In this talk, seasoned creative director Sara Cannon will dive into the intersection of strategy and creativity through discussing how knowledge can inform design decisions. She will be looking at how different methods of research, data-collection, and strategical thinking can play into the creativity behind designs. And how at the end of the design process, you can measure success.

1. Design Strategy
How Information Can Drive Your
Design Decisions To Success
SARA CANNON HTTP://RAN.GE

2. Sara Cannon
@saracannon slideshare.net/saracannon

3. “Information and
iteration are the
keys to a
successful design”
– ERIKA HALL

4. Research

9. Creativity
thrives within
processes

10. Design Process
DISCOVERY DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENT &
SUPPORT

11. Design Process
DISCOVERY DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENT &
SUPPORT

12. Discovery

14. “The goal of a designer is to
listen, observe, understand,
sympathize, empathize,
synthesize, and glean insights
that enable him or her to
make the invisible visible.”
– HILLMAN CURTIS

15. Discovery
2. CLIENT RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
4. BRAND STORY ANALYSIS
5. DEFINED PROJECT & SITE GOALS
6. SITEMAP & STRUCTURE
3. USER ARCHETYPES
1. INFO COLLECTION

16. Info Collection
1

17. Info Collection
ACCESS TO CURRENT SITE ANALYTICS
BRAND GUIDELINES
USER SURVEYS
STRATEGIC VISION
DONATION FINANCIAL REPORTS
ACCESS / PASSWORDS
INFO ABOUT EXISTING INTERNAL PROCESSES
1

18. Client Interviews
2

19. BACKGROUND
2 Client Interviews
BUSINESS
AUDIENCE
INFORMATION ARCITECTURE
BRANDING

20. Could you give us a brief background of your company
and your vision for the future?
What is the biggest value you provide to your customers?
Are you planning on expanding your business? If so, how?
Why are you building or rebuilding a website?
Background:
Value:
Expansion:
Reasoning:
BACKGROUND
2 Client Interviews

21. What are some of your business goals?
How do you see those goals relating to your site?
What are your or your user’s frustrations with your site?
Is there anything in particular, beyond design, that you
like about your competitor’s sites?
Pinpoint important items from the scope and ask about
how these relate to their business. (newsletters, txt)
Goals:
Frustration:
Competitors:
BUSINESS
Extras Strategy:
Client Interviews2

22. Who is your audience and do they all interact online?
What do your users need to achieve and/or hope to
achieve by using your site? What are their top goals?
Is there a type of user you’d like to reach with your
business but haven’t been able to do so yet?
Have you conducted any interviews, gathered site
analytics, or sent our surveys to your audience?
Existing Audience:
Audience Goals:
Ideal Audience:
AUDIENCE
Audience Research
Client Interviews2

23. What are the least and most popular pages?
What pages bring you the most income?
What pages would you’d like to grow or focus user
attention on?
Please describe your ideal workflow for users - how do
you want your users to interact with the site?
Popularity:
Importance:
Growth:
INFORMATION ARCITECTURE
Workflow:
Client Interviews2

24. Name some adjectives that describe how people view
your brand (be honest)
Now name some adjectives that describe how you want
your brand to be viewed as.
What is your mission statement?
Do you feel like your brand helps this mission?
Tone:
Mission:
Client Interviews2
BRANDING

25. Client Interviews
DELIVERABLE: RESEARCH INTERVIEW REPORT
2

26. Opportunities for
Improvement

28. Site Goals

29. Measurable Success

34. Discovery
2. CLIENT RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
5. DEFINED PROJECT & SITE GOALS
6. SITEMAP & STRUCTURE
1. INFO COLLECTION
4. BRAND STORY ANALYSIS
3. USER ARCHETYPES

35. User Archetypes
3

41. Discovery
2. CLIENT RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
5. DEFINED PROJECT & SITE GOALS
6. SITEMAP & STRUCTURE
1. INFO COLLECTION
4. BRAND STORY ANALYSIS
3. USER ARCHETYPES

42. Brand Story Analysis
4

43. Brand Story Analysis4

46. Discovery
2. CLIENT RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
5. DEFINED PROJECT & SITE GOALS
6. SITEMAP & STRUCTURE
1. INFO COLLECTION
4. BRAND STORY ANALYSIS
3. USER ARCHETYPES

47. Defined Project &
Site Goals
5

49. Discovery
2. CLIENT RESEARCH INTERVIEWS
5. DEFINED PROJECT & SITE GOALS
6. SITEMAP & STRUCTURE
1. INFO COLLECTION
4. BRAND STORY ANALYSIS
3. USER ARCHETYPES

50. Sitemap & Structure
6

53. ALL STORIES
CARBON COPY
TAR SANDS
CLEAN ECONOMY
TODAY’S CLIMATE
GAS DRILLING
ICN BOOKS
BIG OIL BAD AIR
VIDEOS
HOME
ABOUT
CONTACT
TIPS
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
ARTICLES
INVESTIGATIONS &
SPECIAL REPORTS
TOPICS
TODAY’S CLIMATE
CLEAN ECONOMY
DOCUMENTS
INFOGRAPHICS
ABOUT
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
CONTACT
Old New

54. ALL STORIES
CARBON COPY
TAR SANDS
CLEAN ECONOMY
TODAY’S CLIMATE
GAS DRILLING
ICN BOOKS
BIG OIL BAD AIR
VIDEOS
HOME
ABOUT
CONTACT
TIPS
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
ARTICLES
INVESTIGATIONS &
SPECIAL REPORTS
TOPICS
TODAY’S CLIMATE
CLEAN ECONOMY
DOCUMENTS
INFOGRAPHICS
ABOUT
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
CONTACT
Old New

55. Design Process
DISCOVERY DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENT &
SUPPORT

56. Work with not
against
limitations

57. Design
2. MOODBOARD
4. MOBILE COMPS
5. DESKTOP COMPS
3. STYLE TILE
1. WIREFRAMES

58. Wireframes
1

66. Mood Board
2

69. Style Tile
3

72. Mobile Comps
4

74. Desktop Comps
5

79. putting it all
together

89. Design Process
DISCOVERY DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENT &
SUPPORT

92. Design is
a Process

93. Creativity
thrives within
processes

94. Sara Cannon
@saracannon slideshare.net/saracannon