Where does IA fit in the design process?

These are my notes from one of the sessions at the IA Summit.  It was a panel discussion hosted by Peter Boersma, Larisa Warnke, Peter Merholz, Livia Labate, Leisa Reichelt, Josh Seiden.

The first speaker Livia Labate possed the question “Why define a process?” > manage demand, manage quality, and to just manage..

Three methods > Discovery, Modelling, Validation

Balancing user needs and business goals to conceive solutions which enable positive experiences.

Framing the problem > architecting the solution

Waterfall is bad, washing machine is good, by Leisa Reichelt

The traditional waterfall  approach (scope design build test etc.) comes with one key assumption  that know exactly what you are doing  and that design stops at a specific point.  Then it is thrown over the fence to a development team who work work work until they throw it back for testing.  If deficiencies it goes through the process again.  The challenge with this is that the teams are not collaborating on design,  therefore unknown to the designer, their idea may be expensive, or not work well in context.  Once they realize this either the money is already spent or the work is completed and you must re-do a significant portion .

Anytime you open photoshop or start writing code, then someone contineues to make design decisions as they interpret your deliverables

Washing machine is like agile, user centred design.

AGILE

• sprints
• user stories
• pair design
• multi-discipline teams

UCD

• iterations
• personas & scenarios
• paticipatory design
• contextual research

Agile belives in progressive improvement – take back to the users early and often

Agile says you “design only as much as you have to”.  The outputs of agile >  bit of a site map, bit of a wireframe, concept maps, get a quick low-fi prototype

Why use Washing machine? 

• lowers project risk
• better outcome
• more fun

Josh Seiden describes his work based on four tracks:

(Shown below in very magic quadrant like graph)