Humanize the Design Process

Cara Nelson | cara@swifttrek.com
1
Give people what they need and they will value you forever.
— Simon Sinek
“
Humanize Your
Web Design
Process
Cara Nelson | swifttrek.com | @SwiftTrek

2
Initial Client Contact
I hate sliders!
I WANT all product
images to display
in a grid format.
I love this cool
feature on this site.
I WANT it
on my site
I WANT a
website designed
just like Apple’s
I WANT a ALL the
links to open
in a new window

3
Educate the Client
You Are
NOT
Your
Audience

4
?
Design
Questionaire

5
How to Improve the Design Process
The overall experience of a person using a
product, service, system or application,
especially in terms of how easy or pleasing
it is to use.
User Experience
It's a creative approach to problem solving
that starts with the people you're designing
for and ends with new solutions that are
custom suited to their needs.
Human-Centered Design
+

6
WHAT do you do?
What are the services or products that you sell or offer?
HOW do you do it?
What sets you apart from your competition?
WHY do you do it?
Very few businesses will actual know WHY they do
what the do. WHY is the purpose, cause or belief and
the very reason an organization exists. This is usually
the story that will draw customers to use their produce
or service.
Ask “What, How and Why?”
by Simon Sinek
WHY
HOW
WHAT

7
Asana‘s mission statement:
To help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work
together effortlessly.
Uber‘s mission statement:
Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere
for everyone.
Airbnb‘s mission statement:
To connect millions of people in real life all over the world,
through a community marketplace – so that you can
belong anywhere.

8
I am passionate about engaging with
and helping businesses learn how do
business online in a way that connects
their customers with their products
and/or services.
My “Why”

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How to be more productive?
What if… How can I… What if…
I knew more
about my client
and their
customers
before we meet?
Become a
trusted expert in
my clients
industry right
from the start?
I provided more
value than my
traditional free
initial 1-hour
consult?

10
The Secret to Humanizing
the Design Process
Innovative Solutions That
Solve Real Problems Quicker
+ WHY
HOW
WHAT
+
=

11
Human
Centered
Design
UX WHY
The Human Side
Get to know the clients industry
Be knowledgeable about client
products & services
Be engage in good conversations
Form a team with clients
Take inspiration from real people
Positive Experience
Meet client expectations to gain
trust, prove value I offer and
become an expert in the eyes of
my client
The Story
A businesses “WHY”
becomes the organizations
story. It puts beliefs and
values in clear words and
attracts customers with
similar beliefs. This can
become the branding or
even a businesses niche.
Have a deep understanding of who will benefit from my services
A more Humanized Design Process for the Client

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New Process starts with a
short phone call asking: 
• WHAT do you do?
• HOW do you do it?
• WHY do you do it?
• Are you a member of any industry
associations
• Three direct competitors
• Name six adjectives that describe your
business, products or services

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Gather information from sources like:
• Industry news reports and journal articles
• Industry market research reports
• Competitors website
• Trade directories
• Industry blogs
• Professional associations
Industry Trends & Analysis help answer the questions:
• What is the current value of the industry?
• Is the industry growing?
• Who are the major companies/competitors in the industry?
• What are some barriers to entry or threats to the industry?
• Market size, share and segmentation data.
• Industry directories to list in and provide back linking
Become passionate about the
industry and trends
Learn
The
Industry

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• I can talk the industry lingo
• Learn who the competitors are
• Understand products and pricing
• Past and new market trends
• Who the customers are
• Formulate possible niches
Become a Trusted Expert in
Your Clients Industry.
Learn
The
Industry

15
Generate Industry ReportLearn
The
Industry

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The goal is to determine:
•Strengths and weaknesses
•Product/service pricing and bundling
•Are there things that your client does better than the
competition, or vice versa?
•Features and functionality. What works and what doesn’t?
•Types of content
•Where can your client improve? A Niche?
•Social media channels
Who are the Competitors?Analyze
The
Competition

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What’s learned about the competition:
•Better understanding of who the customers are
•Possible niche in market where client can shine
•New distribution ideas of products and services
•Product development: packaging and pricing structure
•Where there are improvements to be had
•Feature and functionality list including plugin ideas
•Themes that the competition use
•What platform competitors use. WordPress?
•Social media channels
It’s Good to Get Nosy…Analyze
The
Competition

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Analysis of 3 CompetitorsAnalyze
The
Competition
6 | C o m p e t i t o r A n a l y s i s C o m p e t i t o r A n a l y s i s | 7
Elms Interior Design
“The mark of a great designer is the ability to see a space and
conceptualize the room. Dee is a problem solver with a sophisti-
cated design aesthetic, and that really adds up.”
— Client, Brookline
COMPANY PROFILE:
Your home should not only fit your lifestyle, but
inspire you every day. Elms Interior Design is
a full-service interior design firm with a focus
on creating distinctive homes that reflect their
owners’ values and personality. Whether we’re
transforming an urban penthouse or a coastal
vacation home, we listen closely to translate each
client’s aspirations to create beautiful, functional
spaces — for the life they want to live.
Dee Elms is a leader in the Boston design commu-
nity, and her work has been featured in many
regional and national publications. The firm’s multi-
disciplinary practice combines design, architecture,
and craftsmanship to manage transformations of
any complexity and scale. Our network of talented
partners includes leading architects, engineers,
and craftspeople who share our dedication to
exceptional, highly finished work. Talk to us about
bringing your vision to life.
Elms Interior Design redesign of an urban condo-
minium in Boston’s Back Bay was featured in
New England Home.
Talk to us about bringing your vision to life.
AREAS SERVED
Boston, Lexington, Newton, Roslindale, Andover,
Ipswich, Methuen, Newbury, Rockport, West
Newbury, Beverly, Manchester, Marblehead,
Middleton, Peabody, Lincoln, Natick, Sudbury,
Weston, Greater Boston Area, New England
MOSTLY RESIDENTIAL DESIGN
Great imagery but no project details to share
about what each project entailed.
Address: 535 Albany Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02118
Website: www.elmsid.com (built as a WordPress site)
Established: Wasn’t mentioned
Member of: None noted
Certified: Not noted
Social media: Houzz, Facebook, Pinterest, Intagram
Website Features: Portfolio in grid format, Press: shares publications the company has been
featured in, email sign up, a testimonial, blog, contact form
A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
Creative Brainstorming:
First, we need to get to know you. We’ll
meet with you in your space to talk about
your lifestyle and values, your needs and
aspirations. We listen closely to understand
your personal style and gather insights that
will inform both design and functionality. We
then share inspiration boards, brainstorm
ideas, and discuss next steps.
Selection & Planning:
Here’s where we identify the elements that
will define and elevate your space. Whether
your project is a renovation or new construc-
tion, we will develop a comprehensive
design, including well-considered interior
architectural plans where required. Your
time is valuable, so we simplify decisions
by presenting thoughtful choices for your
feedback and approval.
Project Execution:
Finally, our team will execute against the
plan, managing every detail of your project
and coordinating our dedicated contractors
and craftspeople at every step. We will share
SERVICES PROVIDED
3D Rendering, Bathroom Design, Bedroom
Design, Custom Bathroom Vanities, Custom
Cabinets, Custom Home Bars, Custom
Kitchen Cabinets, Custom Walk-in Closets,
Dining Room Design, Floor Plans, Furniture
Selection, Home Office Design, Home Theater
Design, House Plans, Interior Design, Kids
Bedroom Design, Kitchen Design, Laundry
Room Design, Lighting Design, Living Room
Design, Nursery Design, Playroom Design,
Space Planning, Sustainable Design, Universal
Design, Wine Cellar Design, Full-service
interior design firm

19
S W
O T
Weakness
Low reputation
Outdated or ineffective design
Ineffective calls to action
Content that is not customer-centric
Confusing structure and navigation
Cumbersome checkout process
Threats
Competitors copying features
or ideas
Emergence of new competitors
Changing customer needs
Strength
Customer-centric design
Effective calls to action
Useful and relevant content
Intuitive navigation and search
Quick and easy checkout process
Responsive design
Opportunities
New technologies to improve user
experience
New product/services
New niches and market segments
New design trends
S.W.O.T. Analysis
Discover important characteristics to a website’s success and potentially harmful factors

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Defining the various
segments based on customer
needs, helps remain the
focus on how to attract the
audience most likely to
appreciate and value a
specific product or service.
Segmented
Audience

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•Recognize that every person is not equally drawn
to every product or service
•Identify groups of people who share a common
need that can be satisfied
•Define the various customer needs
Understand the many types of
people you’re designing for:
Segmented
Audience

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Taking both traditional
classroom and online courses
to gain college credits prior to
high school graduation
High School Students
Perspective new student looking
to apply to 2 or 4 year colleges
Graduating
High School Students
Alumni
Looking to advance their
learning while still working
and managing their family life
Working Parents
Looking for educational
programs to advance
employees
Corporations
Looking attend
events and take
workshops
Local people
in the Community
Looking to make donation
Attending events
Segmented Audience For Non-profit Higher Education

23
Client is
HOOKED!
Contract signed
Deposit Sent
The Project
Begins!

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Creating Style Tiles
Photoshop PSD file
styletil.es
Illustrator template:
https://dribbble.com/
shots/998451-
Illustrator-Style-Tile-
Template

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Industry search terms:
Industry name with these keywords: “ industry news”, “industry trends” “2017”,
“market reports”, “segmented audience”…
Discover if competitors are using WordPress, what plugins and template:
whatwpthemeisthat.com
isitwp.com
Wappalyzer.com is a in browser extension technology detector
It detects CMS, ecommerce platforms, web frameworks, server software
Keyword search:
Google AdWords Keyword Planner
www.spyfu.com
serps.com/tools/keyword-research/
Research Sources:

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QuestionQuestions?
A more Humanized Design Process for the Client

Humanize the Design Process

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