A Meaningful Journey, in the context of designing CRM and other apps on Salesforce Lightning Platform is one of three Design Principles we apply at Being Guided. The other to Design Principles are Fierce Reduction and Progressive Disclosure.

Design Thinking

The Stanford d.school1 Design Thinking method provides six (6) iterative stages: Empathize; Define; Ideate; Prototype; Test; and, Implement.

Stage 01. Empathize

Objective: Understand the users and their needs.

User Research: Use techniques such as interviews, surveys, and observations to gather insights into the users' experiences, preferences, and pain points. Focus on individuals who work in knowledge-intensive environments to relate specifically to your target audience.

Personas Development: Create user personas based on research data that represent different segments of your audience. This helps in visualising who you are designing for and understanding their motivations, goals, and challenges.

Stage 02. Define

Objective: Clearly articulate the problem you are trying to solve.

Problem Statement: Synthesize the insights gathered during the Empathize phase to define a clear and concise problem statement. Adjust this to reflect specific issues faced by users in managing their projects and tasks on the Salesforce Lightning Platform.

User Journey Mapping: Create a visual representation of the user’s experience from screen to screen, identifying the touchpoints where users interact with the app. This helps highlight areas of friction and opportunities for improvement.

Stage 03. Ideate

Objective: Generate a wide array of ideas to address the defined problem.

Brainstorming Sessions: Encourage team members to brainstorm solutions without constraints. You can use techniques like mind mapping, sketching, or collaborative digital tools to generate ideas.

Prioritisating Ideas: Filter the generated ideas to identify the most feasible and impactful solutions. Consider factors such as user needs, technical feasibility, and strategic alignment with business goals.

Step 04. Prototype

Objective: Create low-fidelity representations of your ideas.

Rapid Prototyping: This where we emphasis No-Code First and make use of the standardised Salesforce Lightning Experience for all apps and all devices.

Storyboards: Develop storyboards to visualise the user flow and interactions through key screens. This helps in illustrating how users will navigate the app and what choices they will make.

Step 05. Test

Objective: Validate the usability and effectiveness of your solutions.

User Testing: Conduct usability testing sessions with real users to gather feedback on the Prototypes. Observe how users navigate through the app and identify pain points.

Iterative Reflections: Collect qualitative and quantitative data from testing to refine your designs. Encourage users to express their thoughts about the experience. focus on what worked and what didn’t.

Step 06. Implement

Objective: Bring your solution to life and launch it to users.

Agile Development: Work collaboratively with developers to ensure that the design is accurately translated into a functional application.

Continuous Improvement: After the launch, continue monitoring user feedback and engagement metrics. Make data-driven adjustments to enhance user experience continually. Set up mechanisms for ongoing user feedback to adapt the app to evolving user needs.

Reference

1. Stanford d.school.
   https://dschool.stanford.edu/about