From Concept To Prototype In One Month
Simon's methodologies have been put to the test with some of the biggest companies in the world and with great success. He mixes user-centered design, technology, and business processes to help companies put their customers first, create products people want to use and achieve planned ROI.
He uses data, intuition, and a focus on the customer so teams can make meaningful and fast decisions.
Simon’s style and approach have been described as an intersection between youthful and editorial, systematic and fluid and modern and primitive. His work has been featured in the Apple App Store, Applied Arts, FastCompany, Mashable, Forbes, London Creative Awards and many others.
Main Tools & Outcomes
01
Design Sprint
The sprint is a five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.
Developed at GV, it’s a “greatest hits” of business strategy, innovation, behavior science, design thinking, and more.
Simon has run dozens of Design Sprints for some of the biggest companies in the world, on-site and remote.
Outcomes
01 Project Goals + User Journey
Key stakeholders understand and agree with the main goals of the product. Clear goals increase effectiveness throughout the project. KPIs and success metrics are agreed.
02 Research + Storyboards
Effective storyboards mean good communication and cost effective iterations. Teams need to understand how the product works and behaves before committing to any work. Storyboards allow this.
03 Prototype & User Test
A prototype is developed and then user tested both in house and with consumer bases. The findings allow effective and data driven change. User testing is done with a small group of users.
02
Business Model & Value Proposition Design
Outcomes
01 Users Insights
Learning what users are trying to do and understanding their obstacles allows teams to build products customers want.
02 Value Proposition
Knowing exactly how the product is going to alleviate customers pains and create value is fundamental. Value propositions focus teams.
03 Business Model & User Test
Creating a business model allows teams and users to realize how the product is actually going to make money and if it's worth building.
03
Lean Startup
is a methodology for developing businesses and products, which aims to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable; this is achieved by adopting a combination of business-hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases, and validated learning.
Outcomes
01 Hypothesis + Research
Allows teams to know what competitors are doing, industry metrics, and the best way to improve and test the product or service.
02 User Flows & User Tests
Designing the flows and testing them is the equivalent to creating blueprints for a new home and showing them to the buyers to see if they like it.
03 Product Roadmap
Having a feature list allows teams to create accurate estimations and truly understand the scope of the entire project. Now teams can fully strategize the project.
04 Wireframes & Prototypes
Imagine seeing the entire product and knowing how it works without writing a lot of code. This outcome allows teams to start testing the core product with users.
05 Creative & Art Direction
So the product can differentiate from it's competitors, tell a great story and delight users. This outcome allows companies to zig when everyone else zags.
06 Mockups & Prototypes
Designing the product mock-ups and prototypes is as close as it gets to the real deal. This outcome allows teams to still iterate effectively.
07 Demo Builds
Demo builds every 1 to 2 weeks facilitates communication and sets expectations for all stakeholders in the project.
08 Key User Tests
Working backwards from key user testing helps teams plan in advance to merge all their code and align. Tests provide feedback to iterate.
09 Post Launch Support & Tests
Patching or delivering new features after launch is part of the digital product cycle. Simon is on deck and active in these cycles.