Design Thinking Style test

Toward the high end, people tend to notice the moments a user may stall before finishing an action, such as an icon with no label, a field that asks for more than it needs or an error message that does not say what to do next. That can catch snags early, though the list of fixes can outgrow the time available. Toward the low end, people tend to confirm the main task can be completed and call the screen done. That keeps each screen quick to finish, but small points of hesitation can reach users before anyone on the team sees them.

Checks that it works

You tend to accept a screen as fine when its main action works, which keeps work moving but can leave the places where users hesitate unnoticed.

This week, ask one person to complete a task on a screen you made, and note every place they pause or reread.

Watches the key steps

You catch where a user might hesitate on the steps that matter most to you, and let the rest go once they work.

Pick one screen you rarely revisit, such as settings or an error state, and list each point where someone could get stuck.

Looks for hesitation

You tend to look past whether an action works to where someone might stall, such as a vague button or an extra step. That can surface problems before users meet them, though not every snag is worth the time it takes to fix.

Sort the snags you find on one screen by how often users are likely to meet them, and fix the most common one first.

Toward the high end, people tend to settle what matters most on a screen, group and space elements to match, and add colour or imagery only once that order holds. Their screens are usually easy to scan, though they can feel plain. Toward the low end, people tend to bring in visual detail while the layout is still moving. That can set a product's mood early on, but the next action can get lost, and some detail may need redoing once the hierarchy settles.

Adds detail early

You often reach for colour, imagery or decoration before the hierarchy is stable. That can give early drafts a distinct feel, but the next action may be hard to pick out.

Before you style your next screen, lay it out in grey boxes and check that the next action stands out.

Sets the main order

You usually decide what a screen shows first and what comes next, though some detail goes in before that order is fixed.

For one screen this week, write down what a user should see first, second and third, then check the design against it.

Hierarchy before detail

You tend to fix the hierarchy and scan path before any styling, so the next action is easy to find. Holding to that order can make a bolder layout harder to try.

Make one deliberately expressive version of a finished screen, and keep any idea that leaves the scan path clear.

Toward the high end, people tend to start sketching before the brief is settled and explore more than one direction before picking the cleanest. That widens the choice, though a decision can arrive later than the people waiting on it would like. Toward the low end, people tend to want the problem, constraints and goals fixed before design work starts, then take one direction forward. That keeps effort on the stated problem, but in open early work it can mean waiting for answers that a rough sketch would draw out.

Starts from a brief

You prefer a fixed brief before you start designing, and often follow one direction rather than several. That gives your work a clear target, but it can slow the unclear start of a project.

When your next brief is vague, sketch two rough directions and use them to ask what the brief leaves open.

Explores once framed

You try a few directions once a problem has some shape, but want firmer edges before starting on work that is wide open.

Next time a task feels too open, write a one-line problem statement yourself and start sketching from it.

Tries several directions

You can start without a fixed brief and tend to try several directions before settling on the cleanest. That keeps more options in play, though exploring can run past the point where a choice is needed.

Before you start exploring on your next project, set the day you will choose a direction, and tell whoever is waiting on it.