Find the motivation and direction of your design

When we do design for a long time, sometimes we should think back, what is the design?

In my understanding, the core of the design is to grasp the motives, to achieve demand, and these two points to achieve a bit, then the entire product structure is naturally formed, so the rest of the work is just perfect and adjust the details.

I. Understanding MOTIVATION

To grasp the motives, we must first understand the motives. The so-called motives, I think there are three kinds of, and these three motives are the final form of the product source. If the same is not good, then can not make good products.

A. Motivation for product (functional) Development

I used to be less concerned about this, do different products I am with the same attitude of the same standard to do, and as an interactive designer, just think how to make the product easy to use. But in fact, the design does not necessarily achieve the goal of the product, different products or functions have corresponding different design strategies, according to the different products to open the engine, I will be divided into six categories:

Conservative type: This kind of products can also be called the following type, the development of their motivation is "others have us to do", see this product has a profit can be, to join the fun a piece, the enterprise will not invest a lot of resources, products are generally not very big features. If you encounter such products, designers are often very helpless, if not with the PM to reposition the product, can only do some perfunctory things, we can do is through the design of subtle improvements.

Regular type: Enterprises have long-term products, such as QQ, Tencent Network. Because the product has been more mature, improve the space is often in the details of the experience, whether the product or design, digging details is important, rather than blindly to add functionality. In addition, with the passage of time and market changes, the function of these products and positioning may change, design ideas should also be transformed.

Competitive: Soso and computer stewards, for example, are not motivated by the need to defeat Baidu and 360, but in order to fill the void of the product type, occupy a portion of the market, and limit the development of competitors, such as Tita. Design time to pay attention to, without loss of basic functions under the premise of a certain degree of self, differentiation and a number of small gimmicks is an important factor to attract users.

Test water type: 07 Windows Vista operating system just out of the present everyone is bright, compared to window XP, its core almost all rewrite, bringing a lot of new features, whether it is visual, interactive or functional has a great change, so that users are in front of a bright! But less than a year later, With all sorts of problems coming up, more and more users are complaining about Vista's cumbersome procrastination and hard work, and even installing the XP system. And two years later Windows7 's success must not say more, in fact, look at Vista and Win7 interface style is similar, but in the function of the difference is very far. Vista's life cycle is very short, it is like a cannon fodder, online after the collection of user feedback its mission will be completed. So there is no Win7 without vista. I found that we are doing products or design, always on tiptoe, afraid of this user does not like, afraid that the market can not accept, and finally only to make a conservative program. I think if we can boldly do some "test water version", Direct online let users "criticize", may be quicker to know the user's true views.

Exploratory: Innovative products everyone wants to do, but the success is to choose one. Last year our group tried to do two apps, products and designs that we made, and the results were not ideal. In fact, because of our product knowledge is too shallow, the user's motivation is not enough, just take it for granted to make some functions out. This product has how its own competitiveness, the target people can really benefit, the number of real users is enough to form a large-scale market, the future development of the product forecast that the product can have a long and even cycle life cycle, and so on ... A product or concept of screening to consider a number of issues, the thinking and analysis of its need to invest a lot of resources, not everyone can be like jobs to pat the head of the product.

Promotion type: This kind of product is not to gain directly, but to establish corporate image, expand brand influence, such as the QQ Nebula, our CDC blog, etc., are to let others know what we are doing. For such products, I think the content of the new and content of the degree of mastery is more important.

B. Motivations for user use

Now there is no company dare not do a bit of research on the introduction of products, through the use of research we can find problems, but it is difficult to know the user motivation, because we see only the phenomenon.

Some of my feelings about user motivation are:

1 user's demand is not equal to the user's motive, the motive is the core and essence of the demand;

2 Not all needs are valuable, but all motives should be considered;

3 Some people say that users are fools, they do not know what kind of products they want. But I want to say is that users in the use of the product is not silly, easy to use products will soon be accepted by the user, and the product will soon be eliminated;

4 What we have to do is to make fools with the products, meet the most astute users, occupy the market of ordinary people!

To dig out the user motivation is actually very difficult things, so we try not to do their own not interested in the field, if they are not the typical user of this product, is basically difficult to make good products, but in the work we often encounter this problem. In fact, every good designer should be a good actor, that is, in thinking or design, can put their own personality, hobbies and so on all throw away, become the target customers, when you can into the play, the motivation is naturally out.

C. Motives for design

The motives of the so-called design, I think is to achieve their own design values.

Before I read an article to record the senior product manager in watercress interview process, the post is very hot, mainly tells the interviewer asked the interviewer "What is the standard of success products", but no matter how the interviewer answers, the interviewer will be around the same question: "Do you think such a product is a good product?" Let the interviewer very helpless and annoyed. This kind of interview looks harsh, but in fact the interviewer is testing whether he has the standard and method of judging things.

It is important to have your own standard of judgment (i.e., values), because many methods are feasible for a problem, but different strategies may lead the product to a different direction. For product managers to have their own product values, for designers to have their own design values, or will only be others or by the market led by the nose, the last thing to do may be just a "sibuxiang." This design value should be a comprehensive and reasonable values, designers should not fall into self-awareness, that other people do not understand themselves, do not understand what is design, blind self-awareness and values will only produce their own think good and others do not recognize the product.

It is not easy to have your own design values and keep it reasonable and scientific. In addition to the product, the market, the user's understanding of the accumulation, but also need constant communication, communication for the design is very important to communicate with different people, different roles, do not worry about other people's doubts and different ideas, and through this can make your product easier to foothold. In addition, in the specific design, for each design points must be a good definition, to determine what is here to do, to achieve the purpose of the product and design purposes, or design process often think about, because of other factors or ideas to make design go far away. All designs should be spread around the definition.

Two. Achieving demand

The ability to achieve requirements is design capability. In addition to the cliché design performance and communication skills, design judgment is particularly important.

Designers tend to have this trait:

Designers are very love and hate trenchant, so that Love (hate) house and Ukraine, see the details of the good or bad;

It is easy for a designer to take a critical view of someone else's things;

Designers often fail to see whether their designs are good or bad and subconsciously protect their designs.

If there is no good judgment ability, when their design is criticized, some people will not listen to, some people will become lost. And the most frightening situation is that we all feel that we have done a good job, such as the launch of the market after the discovery of not. To form a good judgment ability is not overnight, more reading more to see the cow's point of view is helpful, but directly from other people to get knowledge difficult to enter their brains, only by their own brain to think of things can really use. I think there are two ways to form good judgment in work:

One is to discuss more with people outside the project or outside the design. In the discussion, I often like to stand on the contrary point of view, this is not to win or lose, but to the debate in the process of stimulating people's thinking, digging out all the arguments, and then finally find the most important and most tenable reasons.

The second is to reflect more, reflect the word we often mention, but very few do, or just a symbolic general to "sum up". We often find that there are a lot of designs or ideas that we're excited about when we do it, but then we see that there are really a lot of problems. In the mail, in the sharing meeting, we often only see the success of the project summary, the final plan statement, but what really can learn is the wrong and failure of the examples, but we do not want to spend time to show these failed things. In fact, in the future to share the meeting, you can let us talk about their immature design, not selected programs, failed projects, etc., so that we can less detours.

Three. Beyond the work

A. Mindful observation triggers reflection

Last week to see concerts, waiting for boredom to see around the people playing mobile phones, found that a few girls of the input method are cartoon skin, and then surprised that there are such things, because the people around us to use the mobile phone input method is the surface of the upside. Think of Little Dragon said: Do skin change is not confident performance, but I think it is only the target users and product positioning is different.

Once saw Toya to look up the way of the map, suddenly shocked. She will open the map, and then the mouse has been double click on the map to enlarge, dot a lot of times just from the Chinese map has been magnified to a place in Shenzhen (I also this just know that the original map can double click to enlarge, I am rolling =. =), but in fact we just enter the name of the place came out at once, but she just do not want to type. We all say that people are invented because of laziness, but I found that there is a kind of lazy can let users in a more tired way to use products, but also feel more convenient! It's like sometimes we lie in bed, just because we're too lazy to get out of bed and take things in a very awkward and difficult position. This strange inertia of man is difficult to change, design time can not only consider how to improve operational efficiency, but also try to take into account such a person and such a mentality.

B. Promoting the formation of ideas with words

Some of their thoughts and thinking of things must be written down, mainly not for the record, but to allow themselves to do more in-depth thinking. When I came in last year, I was very tired of writing weekly notes. But these days I found that in fact this work is more important than I imagined, because only to force themselves to sum up and think, will understand their own lack of income, do not know what to do what to learn, one months passed a year passed. Writing is not only to promote people's thinking, but also to enable us to form our own ideas, because when you want to write a text will be to organize ideas, to find arguments, to improve the point of view, not some vague fragments, it can only be thought, not thought.

C. Experience the details of life and precipitation

We will use some innovative tools, research methods, analysis models, but only in the user-centric design process, often the result is not to eliminate the user's pain point. At work, if we only think about product things and design things, we may end up only making something that is stylized, not really emotional. Only those who love life will find the details of life and use it in the design, only seriously to feel the life of people can make not only good, but also impress the hearts of products.

Four. Self-perception

Sometimes in life, it is important to avoid weaknesses, but most of the time, we are not good at things to be brave to do. Although people do not need to be exhaustive, but can not let oneself have something to fear, to dare to challenge difficulty.

I am a person who will always force myself, but it is difficult to do things with anxiety. are trying not to force themselves to do things, but the premise is not without plans, and finally relax the body and mind to fight a protracted war.

A lot of people ask me why I want to study, what I can learn, in fact, I often ask myself this question. Sometimes people think back, in the previous period of work, in addition to their professional skills to upgrade, some of the design feel a little on time, but also gained what? We are in a creative industry, creative need is the rapid formation of countless ideas, which force us to often to see different things; And the research needs is to aim at a goal of endless excavation, asking us to sink down to explore, even in the creative industry need our attitude of research. At the research stage, I felt that my biggest gain was learning how to delve into the same thing and how to be patient, and that it was really impossible for us to study something while we were at work. In fact, I am a bit lazy to think and not very good at doing research, but I try to develop this ability.

Last Words

Two times to the CDC internship, before and after adding up also is only five months of time, but learned a lot, but also think a lot. Here, we fight, we laugh, we do design, we play life. Leave the day, I will miss you, on the day of Reunion, we again crazy together.

(This article originates from Tencent CDC Blog, please indicate the source when reprint)