Before you invest too much time in creating a final product for a challenge you’re facing, it’s important to get feedback from the people who will be using it. Sharing your process will help clarify your ideas and give others a chance to give constructive feedback that will make your idea stronger.
Write out a few sentences about each step of the design process you’ve engaged in so far. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you work through them? What breakthroughs or successes did you have, and what prompted them? Leading your client through your creative process-—even the messy or difficult parts—will help them better understand and appreciate the solution you have arrived at.
Find images (photographs, early sketches, models and drawings) to illustrate your written presentation. A slide presentation can be an effective way to share visual information while you talk. Having 3D models in front of you will also allow you and your client(s) to move things around and try new possibilities on the spot.
Decide who will speak about each step of the process. It’s great if everyone who participated has some role. Rehearse your presentation a few times so that everyone feels comfortable with their role, and can give each other feedback on both content and delivery.
Ask questions to help your client give you useful feedback, and remind them that you need to hear honest feedback in order to make your solution as strong as possible. Listen carefully to your client’s responses. It may help to have one or more people from the group record feedback, since different people will hear different things. Then use that feedback to return to the EVOLVE stage and refine your prototype, making changes to your design to address any issues that came up.
