Navigating the design landscape

How to approach different types of design work

Design processes can range from “there is no process” to strict, rectangular diagrams. I’m a sucker for a good diagram. Empathize, define, ideate, iterate. That kind of thing. The problem is, following a process religiously isn’t always what the project needs. It’s possible the context requires something a little different, or there’s a better use of resources. There are different types of projects, and a variety of ways to approach each.

We could say “the process is messy”, and leave it there. But it feels like a cop-out. While we may not be able to define an end-all design process, how might we define rules, metaphors, or frameworks that help us empathize with users, enable team collaboration, and design better products?

I double-dog-dared myself to think through what a framework might look like, for thinking about different types of design work. We’re going off the deep end with this one. The metaphoric Land of Design has helped me better contextualize what type of work I’m doing, and in the end, making it rain.

The Land of Design

The Continent, the Clouds, and the Rain

Once upon a time in the Land of Design, there lived three distinct entities: the Continent, the Clouds, and the Rain. They existed in harmony, each serving a distinct purpose, and contributing to the growth and success of the best products in the world.

Each entity represents a different scope of work and a separate style of play. Knowing which entity you’re in can help ask more precise questions, and create stronger work.

The Continent, vision work

The Continent symbolizes the vision work, guiding the inhabitants of Design toward a better future. The Continent gently nudges us with a wink, as if to say, "Dream big, but don't forget to lay a solid foundation.”

Vision work might happen at the company, or product level. If it’s a startup, it’s the whole company’s design vision. It’s the blue sky, big picture, paradisaic work. Continent work answers the questions…

• Are we in the right place?

• Are we solving the right problem?

It’s important to know when to ask these questions. The best leaders I know, don’t ask if we should be solving this problem when you’re in the heat of the moment, shipping a product to meet a deadline. There’s a time and place to take a step back and look at the Continent.

Specifically, design sprints feel like a good fit for this type of work. Workshops can be a quick way to check in on the Continent. Great designers know when to take a step back and think about the vision. To make sure we’re on the right Continent.

The Clouds, strategy and principles

High above the Continent, the Clouds swirl, reflecting the strategic work that is essential to the Land of Design. The Clouds playfully remind us of the importance of stepping back and observing the bigger picture, allowing for the discovery of patterns and opportunities that might have gone unnoticed.

Cloud work is strategy and principles. Strategic work defines where we’re going. And principles answer the question: “What is useful to define that will help the product, and team, make progress?”.

“Consistency” is a good principle. “The work should be consistent with our system, and not create any new components”. Now, what do we do if this collides with our strategy of “creating the best-in-class wand for wizards”?

Sometimes, I get my head stuck in the wrong cloud. I become fixated on a stated principle, and am unsure, or unconsciously follow a principle to the wrong place. The right decision was to abandon this cloud, to change this principle, or at least to leave it for another day. Great designers know when to make or break principles.

More literally, the Cloud work details where we’re going. Designing what we can realistically do that accomplishes a stated goal. It’s more than feature work, but less than vision work. It’s a complete product, an MVP, or the next iteration of the solution. It’s a new feature that fits into an agile-style sprint. It’s the yearly goalpost for the product. Cloud sizes vary. Cloud work says “our product will meet this accessibility standard”.

The Clouds provide a bird's-eye view, helping you make sense of the ever-changing landscape. I think about which to abide by, which to abandon, and which to investigate. The Clouds give shape to the Continent: the big problem or place that we’re in.

The Rain, tactical work

Finally, the Rain embodies the tactical design work, descending from the Clouds to nourish the land and its inhabitants. It's hands-on, turning concepts into reality, one drop at a time.

Rain work is tireless, skilled, tactical, deliberate, detailed work. The tactical work is the unsexy, time-consuming graft in words and pixels. It’s wide-ranging. Mockups, prototypes, and specs make up Rain work. Tactical work can also be more than designing mockups. It could be framing a problem in a deck to provide context.

When in doubt, make it rain. This is the type of work your team feeds off of. Engineers need specs to build. Product managers need visuals. Design gets badly branded when the team is overworked, the deadline is coming up, and the designer is uttering “how might we…”. The Rain is the team’s physical necessity. Sometimes you need to execute and buy yourself some time to do Cloud and Continent work.

Here’s a quick decision tree for actual work, getting past the notional metaphor.

“I don’t know if we’re solving the right problem” → Continent, vision work. Action: ask around and make sure others feel this way. Plan a sprint or workshop to explore the problem space and bring along the team for the ride. This takes time and effort, for it to stick it might mean influencing up, down, and all around.

“I’m getting pressured by the team” → Rain, tactical work. Action: crank out some pixels, and buy yourself some time to take a step back if needed. Ask about specifics: deadlines and constraints. Then do what you need to do.

“I don’t know how we’re making decisions” → Cloud, principle work. Action: gather information on what principles are defined, it might be subtle. Create new principles and state them clearly if needed. Ask for feedback. Execute using the stated principles.

For whatever reason, this visual, as corny as it might be, has stuck in my mind. Usually I end up saying to myself “my head’s in the wrong cloud!”. Though something tells me that we designers benefit from visual explanations over the more technical ones.

At the best of times as a designer, you might get asked “are we solving the right problem?”. How exciting. Now we have the tools to ask ourselves, “are we picking problems right now?”, and respond appropriately.

There’s this John W. Gardner quote, "excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well". Maybe there’s something to that.