-driven design.
3. Don’t compare
Don’t treat iteration as A-B testing. It’s not about testing multiple designs to see which design people prefer. Focus on one design approach at a time until you understand why this does, or doesn’t work.
4. Don’t go back
Remember that you moved on from a particular design approach for a reason. This should be when you learned when something didn’t work from user research. It’s rarely good to go back.
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