The Design Process
in Action
Follow one redesign problem from first observation to final communication—and see how evidence changes the design.
By the end of class, you should be able to…
Trace the process
Apply all five IB stages to one redesign case.
Spot evidence
Identify what evidence is needed before a decision is justified.
Explain iteration
Show why a designer may return to an earlier stage.
Use key terms
Use problem statement, specification, prototype and user feedback accurately.
A process is a decision system.
The five stages are useful because each stage produces evidence that improves the next decision.
Empathize
Understand users, tasks, needs and pain points through research.
Defining the project
Turn evidence into a clear problem statement and design requirements.
Develop + test + present
Generate possibilities, model, test, refine and communicate the best version.
Redesigning a reusable lunch container
A student carries lunch across campus. The container leaks, takes too much bag space and is awkward to clean.
Student commuter
Moves between buildings and carries books, laptop and lunch.
Carry → open → eat → clean
The task is more than “store food.”
Busy school day
Limited time, shared tables, backpack transport.
Stage 1 — Empathize
The designer first studies what actually happens.
Observe the task
Watch how the student packs, carries, opens and cleans the container.
Ask targeted questions
What leaks? What is hard to reach? What matters most?
Record evidence
Capture behaviours, pain points, preferences and context rather than guessing.
What should the designer do next?
You notice the lid takes both hands to open, and the student often balances the container on a narrow desk.
Which action creates the strongest evidence?
Stage 2 — Defining the project
Research becomes useful when it is synthesized into a direction for design.
What must improve?
State the current situation, current problem and evidence that makes the redesign worthwhile.
What must success look like?
Translate research into essential and desirable requirements for the redesigned product.
Watch one finding become a specification.
Observation
The student uses both hands to open the lid while standing.
User explanation
“I usually have my phone or bag in one hand.”
Design opportunity
Reduce the effort and number of hands required to open the container.
Specification direction
Opening should be achievable safely with one hand by the intended user.
Stage 3 — Ideation and modelling
The aim is not to polish the first idea. Generate distinct approaches, then make them visible enough to compare and test.
Generate distinct routes
Explore different mechanisms, forms or layouts—not cosmetic variations.
Externalize the idea
Sketches and models make assumptions visible to others.
Compare against evidence
Use specifications and user feedback to decide what deserves further development.
Three ideas should solve the problem differently.
Flexible latch
Keep the familiar lid, redesign the closure for one-hand operation.
Sliding seal
Replace the hinged lid with a guided sliding opening.
Modular top
Separate access to food sections so the full lid does not need to open.
Stage 4 — Designing a solution
The design becomes credible through repeated model → test → refine cycles.
Represent the proposed solution
Create fidelity appropriate to what needs testing.
Generate performance + user data
Do not rely on “it seems better.”
Change the design deliberately
Use the evidence to improve weak features.
Testing changes the design
A low-fidelity latch model is easy to open with one hand, but it accidentally releases when squeezed inside a backpack.
What is the strongest next move?
Stage 5 — Presenting a solution
The final stage communicates what the redesigned product is, how it should work and why its key features answer the problem.
Make key features visible
Use appropriate drawings, views or virtual representations.
Explain the design reasoning
Connect features to user needs and specifications.
Make improvement explicit
Show how the redesign is better suited to the intended user than the existing product.
Research is ongoing across the process.
Where did the process loop back?
During user testing, students say the redesigned lunch container is easier to open but too tall for the side pocket of their backpack.
Which earlier design decision should be revisited first?
Run the process quickly.
Prompt
A classroom pencil sharpener creates a queue and leaves shavings on the desk.
Eight process terms worth owning
Retrieve first. Then check.
Can you retrieve it without looking back?
Before you leave…
User-Centred Design
Keep the evidence chain moving: user → research → decision → test.
B2.1 The design process · research across the design process · problem statement · design specifications · ideation · model-test-refine · presentation.