Design Process

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Iteration

My take on Design Thinking.

Design Thinking, adapted: Empathize (research), Define (structure, direction), Ideate and Prototype merged into one loop — design and code, repeated until it works — and Test (ship, test).
EmpathizeResearch
DefineStructureDirection
Ideate + PrototypeDesignCode
TestShipTest

Workflow

I take every new project through the same 16 steps.

01Research & Benchmarking

Set up the project repo and the Figma MCP bridge. Automate competitor analysis.

  • README.md
  • research.md
02Personas & JTBD

Extract personas and user jobs straight from the research file. No guessing.

  • personas.md
  • jtbd.md
03Information Architecture

Translate jobs and personas into flows and structural maps. In code, not Figma.

  • sitemap.md
  • navigation.md
  • flows.mmd
04Wireframing

Build semantic, interactive HTML wireframes that cover every state early.

  • /wireframes
05Tone of Voice

Define one copy guide, then write every string in a single sweep.

  • voice.md
  • microcopy.md
06Visual Concept

Deconstruct references, then build two or three visual directions directly in code.

  • /concepts
07UI Assembly

Drop real graphics and icons into the chosen concept, straight from the workspace.

  • /screens
08Design Tokens

Extract colour, type and spacing from the concept code into structured variables.

  • tokens.css
  • /components
09Living Design System

Compile components into a code-based style guide built on atomic design. One source of truth.

  • /styleguide
10Screens in Figma

Assemble screens from atoms, molecules and organisms. Link each one to its Jira ticket.

  • screens.fig
11Figma to Code

Implement the designs in code and iterate locally. Polish until it matches Figma 1:1.

  • index.html
12Responsiveness

Define breakpoint behaviour as rules, not by resizing frames by hand.

  • breakpoints.css
13Motion & Micro-interactions

Apply one animation language — timing, easing, sequencing — across the whole system.

  • motion.css
14Handoff & Developer Docs

Generate the whole handoff package straight from the repo files.

  • README.md
  • /handoff
15Deploy to Netlify

Push to the repo. Netlify builds and deploys the site.

  • /dist
16Usability Testing

Run corridor and A/B tests, then turn findings into the next hypotheses. The loop restarts at step 10.

  • findings.md

System

Build

I use Glacier Flow, a Claude Code template: folder routing, a knowledge base, and gated tasks. All my work goes through the CLI in three steps:

How one change moves through Glacier Flow: ask and plan, draft the task and approve it — revising until the answer is yes — then build and commit.
Ask & PlanTask & ApproveBuild & Commit
No? Revise
GitHub