The benefits of design - Why invest in design concepts?

As designers, we bring new ideas to screens. At SYNAOS, for example, we design the user interface of our SYNAOS Intralogistics Management Platform (IMP), which should always display all relevant information on all end devices - from large screens to handy mobile devices. Often, industrial software is not exactly pretty to look at. We want to change that and place particular emphasis on the good looks and intuitive usability of our products.

We want to understand our customers in detail so that we can identify and meet their needs. We also want to understand what companies need so that we can deliver them not just any solution, but the best one. We are helped in this by the so-called design thinking approach, i.e. a structured procedure in the design and development of digital products. The goal is to find solutions that convince the user - the user is the focus.

FOUR STEPS TO THE PRODUCT

In the beginning, there was no such design and development process at SYNAOS. But it quickly became clear to us: we need this kind of standardisation for efficient development of digital products. So we implemented the process step by step and clearly defined each stage so that we could get from start to finish faster and also minimise risks in the process.

Specifically, we have divided the development of a digital product into four steps, starting with the first section "understand and define", followed by the second step "visualize and test", before programming begins as the third step. At the end of the design process is the delivery of the product.

SORT IDEAS

The first step is to understand the main problem in order to solve it efficiently. For example, the software may not reflect the status of a transport vehicle, so this information is missing on the user interface. Such insufficient transparency is the problem, because users should be able to see the vehicle status in order to make better decisions faster. Finding a suitable solution is now our challenge. Of course, we have high quality standards - and we want the users and customers to be satisfied and to enjoy using our product.

In the early start-up phase, it is important to define some important things. We have many ideas and requirements at the beginning, some of which we don't really understand at this stage. So we have to clarify how we want to develop the product, what it could look like and in what way it should work. In the process, we also check components or functions that already exist.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS BEGINS

When we have successfully answered these first questions, we start with the design and thus begin the creative process. At the beginning of this process, you don't always know exactly what you will end up designing. But if you divide the creative process into smaller steps, it is clear that each step brings us a little closer to the finished solution.

Many repetitions are necessary: We have to adapt again and again, improve, test - and sometimes fail. With each small iteration we try to improve the design step by step. This effort is necessary so that we have a convincing result. All the experiences we make flow into the process. We implement feedback as quickly as possible and adapt the designs. We learn, improve, test and build prototypes - until finally everything fits.

For the tests, we build clickable prototypes that can be based on coarser wireframes. They already give the users the good feeling of using the real software app. The prototype doesn't have to be perfect and complete; it shouldn't be at all, as it is initially for demonstration purposes. Up to this step, no valuable and cost-intensive programming resources have flowed into the project. This saves a lot of time and money - after all, programming is the most expensive part of digital products. With our design process, we also reduce the likelihood of failure.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM - WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

When we are satisfied, the development of the product follows. At this point, the programmers enter the stage and get to work. They need us designers to understand what exactly they are supposed to build. We communicate a lot, talk to each other and exchange all the necessary information between the departments. For example, we hand them extensive visualisations, prototypes and exact specifications. The documents specify spacing, font types and sizes, for example. We even build small film clips in addition. When the developers understand more precisely what they are supposed to build through our material, they work more efficiently. This saves a developer one working day per week (on a smaller project). That's why a good handover is so important!

As the development progresses, we continue to assist the programmers so they can keep checking back. Finally, we test the solution to make sure it is convincing and the original problem is solved.

If one were to omit the first two steps and start directly with the programming, there would be a product in the end. But it would probably not meet the exact requirements of the client. There would be frustration - and great disappointment. The client would say, "That's not what I wanted!" And we would have wasted a lot of time, only to end up with a product that doesn't convince. To prevent such an annoyance, we as a design department start before the development and proceed step by step. Our goal is to ensure that customers get exactly what they want.