A user-centered design process that involves understanding users' needs and workflows through field research and applying these insights to design. Essential for creating designs that are deeply informed by user contexts and behaviors.
The orchestration and optimization of design operations to improve efficiency, quality, and impact of the design function within an organization. Crucial for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of design teams.
Narrative descriptions of how users might interact with a product or system to achieve specific goals, used to inform design and development. Important for understanding user needs and ensuring the design supports their tasks and goals.
A collection of design patterns that provides solutions to common design problems. Useful for standardizing design solutions and promoting best practices across projects.
A design philosophy that emphasizes core design principles over rigid adherence to standardized processes. Essential for maintaining creativity and innovation in large-scale, process-driven environments.
Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) is a language used for modeling business processes, enabling the design and implementation of process-based applications. Important for defining complex business processes and ensuring their effective implementation in digital products.
The process of arranging related objects in parallel or at 90-degree angles for visual organization and efficiency. Useful for designers to maintain an organized workspace, enhance visual clarity, and streamline their workflow.
Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a graphical representation for specifying business processes in a workflow, using standardized symbols and notations. Essential for creating clear, standardized diagrams that facilitate understanding and communication of business processes in digital product design.
Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) is a language for specifying business process behaviors based on web services. Important for defining and automating complex business processes in digital product workflows.
The practice of keeping multiple web pages open in browser tabs for future reference or action. Important for understanding user behavior and designing for multi-tab usage.
A time management tool that helps prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance, dividing them into four quadrants. Essential for designing productivity tools and strategies.
A visual workflow management method used to visualize work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency. Crucial for improving workflow and productivity in various processes.
The deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making, due to mental exhaustion. Important for designing interfaces that minimize cognitive load and simplify decision processes.
A brainstorming technique where participants sketch eight ideas in eight minutes to generate a wide range of concepts quickly. Essential for fostering creativity and generating diverse ideas rapidly.
The use of technology to perform repetitive tasks or processes in a workflow, liberating skilled experts from tedious activities and empowering them to focus on higher-order problem-solving and creative tasks. Crucial for streamlining operations, reducing human error, and enhancing the overall efficiency and innovation capacity of product design teams.
A hybrid Agile project management framework that combines elements of Scrum and Kanban to improve flexibility and workflow management. Useful for teams seeking to blend the structured approach of Scrum with the visual workflow of Kanban.
The process of combining different systems or components in a way that ensures they work together smoothly and efficiently without disruptions. Essential for providing a cohesive user experience and ensuring the reliability of complex systems.
A distributed version control system for tracking changes in source code during software development. Essential for collaborative development and managing codebase evolution in digital product design.
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity methodology that emphasizes capturing tasks, organizing them, and taking action. Essential for improving personal and team productivity and task management.
Business Process Management Software (BPMS) refers to tools and systems that help organizations design, model, execute, monitor, and optimize their business processes. Essential for improving operational efficiency and ensuring that digital products support effective business processes.
SAFe is a framework designed to scale agile practices across large organizations by integrating agile and lean principles. It is widely used but criticized for its rigidity, bureaucratic structure, and potential to stifle true agile culture.
The series of stages a product goes through from initial concept to market release, including planning, design, development, testing, and launch. Essential for understanding the full lifecycle of product creation and bringing products to market efficiently.
A strategy used to determine the proportion of various SMEs needed to support a pipeline of work. Important for optimizing resource allocation, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring teams have the appropriate support based on design demand and complexity.
A Japanese word meaning excessive strain on people or processes. Crucial for preventing burnout and maintaining sustainable work practices.
A mode of thinking, derived from Dual Process Theory, that is fast, automatic, and intuitive, often relying on heuristics and immediate impressions. Important for understanding how users make quick decisions and respond to design elements instinctively, aiding in the creation of intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
A field research method where researchers observe and interview users in their natural environment to understand their tasks and challenges. Crucial for gaining authentic insights into user behavior and needs.
A usability testing method where users interact with a system they believe to be autonomous, but which is actually operated by a human. Essential for testing concepts and interactions before full development.
A structured routine for continuous improvement based on a scientific approach to problem-solving and process optimization. Crucial for fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within product design teams.
A type of artificial intelligence capable of generating new content, such as text, images, and music, by learning from existing data. Important for automating creative processes and generating novel outputs.
A Japanese term meaning "the real place," used in Lean management to describe the place where value is created. Important for understanding the actual processes and identifying areas for improvement.
Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) is a four-step management method used for continuous improvement of processes and products. Essential for implementing and maintaining continuous improvement in business and design processes.
The organizational structure and dynamics of teams within a company, designed to enhance collaboration and delivery. Important for optimizing team performance and project outcomes.
An environment closer to production where final testing and validation occur. Crucial for ensuring that products are ready for production deployment.
Goals, Ideas, Steps, and Tasks (GIST) is an agile planning technique to break down projects into manageable parts. Essential for organizing and executing agile projects effectively.
An AI-driven assistant or tool that helps users accomplish tasks more efficiently, often by providing suggestions and automating routine actions. Important for enhancing productivity and user experience through AI assistance.
A principle in lean management aimed at reducing non-value-added activities to improve efficiency. Important for optimizing processes and resource use.
The systematic approach to managing innovation processes, from idea generation to implementation. Crucial for effectively harnessing creativity and ensuring successful innovation outcomes.
A performance testing method that evaluates the system's behavior and stability over an extended period under a high load. Essential for identifying memory leaks and ensuring the reliability and performance of digital products under prolonged use.
A preliminary testing method to check whether the most crucial functions of a software application work, without going into finer details. Important for identifying major issues early in the development process and ensuring the stability of digital products.
A practice of performing testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle to identify and address issues sooner. Essential for improving software quality, reducing defects, and accelerating development cycles in digital product design.
An Agile project management framework that uses iterative cycles, called sprints, to deliver incremental improvements and adapt to changing requirements. Crucial for managing projects in a flexible and iterative manner, ensuring continuous improvement and responsiveness.
An agile framework for managing work with an emphasis on software development, characterized by sprints and iterative progress. Essential for improving productivity and delivering incremental value in development projects.
A decision-making tool that helps prioritize tasks or projects based on specific criteria, such as impact and effort. Essential for effective project management and resource allocation.
A visual tool for organizing information, typically starting with a central concept and branching out to related ideas and details. Essential for brainstorming, planning, and organizing complex information.
A methodology that focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing value in business processes. Essential for improving efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction by eliminating non-value-adding activities.
The process of developing relationships with prospects through targeted communications and marketing efforts. Crucial for guiding prospects through the sales funnel and increasing conversion rates.
A strategic planning tool that outlines the future direction of a project or product using Kanban principles, emphasizing continuous delivery and improvement. Important for aligning team efforts and maintaining focus on long-term goals.
A time-boxed period during which specific work must be completed and made ready for review, used in Agile project management. Crucial for managing workload and ensuring continuous delivery and improvement in Agile projects.
A short, time-boxed period used in Agile development to research a concept or explore a new technology. Important for reducing uncertainty and risk in development.
A regular meeting in Agile project management where team members discuss progress, plan work, and identify any obstacles, typically held daily. Crucial for maintaining communication, transparency, and accountability within Agile teams.
A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes that are intended to be addressed in future product development cycles. Essential for managing and planning product development activities efficiently.
An ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes over time through incremental and breakthrough improvements. Crucial for fostering a culture of constant enhancement and adaptation.
An agile methodology focused on delivering value to the customer through principles such as eliminating waste, amplifying learning, and delivering as fast as possible. Crucial for improving efficiency and effectiveness in software development processes.
A management framework that organizes employees into small, cross-functional teams (tribes) to enhance agility, collaboration, and innovation. Important for fostering a collaborative and agile work environment.