RedSprocket Design Studios

The RedSprocket Creative Methodology and Process

The RedSprocket User Experience Design Methodology was designed & developed by Jeff Szücs of RedSprocket and has gained industry best practice status by many of the leading interactive agencies of the World. This process is one that we are comfortable sharing openly because we beieve that the true magic is in the presentation and the experience we have in executing the creative process.

Project Exploration



• Initial questionnaire (Account Executive, Creative Director, Information Architect) Brief list of questions which facilitates accurate and competitive estimations by providing a clear overview of project parameters and business objectives.
• Work Breakdown Structure and Estimate (Creative Director, Account Executive) Based upon the responses to the initial questions, this is an itemized estimate of the resources, budget, and work required to meet the potential client’s needs
• Statement of Work (Account Executive) Document outlining the tasks, deliverables and resources needed to accomplish the project
• Client Profile Questionnaire (Account Executive, Lead Designer, Information Architect) Detailed series of questions that enable a thorough assessment of the client’s business objectives, market research, competitive analysis and customer profiles
• Project Plan (Project Manager) The Project Plan outlines the project schedule, budget, risks, and other key considerations.

Research



• Content Inventory List (Information Architect) The Content Inventory List is a preparatory exercise undertaken to identify as many components of the information architecture as possible. It is an informal list of content categories and subcategories.
• Assets and Client Documentation (Project Manager) Clients will be asked to provide any pre-existing logos, graphics, and photographs, as well as any project documentation they may have already created. This can include print or electronic collateral, requirement documents, strategy documents, marketing plans, proposals, and anything else that may be pertinent.
• Information Gathering (Creative Team) To complete the research phase, team members collect information on the client’s competitors, vendors, affiliates, and overall market trends. This allows a birds-eye view of the business arena in which the client wishes to succeed.

Analysis



• Requirements Document (Business Analyst) This document is a breakdown of the project’s specific technical and creative business requirements, and helps to ensures that every detail is accounted for.
• Use Case Scenarios (Business Analyst, Information Architect) These documents define user and system interaction relative to the business requirements.
• Draft Creative Brief (Creative Team) The Creative Brief is a detailed summary of the project’s creative objectives and how they will be achieved.

Information Architecture



• Information Chunking (Information Architect) From the content inventory list, information is sorted and classified into categories and subcategories.
• Content Outline (Information Architect) The first structured information architecture document, this establishes basic hierarchical relationships between sections and content, implies certain functionality, assigns reference numbers, and briefly summarizes the content for each page.
• Usability Testing – Nomenclature and Hierarchy (Information Architect) Based upon proven usability concepts, this is the first step to ensure the end-product is intuitive and usable.
• Navigation Map (Information Architect) This document graphically portrays the complete site architecture. In addition to reflecting the reference numbers of the Content Outline, it introduces a sectional color-code reference scheme.
• Behavior Map (Creative Technologist) This document graphically portrays the interaction of the site with users and other technologies. It relates directly to the Use Case Scenarios.
• Wireframes (Information Architect) This document shows specifics for every page of the site in a click-able but non-graphic format. These include all links, descriptions of functionality, form elements, summaries of content, and breadcrumbs. Each page is numbered and color-coded based upon the Navigation Map.
• Usability Testing – Navigation (Information Architect) This is the second step in ensuring the end-product is intuitive and usable. It focuses on the user’s ability to accomplish what they wish to accomplish.

Concept Design



• Concept Development (Lead Designer, Creative Technologist) This is the phase where graphic user interface design begins. Utilizing the information architecture, the lead designer develops a broad range of concepts, then refines those concepts to best suit the client’s needs.
• Presentation of Concepts (Lead Designer) This is when static design concepts are presented to the client for review. From these, the client will choose one, or elements from several, for refinement into a complete concept.
• Concept Refinement (Lead Designer) Based upon client feedback, the Lead Designer refines the selected concept.
• Usability Testing – Interface (Information Architect, Lead Designer) At this point it will be determined whether the interface needs additional refinement to provide the best possible user experience.
• Finalized Concept (Lead Designer) This is the presentation of the completed concept the.

Prototype Development



• Prototype Graphics and Multimedia Components (Lead Designer) These are the graphic materials that will populate the prototype templates.
• Prototype Templates (Creative Technologist) These are the skeletal components from which a prototype will take shape.
• Prototype Production (Developer) When the graphics and templates are ready they are assembled into the back-end technology components that enable functionality
• Functionality Testing (Business Analyst) This is the phase in which the back-end components are tested through an active interface.
• Presentation of Prototype (Lead Designer, Developer) Following testing, clients have their first opportunity to see the concept in a “live” setting.
• Usability Review (Information Architect) Utilizing an intimate knowledge of usability issues, the Information Architect looks for usability problems in the prototype.
• Prototype Refinement (Lead Designer, Developer) At this point, any last minute graphic and usability issues are ironed out.
• Finalized Prototype (Lead Designer, Developer) Following refinement, the prototype is presented for approval before going into production.

Production



• Final Graphics and Multimedia Components (Lead Designer) Entering the production phase, all graphics and multimedia components are completed and optimized for use within the target application.
• Final Templates (Creative Technologist) Final templates are built to accommodate graphics and content, properly commented, and optimized for use within the target application.
• Content Integration (Lead Designer, Creative Technologist) If necessary, the content is integrated into the templates.
• Technology Integration (Technology Team or Client) At this point the finished templates, graphics, and content are unified within the back-end application.
• Functional Testing/Quality Control (Internal)

Delivery (Account Executive, Project Manager)



• Style Guide (Lead Designer, Creative Technologist) Written by those who worked on the project, this document defines guidelines for logo and graphic usage, text and fonts, buttons, and much more.
• Template Architecture Documentation (Creative Technologist) This is a point by point breakdown of the underlying template structures.
• Aggregate Information Architecture Documentation (Information Architect) This is the complete Information Architecture document. It includes the Content Outline, Navigation Map, and Wireframes.
• Complete Creative Brief (Lead Designer) The final revision of the project’s creative objectives and how they where achieved.