Conceptual Models describe how the product fits together

ByGrant

“Modern software processes have mastered the art of making, but not the art of understanding,” says Daniel O’Neil. To get at the understanding, he suggests using a conceptual model. The purpose of these is to help everyone on the product team understand the true intent behind the product. It supports requirements through communicating a conceptual…

Goal-Directed Design Process

ByGrant

Goal-Directed Design is a method of user-centered design that prioritizes looking for the goals of the end users and developing solutions to assist them in achieving those goals and overcoming the obstacles that block them. This is well documented in the books About Face and Designing for the Digital Age. Hugh Dubberly wrote a concise…

A black and white cartoon illustration of corinthian pillars.

Building Organizational Trust

ByGrant

The relationship between the employee and their manager is one of the most important in the company. Trust produces a positive effect on problem solving, performance, citizenship behavior, cooperation, and communication. Yet what is trust and what ways can an organization build the trust necessary to realize these outcomes? Trust is a social phenomenon where…

Data Models Clarify Users’ Mental Models

ByGrant

Data Models describe what will form the basis of the structure of the product. During the second phase of Goal-Directed Design (GDD), the team creates models describing the data from their research. One of the most critical is the persona which describes the users. Data Models are another and describe how the users’ mental models integrate together.