Conceptualization - The metamorphosis in design
How conceptualization can lead design to clarity in product evolutions
Every great product starts with a concept. To the laymen, product discovery is spontaneous, while in design practice, it is a journey of countless explorations and iterations. It's a labyrinth of convergence & divergence, with no visible boundaries having many shades of greys. And in the process, lies a critical element that aids in the metamorphosis of insights into artifacts called conceptualization.
Being omnipresent in all design methods, conceptualization holds the key to progressive artifact creations. But in a digital context, you can find it interleaved between research and synthesis often overlooked in favor of our design darlings i.e. wireframes & prototypes.
So what is conceptualization?
It can be briefly summarized as the act of forming a vision in an abstract to find an optimal solution to a problem. Simply put, it is something that leads design to clarity. Just as a sculptor or painter brings a masterpiece out of his mind, conceptualization is the gradual transition from noise to clarity i.e. from insights to a well-crafted artifact. Irrespective of domains, from industrial design to architecture, the practice holds universal appeal. So in a sense, it can be called the Metamorphosis in design.
Conceptual models by Mauricio Sanin
Why conceptualize?
In the post-research phase, designers are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data generated through synthesis. With this amount of noise, the challenge of prioritizing and modeling information all at once is a daunting task. Thinking of the navigations, interaction models, and content strategy, all at the same time into the design is impossible. Simply put our brains are not designed to work that way! Adding to this is contracting timelines, budget constraints, and team conflicts, which creates an urgency for the team for producing deliverables. This results in a race towards the deliverables thereby creating confusion, detachment in teams, and organic evolution of design. And the worst-case scenario, passing them further down to development, to be taken care of later!
The Process of Design Squiggle by Damien Newman, thedesignsquiggle.com
And this is where conceptualizations help to aid the thinking process by creating models of various fidelity. The above visualization of the design process by Damien Newman clearly depicts the journey from noise to clarity and where conceptualization fits in. Rather than thinking altogether, focusing on one area at a time provides more room for experimentations which results in solid foundations for further design explorations.
Conceptual models bring focus and clarity for the team from the labyrinth of data. The time and effort taken for this are negligible, as compared to the redesign efforts at a later stage. Let’s look at conceptual models in detail;
The Conceptual Models
Conceptualization leads to the creation of models. Models are abstract representations of a system that can convey how things will behave and interact in the real world. They represent the higher-level structure, relationships, and hierarchy but will be deprived of details. They tend to hide the complexities and logic thereby enabling users to get a holistic view of the system. In simple terms, models try to convey the meaning of the system with simple knowledge.
In simple terms, Conceptual models try to convey the meaning of the system with simple knowledge.
Models can vary in shapes & attributes and are generally influenced by the phases of their creation. Depending upon the phases, they can be descriptive, diagrammatic, or interactive. In a digital context, we can classify them into 2 ;
Primary Phase
They are the first line of models that evolve directly from research & synthesis, Usually the end-result of collective thinking and brainstorming, they are high in abstraction and have no similarity to final designs. Their objective is to provide a high-level overview of specific contexts like users and psychography, interactions, journeys, etc The emphasis is on building a rationale for the next design decisions.
Conceptual model in phase 1
As low-fidelity diagrammatic models, they are the building blocks for future models. The audience is usually the team and they are shared across the organization for mutual consensus. To be precise, these are the guiding stars for future designs. Below are some of the most commonly used models;
Persona, Information Architecture, Empathy Maps, Mental Modal Maps, Task Flows, Bubble Map, Mind maps, Journey Maps, Experience Maps, Storyboards, etc.
Secondary Phase
These models are more evolved compared to the previous ones. They owe their creations to the primary and are more concrete in form resembling the end product. They reflect more details like structure, hierarchy, and relationships with an objective to bring in more details. In contrast to the primary ones, these models are heavily influenced by the designer’s wisdom and creativity. In a sense, they lend themselves to more creative exploration from the team.
Conceptual models in phase 2
The target audience is end-users, teams, or customers. They can also be used for testing and validations with users. These models will finally evolve into finished artifacts of higher-fidelity. Some of the common models are;
Conceptual frameworks, Interaction Models, Low-fidelity Sketches, Wireframes, Mood boards, Prototypes, etc
Challenges and misconceptions
A general misconception is that translating insight into artifacts requires creative & artistic talent. And for this reason, many try to avoid this phase and focus on high-fidelity designs. Ignorance regarding conceptualization drives this behavior and teams should consider it as a kind of progressive ideation than artistry. By focusing on one area at a time, just like lateral thinking, they can bring in diverse perspectives, which is often the game-changer in product ideations. Conceptualization helps in canceling the noise and brings in the focus on the priorities. So next time after your synthesis, think about conceptualizing them. It can create magic!
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