The VIA Design
App Accelerator Program
At a glance
The VIA Design App Accelerator program is designed to get you an MVP in the hands of your users in 3 months or less. This program is based on the framework developed by IBM called “Design Thinking.” The App Accelerator Program uses a conversational approach to solve problems users encounter. The process begins with a discovery phase that includes workshops and other methods to tease out the most important features to design and develop. The outcome of this process is a high-definition clickable prototype and a prioritized list of the key user stories or epics needed to develop your app.
The science behind
design thinking
The heart of Design Thinking is a set of behaviors focused on discovering users' needs and envisioning a better future. We call it the Loop. The Loop is a continuous cycle of observing, reflecting and making. Observe to see what others look past.
How it works
Phase 1: Brand and Business Discovery
We start by asking for style guides, brand discovery documents or anything that may paint a picture of the story behind your company. Each client is different and with different starting points, our goal is to keep this conversational and help you achieve the best result. This conversation happens in the form of brand exercises or workshops with key stakeholders. The outcome from these exercises is a brand summary.
Phase 2: Design Workshops
The first set of design workshops are structured to identify current problems users are facing today and how they go about solving those problems with an existing product or feature. The second set are geared towards brainstorming ideal solutions. Once these workshops are complete, we work on gathering insight on the marketplace by holding competitive audits and crafting user journeys to highlight pain points. The outcome is a discovery document that helps us to pinpoint where we should begin to prototype new solutions for your users.
Phase 3: Prototyping
Using the information gathered during the discovery phase of the project, a set of wireframes are created to outline the basics of features aimed to solve the core problems outlined by the user. These wireframes are generated in the web based application called Figma. They act as a visual representation of what we aim to build later in the development process, also known as a Figma “Prototype”.
Phase 4: Research & User Testing
User Testing
Testing should focus on specific features in the app. Once the test has concluded, a formal write up of the user testing findings will occur. This write up will clearly outline what changes are to come from what has been discovered during testing.
Target market feedback
This type of testing uses 1:1 user interviews with the purpose of understanding specific needs, wants or goals. It’s important to interview a pool of people to gather rounded, unbiased feedback. Once this kind of interview is completed, a write up will summarize exactly what was discovered during from this research.
Phase 5: Scoping and Development Roadmap
The goal here is to outline the following information: how many hours features will take to complete, a rough timeline with milestones and due dates, detailed user stories and a proposed development stack. Once this phase is complete, development can begin!
At VIA Design, we think good design
should be practical, easy to use
and enjoyable.
Great designs always begin with conversations. Let's chat.