<snip> 1) Strategy- and Design-Focused (4 months): Thoroughly design a version 1.0 prototype and test it with real users. No tech development. Just collect requirements and design something that meets a business strategy and delivers an awesome user experience. Identify the technological needs, but don't code anything.
2) Engineering-Focused (4 months): Agile programming team develops the product using the prototype as a target, with occasional light input from the design team but mostly focusing on solving and innovating tech solutions. Expose the development product regularly to a small user test base and collect feedback. Meanwhile, the design team begins conceptualizing the version 2.0 product. 3) Close Collaboration (4 months): Design team ramps up again, using the lessons learned and opportunities identified during the tech progress, plus the prototype and product user testing feedback, to work alongside the tech team to finalize the UX and implement the fit and finish of the product. Much triage is anticipated. </snip> When I read this, here's what I see: 1. Design 2. Build 3. Fix Looks a lot like waterfall to me, and the "Fix" phase looks awfully vulnerable out there, with budgets dwindling and time to market ebbing away. If you really think that your team will adhere to the whole process, then I think there's reason to be optimistic; you're getting the maximum value from design and the maximum efficiency from development. But most product/project managers lack the discipline (or clout) to follow the "Fix" phase all the way through until a really great solution is ready. Personally, I love the idea of spending 4 months on design. That would be 3.5 more than I usually get. Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture | D I G I T A S H E A L T H 229 South 18th Street | Rittenhouse Square | Philadelphia, PA 19103 | USA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.digitashealth.com ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
