Discover Design Methods : Open Up Your Wisdom : Enrich Your Prospective Careers in Design !!

Design Methods is a collection of techniques for User Experience, Product Design and Visual Design professionals to build their digital products.

Each can be used as part of a user centred design process by picking appropriate methods to support user needs, alongside business goals. 

Design methodology refers to the development of a system or method for a unique situation. Today, the term is most often applied to technological fields in reference to web design, software or information systems design. Various degree programs involve design methodology, including those in the graphic and digital arts.

Design Methods : Types

Many design methods exist in the industry. Just few of them are presented here.

• Axiomatic Design

A design methodology based on independence of functional requirements and minimum of information content.

• Concurrent Engineering

A method of designing where different stages run simultaneously.

• Design for Assembly (DFA)

A type of designing a system to be easy to assemble.

• Design for Manufacture (DFM)

A design method to better accommodate manufacturing processes.

• Design for Scale

A design principle targeting mass production.

• Efficiency Design

An energy and resource efficient design.

• Interdisciplinary Design

A design by a team with diverse backgrounds and skills.

• Modular Design

A design method to create interchangeable products with standard interfaces.

• Parallel Design

A process of producing several solutions for the same project.

• Reverse Engineering

A process that starts with an existing product, disassembles it, and defines its design characteristics by analyzing its components.

• Sustainable Design

A practice of designing products, services and processes to be sustainable.

• System Design

Systems design is the process of creating architecture, interfaces, and data for information systems.

• Waterfall design

A project management approach where a project is completed step by step in distinct stages.

Conclusions 

Design Methodology in Technology

While design methodology is employed in many industries, it is commonly applied in technology fields, including those using the internet, software and information systems development. Several design methodology approaches have developed in the technology industry. Each was a reaction to a different type of problem. Some common technology design methodologies include:

• Top Down Design or Stepwise Refinement: This starts from the end solution and works backwards, refining each step along the way.
• Bottom Up Design: This methodology starts with a foundation and works up towards a solution.
• Structured Design: This is an industry standard. The technique starts by identifying inputs and desired outputs to create a graphical representation.
• Structured Analysis and Design Technique: This approach utilizes a diagram to describe the hierarchy of a system's functions.
• Data Structured Systems Development: Data structure determines the system structure in this methodology.
• Object Oriented Design: This methodology is based on a system of interacting objects.

Career 

Important Facts About Design Methodology

Degree Fields	Design Studies, Digital Arts & Design, Digital Graphic Art
Key Skills	Artistic creativity and vision, knowledge of design software, time management
Possible Careers	Art director, graphic designer
Work Environment	Studio or office setting
Job Outlook (2016-2026)	4% growth (for graphic designers)
Median Salary (2018)	$50,370 (for graphic designers)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Possible Careers using System Design Methodologies

• Graphic Designer: Graphic designers create and implement visual concepts through computer software. They generate artistic ideas that captivate and appeal to a target audience - often to sell a product or service.
• Art Director: Art directors are responsible for the visual layout and style of print publications, products, and media productions. They often come up with the overall design idea, directing others who produce the actual artwork and visual elements.
• Multimedia Artists and Animators: Multimedia designers and animators create moving images for visual media. These can include video games, film, and television.
• Web Developers: Web developers create and design websites. They are not only responsible for how it looks - but how it performs, implementing system design methodologies that optimize its speed and traffic capacity.
• Conclusions Design methods are used in practice to provide understanding and argumentation in unfamiliar design domains.

• Practice generated methods are developed through pragmatic and user-centred approaches.•

• Practice generated methods are evolved through conscious cyclic evolutions and adapted to varying projects.

References

1. Bannon, L. (2011). Reimagining HCI: toward a more human-centered perspective. ACM interactions.

2. Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1999). Contextual design. ACM interactions.

3. Burgstahler, S. (2009). Universal design: Process, principles, and applications. DO-IT..

4. Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design justice: Community-led practices to build the worlds we need. MIT Press.

5. Cross, N. (1982). Designerly ways of knowing. Design Studies.

6. Dourish, P. (2003). The appropriation of interactive technologies: Some lessons from placeless documents. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).

7. Friedman, B., & Hendry, D. G. (2019). Value sensitive design: Shaping technology with moral imagination. MIT Press.

8. Kolko, J. (2010). Abductive thinking and sensemaking: The drivers of design synthesis. Design Issues.

9. Louridas, P. (1999). Design as bricolage: anthropology meets design thinking. Design Studies.

10. Muller, M. J., & Kuhn, S. (1993). Participatory design. Communications of the ACM.

11. Nesmith, M. (2016). Why we need universal design. TEDx Talks.

12. Norman, D. A. (2005). Human-centered design considered harmful. ACM interactions.

13. Story, M. F. (1998). Maximizing usability: the principles of universal design. Assistive Technology.

14. Wobbrock, J. O., Kane, S. K., Gajos, K. Z., Harada, S., & Froehlich, J. (2011). Ability-based design: Concept, principles and examples. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS).