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Prototyping – The strong middle link
Every blockbuster movie begins with a preliminary screenplay reading, and every successful music album starts with demo recordings. Apps and websites are no different. This essential step, where ideas and thoughts take on shapes and colors, is as exciting as the final app launch. Prototyping the app represents a significant turning point in the Sprint…
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Decisions & Storyboards: Keys to Success in a Design Sprint
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American philosopher, once said, “ Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” This week, the universe included a group of five talented “purple” people in a design sprint, making groundbreaking decisions toward storyboarding a financial map for Generation Z. Well, I might have gone too far…
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It starts with a first step
Taking the first step in a complicated journey is always challenging. Whether you start a master’s program, cook a three-course meal, or design a financial app, the first step indicates the direction of the pathway you are about to take. Therefore, the first day of a design sprint is likely the most important. It allows…
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Ready, set, Sprint!
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” I think about this quote every time I am asked to prepare dinner. I like to set up the space, pre-clean the pans, arrange all the ingredients on the table, make charts,…
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It takes a village… to sprint
Many times in my life, I was told repeatedly, “Mauricio, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Whether going through a master’s program, starting my own business, or learning to play the guitar, things take time. We all live our lives multitasking, running several marathons simultaneously. Yet, sometimes, this way of life is not good enough.…
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High-fidelity prototypes bring us nearer to reality
When it comes to digital product design, the success of an idea really depends on how well you execute it. That’s where high-fidelity prototypes come in—they’re an essential step in the design journey. These interactive, almost-final representations of the product don’t just stop at looking good; they help bridge the gap between ideas and the…
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User testing prototypes – Testing 1-2-3
Every author would admit that the first time someone reads the first draft of their novel is nerve-wracking. Moving from a low-fidelity draft and user flow illustrations to human testing of the app is no different. This exciting next step in app and web design forces us to face reality and provides us with great…
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Paper, pencils, and early-stage prototyping
I entered the design world with numerous ideas for novel apps and websites- such as a parking ticket dispute app, tutorials for washing dogs, and visual “Shazam” scans of coffee beans, to name a few. Interestingly, all of these began with a few visual concepts of screens, and that’s where they stopped. It appears that…
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Stepping into the user’s shoes
Introduction: It is true that you can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. I strongly believe that every 5-star gourmet meal starts with a detailed recipe, and every successful app begins with a well-designed information architecture. However, unlike a chef or a constructor, in designing a website or an app, you get to…
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Information Architecture of websites and apps – what sets them apart?
The secret to a high-ranking website is a well-designed information architecture (IA). The same applies to high-ranking apps; however, even though they may belong to the same business, their IAs can be completely different. I will explore those differences in this blog while walking in the path from a website’s IA to one of its…