How I learned, that the is not something set in stone
“What’s your design process?”
It’s a question that comes up often in interviews. My usual answer to this is the well known double diamond. It’s an ideal process, that works most of the time: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. But, I don’t want to repeat what we already know about it, I believe the exceptions are much more interesting. For instance, I recently learned that sometimes, I need to be flexible about the design process and get out of my comfort zone to be able to help product teams.
project
In one of my recent projects, I worked with a company that was developing a B2B product aimed at overseeing AI-related operations in a very specific field. The company had a broad vision but needed help turning it into something tangible. This seemed like the perfect case for the double diamond: a clear process that starts with research, moves to ideation, then narrows down to a focused solution before developing it further.
Some ideation results on the dashboard
- designing without input
However, applying the double diamond here presented a few challenges. For one, the client was protective of their idea and operations. The field they were in was very niche, and everyone knew each other. We couldn’t easily talk to actual users, so we had to rely on the client’s internal expertise and input. At the same time the pressure was high, and I was expected to deliver ideas. That was frustrating at first.
Without the usual user research and clear feedback, it felt like I was shooting in the dark.
It also came with a sense of responsibility—while my design solutions looked good to me, they lacked real-world validation. That felt risky.
The solution – loosen up
But as I started to frame the project differently in my mind, things began to click. I started to understand, that it’s difficult to have a conversation about something that doesn’t exist yet, something abstract.
I realised that what the client really needed was a visual representation of their ideas.
When you’re dealing with intangible concepts, having something concrete in front of you can make a huge difference. And who better to help them visualize their ideas than me, someone with experience designing a variety of products? I could use my experience to help them shape their vision, even if the process wasn’t strictly following the double diamond.
This shift in mindset allowed me to be more forgiving with myself for not following “the process” exactly.
I started accepting that not every design was going to be perfect. Sometimes I would design something that wasn’t great, and that was okay. It was all part of the learning process. The more I let go of the pressure to be perfect, the more I was able to create freely and experiment.
I also started using AI tools to help me with research and brainstorming solutions. AI gave me the ability to access domain knowledge quickly and even generate ideas I hadn’t thought of on my own. It was a huge help in pushing the project forward when time was tight.
In the end, despite all the challenges, it felt incredibly rewarding when my designs finally clicked. They sparked meaningful conversations, and we were able to move on to the next stage of the project.
This experience taught me the value of flexibility in the design process. While the double diamond often works well, sometimes you need to trust your instincts and adapt to the situation. And in those moments when things don’t go according to plan, it’s important to accept imperfection and keep moving forward.
