^{Empathise with the People You’re Designing For}
Good design starts with understanding. What are people trying to do, what’s getting in the way, and what matters most in that moment. Talk to customers, watch behaviour, and pay attention to the words they use. Empathy keeps you grounded in real needs, not assumptions.

‍

^{Define the Real Problem}
Most projects fail because the team solves the wrong thing. Once you’ve gathered insight, translate it into a clear problem statement. What is the user struggling with, and what outcome are they trying to reach. Keep it specific. A clear problem makes the rest of the work faster.

‍

^{Explore Options Before You Commit}
With a clear problem, generate possible solutions. Sketch flows, write headlines, map page structure, test different layouts. The goal is not perfection. It’s range. When you explore early, you avoid getting locked into the first idea that looked good.

‍

^{Prototype the Experience}
Bring the best options to life quickly. This can be simple wireframes, a clickable prototype, or a rough layout system. Prototypes help you see what works and what breaks. They also make feedback easier, because people can react to something concrete.

‍

^{Test, Learn, Improve}
Put the prototype in front of real users. Watch where they hesitate, where they misread, and what they ignore. Good design is iterative. You refine the hierarchy, the content, and the flow until the experience feels obvious. Then you build with confidence.

‍

^Conclusion:
Great design is not guesswork. It’s a repeatable process built on understanding, clear thinking, and iteration. Follow these five steps and you’ll create work that feels simpler, reads faster, and performs better.

‍