Polonsky Design

Process

Creating high-end interactive user-interfaces utilizes skills in communication, branding, interactive & visual design. At Polonsky Design we take each of those things, along with the expertise to bring all of those elements together for you, delivering a complete end-to-end solution.

At Polonsky Design we'll work with your functional requirements & product specs (if available), and transform those from an idea into a creative and usable experience for your users. Depending on the specific needs of your project we will adapt most or all of the areas below into a custom "package" specifically designed to your needs.

Research - Understanding who you are & what your business goals are is just where we start. Understanding your "user" is where we're going. We get there by doing our research. We of course talk to you, but talking to actual users/customers gives us first-hand knowledge and insight that makes creating the best system possible that much closer. We want to know not only "who" they are, but how they work, and what they're expectations are each step of the way.
Brainstorming - We work with your feature, product, and business requirements, along with our own research and we sit down & brainstorm all the various angles, ins and outs, and unique possibilities for your system. We do a lot of talking, and come up with the perfect plan of action that satisfies your unique situation.
User Scenarios / Personas - Sometimes these are supplied to us, and sometimes we write them ourselves. Since understanding the user is one of the main keys to creating the best solutions, giving the user an actual name (in the form of a persona) is a great way to get everyone on the same page. It's amazing how this simple task can help you to understand who you're designing for.
Wireframing & User Flow - When you know your user, and you know your product, the next thing to do is to define the path users will take to get to the information you want them to get to. Creating these user "flows" independent of visual design allows everyone to concentrate on the "steps" users take and not be distracted by what color may or may not be on the page. At this stage we also define the "space" on the page - what content makes sense on each page, what elements belong there, and where and how those elements work best in relation to everything else competing for the users attention. This stage in the process is where the real meat lies, that's why we continue to iterate & test (with actual users if possible), until we have all the pieces and issues worked out.
Visual Design - Now that we have a clear understanding who, what and how your system will work, it's time to create the visual style that wraps everything together. Using all the work created prior to this step, we create a visual design that's not only unique and eye-catching, but also hits right the mark right for your users. We work keeping your brand and marketing needs aligned with meeting the visual expectation of your target audience.
Implementation & QA Review - Once the system is designed, it needs a working prototype which can be run past users for the first "real world" reality check of the project. We understand technology, and we understand the difficulties in engineering a system to meet the needs of today's user. We work with your engineering team to deliver the files they need to build the system, and we do our own QA review of each piece, we're with them every step of the way. We work to ensure the system being built matches the approved design...and we also listen. If something comes up, we're there to adapt the design as needed, while still keeping the core integrity of the project alive.