methods.18f.govMethods - 18F Methods

Skip to main content An official website of the United States government Menu Methods Discover Cognitive walkthrough Contextual inquiry Design studio Dot voting Five whys Heuristic evaluation Hopes and fears KJ method Lean coffee Stakeholder and user interviews See all Discover cards Decide Affinity mapping Comparative analysis Content audit Design hypothesis Design principles Interface audit Journey mapping Mental modeling Personas Site mapping Storyboarding Style tiles Task flow analysis User scenarios See all Decide cards Make Design pattern library Prototyping Wireframing See all Make cards Validate Card sorting Multivariate testing Usability testing Visual preference testing See all Validate cards Fundamentals Incentives Privacy Recruiting See all Fundamentals cards About Print the Methods A collection of tools to bring human-centered design into your project. Discover Build a greater understanding of your problem and the people it impacts. Use the Discover Methods to build context for the problem you’re investigating. Get to know your potential users better and understand your stakeholders’ main concerns. The work you do during this phase will inform everything that follows, so take your time. See all discover methods Methods include Cognitive walkthrough Contextual inquiry Design studio Dot voting Five whys Heuristic evaluation Hopes and fears KJ method Lean coffee Stakeholder and user interviews Decide Elaborate on research from your Discovery phase. The Decide Methods help you derive insights from the information gathered during the Discovery phase. You’ll validate initial assumptions, develop a deeper understanding of workflows and processes, and develop design hypotheses. See all decide methods Methods include Affinity mapping Comparative analysis Content audit Design hypothesis Design principles Interface audit Journey mapping Mental modeling Personas Site mapping Storyboarding Style tiles Task flow analysis User scenarios Make Create a testable solution. Once you’ve learned more about your users’ expectations, use the Make Methods to create testable designs. Sketching, wireframing, and prototyping will help you ensure your product reflects your users’ needs. See all make methods Methods include Design pattern library Prototyping Wireframing Validate Test a design hypothesis. Testing (and re-testing) your designs with users will help you build the best possible product. Our Validate Methods cover varied testing scenarios and potential user groups. See all validate methods Methods include Card sorting Multivariate testing Usability testing Visual preference testing Fundamentals Foundational methods for practicing design research. Our Fundamentals Methods, which combine government-specific protocols and industry best practices, lay the groundwork for successful research, no matter what you’re testing. For best results, review them before you start recruiting. See all fundamentals methods Methods include Incentives Privacy Recruiting This project is maintained by 18F . To share your feedback with us, click the Provide Feedback button or open an issue or pull request on our GitHub repository. Provide feedback...