‘Design Toolbox’ was a 3-week design class that examined a practical understanding of design, its process and methods through inputs, hands-on sessions and small assignments. Taught at University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany in October 2013.

1. Jentsch • Jordan
Design
Toolbox
practical
understanding
of design,
its process and
methods
for

2. Hello
Note: These is both
the edited slide
deck as well as the
documentation of a
3-week design class
from October 2013

3. tell
What is design?

4. tell
What is design?
Or what is it not?

5. defined
“ Design is not for philosophy
it’s for life.
”
— Issey Miyake, Fashion Designer

6. defined
“ To design is
to devise courses of action aimed at
changing existing situations
into preferred ones
— Herbert Simon, nobel laureate
”

7. defined
“ To design is
to plan, to order, to relate and to control.
— Emil Ruder, Swiss typographer
”

8. model
Design ladder for
evaluating design maturity
Stage 3: Design as strategy
Design forms a part of the
organisation’s strategy
Stage 2: Design as process
Design is a part of product
development and other
processes
Stage 1: Design as styling
Design is used for improving
the appearance of products or
services
Stage 0: No design
Design plays no role in product
or service development
— B. De Mozota (2003): The Economic Effects of Design, 2003; Design Creates Value, 2007); Icons: Olivier Guin

9. model
Relationships between a design function
and the larger supported organisation
Separate
Design as external
resource
— S. Junginger (2012)
Peripheral
Design as part of
the organisation
Central
Design at the core
of the organisation
Integrated
Design integral to
all aspects of the
organisation

10. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Large
Scale Systems
Policy Design
Systems Design
Environment
Public Service Infrastructure
Level of Complexity
Systems & Behaviour
Urban Planning
Service Design
Architecture
SMEs
Strategic Design
Culture
Artefact & Experience
Engineering
Interaction Design
Human Computer Interaction
User Experience
Anthropological Design
Human Centred Design
Artefact
Product
Interior
Fashion
Jewellery
— S. Di Russo (2013): http://ithinkidesign.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/design-wars/
Graphic
Web & New Media

11. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Artefact
Example: car2go’s Smarts
Fashion
Graphic
Interior
Jewellery
Product
Web & New Media
— Photo: Daimler AG (2012)

12. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Artefact &
Experience
Example: car2go’s mobile app
Anthropological Design
Engineering
Interaction Design
Human Centred Design
Human Computer Interaction
User Experience

13. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Systems &
Behaviour
Example: car2go’s car access system
Architecture
Culture
Service Design
SMEs
Strategic Design
Urban Planning
— Photo: Daimler AG (2012)

14. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Large Scale
Systems
Example: Dedicated parking spaces
for car sharing in Berlin
Environment
Policy Design
Public Service Infrastructure
Systems Design

15. defined
“ Design is a creative activity whose aim is
to establish the multi-faceted qualities of
objects, processes, services, and their
systems in whole life cycles.
”
— The International Council Societies of Industrial Design (icsid)
— Icsid (2006): Definition of Design. http://www.icsid.org/about/about/articles31.htm

16. find
Collect 1 example:
• artefact
• artefact and
experience
• systems and
behaviour
• large scale
systems

17. outcome

18. tell
What’s the role of
the designer?

19. outcome

20. outcome

21. model
The expanding role of the
designer over history
Pre-industrial society:
design-craftsperson
Industrial revolution:
separation of making and styling
1960s:
Designers work in multi-disciplinary teams
1970s:
Designers as “end-user expert”, Papanek’s book
1980s:
Design & business innovation, design management
1990s:
Experience and brand, the internet
— L. Tan (2009): Seven ‘new’ roles designers are playing in public life:
http://imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/downloads/_assets/dpc2009/presentations/Lauren_Tan_DPC2009.pdf

22. model
Designer’s roles
in a design team
Investigator
Catalyst
Communicator
Manager
Artist
— Northumbria University (2009): Designer’s Roles in a Design Team: http://www.designcollaboration.org/resources/roles/designer-roles.php

23. model
Seven ‘new’ roles of designers
Designer as co-creator
Designer as researcher
Designer as communicator
Designer entrepreneur
Designer as capability builder
Designer as facilitator
Designer as strategist
— L. Tan (2009): Seven ‘new’ roles designers are playing in public life:
http://imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/downloads/_assets/dpc2009/presentations/Lauren_Tan_DPC2009.pdf

24. tell
How do design
processes look?

25. model
Design process
(after Tim Brennan)
?
$
— Dubberly Design Office (2004): How do you design? – A compendium of Models, http://www.dubberly.com/articles/how-do-you-design.html

26. br
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model
The ‘double diamond’
design process model
Discover
Define
Develop
— Design Council (2005): The Design Process, http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/designprocess
Deliver

27. model
Design process model
by Alice Agogino
Define
Prototype
Evaluate
— Dubberly Design Office (2004): How do you design? – A compendium of Models, http://www.dubberly.com/articles/how-do-you-design.html

28. model
Design Thinking Process Model
by HPI School of Design Thinking
Understand
Observe
Point of View
Ideate
Prototype
Test
— HPI School of Design Thinking (2007): Kernelemente, http://www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/d_school/designthinking/kernelemente.html

29. model
Characteristics of design
thinking processes
User-centred
Iterative
Collaborative
designing for
human beings
and their needs
in steps towards
a solution that
solves the problem
working with others
– from design &
other disciplines

30. model
Design process archetype: Analysis,
Synthesis (after Koberg and Bagnall)
Process
Input
Analysis
Synthesis
Output
— Dubberly Design Office (2004): How do you design? – A compendium of Models, http://www.dubberly.com/articles/how-do-you-design.html

31. model
Rational Unified Process (after Phillippe Kruchten)
Phases
Inception
Elaboration
Construction
Major Milestone
Internal Release
External Release
Transition
Iterations
Business
Modelling
Requirements
Analysis &
Design
Implementation
Test
Deployment
Configuration & change
management
Project
management
— Dubberly Design Office (2004): How do you design? – A compendium of Models, http://www.dubberly.com/articles/how-do-you-design.html

32. Proposal
ADD
Definition
to
ADA
Alpha
ADB
Beta
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model
Product Delivery Process in
Nokia’s HERE organisation
ADR
Release

33. interview
Ask an established
designer about her /
his design process

34. how-to
Ideas for interview questions
What’s your role as a designer?
What’s your ideal design process?
What’s your actual design process?
…

35. how-to
Interview for empathy
Ask why.
Never say “usually” when asking a question.
Encourage stories.
Look for inconsistencies.
Pay attention to nonverbal cues.
Don’t be afraid of silence.
Don’t suggest answers to your questions.
Ask questions neutrally.
Don’t ask binary questions.
Only ten words to a question.
Only ask one question at a time, one person at a time.
Make sure you’re prepared to capture.
— d.school (2010): bootcamp bootleg, http://dschool.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BootcampBootleg2010v2SLIM.pdf

36. tell
How was your
interview?
What did your learn
from your
interviewee?
What is her / his
role as designer?
How much do our
discussed process
models match her /
his working reality?

37. outcome

38. outcome

39. outcome

40. define
Who do you
design for?

41. examples
Unconventional results with usercentred design processes
SitOrSquad
Vitra Chairless
NG Explorer
is an app that
helps you find
clean restrooms in
an unfamiliar area
reinvents seating
in Indian style
with a special belt
contains focussed
maps and place
recommendations for
each neighbourhood
of a city

42. analyse
Investigate the
given photographs
from a person’s day
of her/his life.
What do these
tell you?
Who is this person?

43. outcome

44. outcome

45. outcome

46. methods
Methods to learn about your user
Cultural Probes
Shadowing
Customer Journey Map
User & expert interviews
Self-testing
Personal network research
Explorative research
Quantitive studies

47. method
Persona: defining a point a view
• captures goals, motivations & behaviours
• behavioural pattern as base (instead of demographics)
• combined in archetypes (primary, secondary)
• details personal goals and motivations
• includes a picture, quote and a short biography
• mentions age, sex, occupation, hobbies, likes & dislikes
• foundation of scenarios etc.
— D. Saffer (2009): Designing for interaction

48. methods
Flows, mapping
What are people
doing when?

49. methods
Time- and context-based tools
Blueprints for analysis and planning of offer
User journeys to identify moments of delights & pain points
Scenario to prototype potential usage

50. d r aw
Scenario map
What would a day
in the life of your
persona look like?

51. d r aw
Scenario map on the topic of
News and their
consumption
for one of the following personas

52. meet
Paul, 39
— Photo: Nokia (2013)

53. meet
Paul, 39
“ I rely on the radio
to keep me in the loop
”
Paul is an account executive from Leeds who commutes
two-hours by car to work in Manchester.
He likes listening to news on the radio, but does not
actively seek it out or make any real effort.
He uses the mobile internet a lot on his Android, both
while at work and out and about. But mostly it’s for News
and Sport. He reads the Financial Times, the Sun, Metro
and the Evening Standard.

54. meet
Paul, 39
Social Goals
Family Bonding
Being part of the gang
LOW
HIGH
Escapism
Mobile
End Goals, Motivations, Needs
Attitudes towards technology
Enabling
Exciting
Alienating
Being in the know
Identity
Social Networking
Complex / Overwhelming
HIGH
Lifestyle
Internet activities
Time spent online
LOW
LOW
HIGH
Entertainment
Background Info
Topic Discovery
Deep Knowledge
Context
Curiosity of the unknown
Identify the unknown
LOW
HIGH

55. meet
Sarah, 27
— Photo: Nokia (2013)

56. meet
Sarah, 27
“ I always have to know
what’s happening out there
”
Sarah works in a department store. She identifies herself with
the lifestyle and culture of RnB and pop. That involves music,
movies, fashion and celebrities. On weekends she is usually
out and about, going to clubs or parties to meet with her
friends.
Sarah is social active. She tends to strive for social recognition.
The mobile is playing a big role in her life. But more to keep up
to date with her friends, for gossip on the move or shopping
things, rather than for serious news consumption.

57. meet
Sarah, 27
Social Goals
Family Bonding
Being part of the gang
LOW
HIGH
Escapism
Mobile
End Goals, Motivations, Needs
Attitudes towards technology
Enabling
Exciting
Alienating
Being in the know
Identity
Social Networking
Complex / Overwhelming
HIGH
Lifestyle
Internet activities
Time spent online
LOW
LOW
HIGH
Entertainment
Background Info
Topic Discovery
Deep Knowledge
Context
Curiosity of the unknown
Identify the unknown
LOW
HIGH

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overview
Methods within the
design process model
Discover
Define
Develop
— Design Council (2005): The Design Process, http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/designprocess
Deliver

59. show
Scenario map
How does a day in
the life of your
persona look?
What news and
topics, which
content is s/he
consuming?
With whom is s/he
communicating and
through which
media? In which
situations and
when?

60. outcome

61. PHASE
DATE
DAY
TIME
detail
Example of a
scenario map
IMAGINE
TIME
NARRATIVE
NAME
PLACE
-
INITIATE
-
-
TOUCHPOINTS
TRADITIONAL
Title
Map (paper)
Handwritten
Printed material
GOAL
Laptop / Desktop
DIGITAL
Tablet
Satnav
In-car computer
App
PHONE Lumia
Model:
Message
-
-
-
Voice
Web
PHYSICAL
-
Signage
Displays
Automated terminal
Tickets
In person
PEOPLE
Colleagues
-
Static
PLACES
In-transit
EMOTION
INSIGHTS
-
Situation
-
Question
-
NEEDS

62. define
What’s the problem?

63. br
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overview
Methods within the
design process model
Discover
Define
Develop
— Design Council (2005): The Design Process, http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/designprocess
Deliver

64. define
Using a question format
to set the challenge
How might we +
+
user
+
insight
?
need

65. define
Using a question format
to set the challenge
user
insight
need
How might we help Carmen, a business woman,
who has a fear of flying to have a pleasant flight
experience nevertheless?

66. define
Using a question format
to set the challenge
user
How might we help Carmen, a business woman,
who has a fear of flying to have a pleasant flight
experience nevertheless?
insight
need

67. examples
Reverse engineered
challenge questions
user
insight
need
SitOrSquad
Vitra Chairless
NG Explorer
How might we
help visitors in a
city with dirty
public toilets to
find a clean one?
How might we
support outdoor
friends who are on
the move to
comfortably sit
somewhere outside
for a longer time?
How might we help
travellers who are
annoyed of huge maps
and thick guides to
discover the best spots
in an urban area?

68. outcome

69. ideate
What’s your answer
to the challenge?

70. ideate
Tips for better idea collection in brainstormings
100 ×
Go for quantity
Keep it short
Encourage wild ideas
Defer judgment
Build on the ideas of others
One conversation at a time
Stay on topic
Be visual

71. outcome

72. outcome

73. outcome

74. prototype
How to make your
idea tangible?

75. prototype
What does your
idea look like?
How does it get
tangible?
How does it feel
using it?

76. prototype
Benefits of making ideas tangible quickly
Create a common understanding amongst co-designers
Communicate an idea to clients and co-designers
Test ideas with users
Co-design with clients, users and fellow designers
Social dimension of prototyping
—K. Dribbisch, M. Großmann, M. Jordan, O. Scupin (2012): Bringing Ideas To Life: A Typology for Prototyping. in Touchpoint Vol. 4 No. 2

77. prototype
Concept model

78. prototype
Act out

79. prototype
Storyboards

80. prototype
Low-fi experience
prototype

81. prototype
Physical model

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overview
Methods within the
design process model
HMW?
Discover
Define
Develop
— Design Council (2005): The Design Process, http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/designprocess
Deliver

83. test
How to know
if it’s any good?

84. collect
Get feedback on your prototype from:
Fellow designers
Clients
— Icons: Okan Benn, Dmitriy Lagunov, Michael Rowe / The Noun Project
Potential users

85. note
Collect your feedback for the other group
What’s good?
— Icons: Jakob Schneider
What to improve?

86. outcome

87. outcome

88. show
First prototype
What does your
idea look like?
How does it get
tangible?
How does it feel
using it?
How is it integrated
in your persona’s
life?

89. outcome

90. outcome

91. outcome

92. test
Tips for evaluating ideas and prototypes with users
test product prototype with its intended users
correct wrong conclusions from discover stage
to guide testing apply same rules as in discover phase
don’t be defensive about your design or let others conduct testing
don’t identify yourself as the product’s designer to avoid inhibiting testers
iterate on findings (you seldom get it right the first time)
— D. Saffer (2009): Designing for interaction
— Icons: Nithin Viswanathan, Luis Prado, Benni, Jason Grube / The Noun Project

93. capture
Tips for evaluating ideas and prototypes with users
let user ‘speak out loud’ – and record it
video tape usage of physical & interaction prototypes
take notes of comments
clarifying questions after completing test
?
ask yourself ‘why’ to understand reasons for problems
prioritise feedback by criticality, create action list

94. outcome

95. outcome

96. outcome

97. prototype
Iterate your
prototype according
to your findings &
based on your
prioritisation.
Document the
whole project week
appropriately in
incom.

98. show
Iterated prototype
How has your
prototype changed?
What feedback was
most valuable?
What input was
prioritised as most
importan action
points?
How is your offer
integrated into your
persona’s life?

99. outcome

100. outcome

101. pitch
Use the Elevator
Pitch template to
communicate your
concept.
Tell within two
sentences: Who is
your customer?
What is her need?
What is the offer’s
key benefit and
differentiator?

102. method
Elevator Pitch for communicating your offer
a foodie & chef at home
For
who has
CONCEPT
NAME
that
Unlike
the
TARGET
CUSTOMER
way too little time, yet loves cooking
Kochhaus
is a
CUSTOMER
NEED
supermarket
offers pre-compiled recipes
MARKET
CATEGORY
.
Kaisers, Perfetto or Proviant
COMPETITION
UNIQUE
DIFFERENTIATOR
Kochhaus offers all ingredients
in 1 single shop w/o need running thru the city
ONE KEY
BENEFIT
.

103. outcome

104. outcome

105. outcome

106. Sum-up

107. model
Stratification of
Design (Thinking)
Large
Scale Systems
Policy Design
Systems Design
Environment
Public Service Infrastructure
Level of Complexity
Systems & Behaviour
Urban Planning
Service Design
Architecture
SMEs
Strategic Design
Culture
Artefact & Experience
Engineering
Interaction Design
Human Computer Interaction
User Experience
Anthropological Design
Human Centred Design
Artefact
Product
Interior
Fashion
Jewellery
— S. Di Russo (2013): http://ithinkidesign.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/design-wars/
Graphic
Web & New Media

108. model
Different roles of designers
Designer as co-creator
Investigator
Designer as researcher
Catalyst
Designer as communicator
Communicator
Designer entrepreneur
Designer as capability builder
Manager
Artist
Designer as facilitator
Designer as strategist
— L. Tan (2009): Seven ‘new’ roles designers are playing in public life:
http://imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/downloads/_assets/dpc2009/presentations/Lauren_Tan_DPC2009.pdf
— Northumbria University (2009): Designer’s Roles in a Design Team: http://www.designcollaboration.org/resources/roles/designer-roles.php

109. model
Design Thinking Process Model
by HPI School of Design Thinking
Understand
Observe
Point of View
Ideate
Prototype
Test
— HPI School of Design Thinking (2007): Kernelemente, http://www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/d_school/designthinking/kernelemente.html

110. br
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overview
Methods within the
design process model
HMW?
Discover
Define
Develop
— Design Council (2005): The Design Process, http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/designprocess
Deliver

111. model
Design’s contribution to value creation
explore / conceive / prototype new futures
prototype new integrated strategies
imagine / prototype new brand directions
improve / invent experiences
reduce costs / reinvent processes
improve functions & features
— after Larry Keeley, Doblin

112. map
How is it
sustainable?

113. tool
Business Model Canvas
Key Partners
Key Activities
for Skype
Value
Propositions
Key Resources
Cost Structure
— A. Osterwalder & Y. Pigneur (2010): Business Model Generation
Customer
Relationships
Channels
Revenue Streams
Customer
Segments

114. outcome

115. outcome

116. read
Where to find
out more?

117. Dan Saffer
Designing for Interaction
Bill Buxton
Sketching User Experiences
Bella Martin & Bruce Hannington
Universal Methods of Design
Michael Erlhoff &
Tim Marshall
Wörterbuch Design
Vijay Kumar
101 Design Methods
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
In Praise of Shadows

118. links
Reading recommendations
on the web
Luke Wroblewski: The Nimble Process
Johnny Holland: It’s all about interaction
Dubberly Design Office
Stanford dschool: Use our methods
Design Methoden Finder
Service Design Tools: Communication methods supporting processes
Design Staff: helping startups designing great products
— Icon: Monika Ciapala / The Noun Project

119. Thank you
Hannes Jentsch
@kaffeetrinken
Martin Jordan
@martin_jordan