Fjord patterns
Fjord Patterns is our service design methodology. The processes and tools documented in Fjord Patterns help us create elegantly simple and uniquely compelling solutions.
- It guides and inspires, allowing for interpretation and adaptability
- It encourages creative thinking and innovation
- It ensures quality and efficiency through knowledge sharing and re-use
Play. Divergent thinking: We ideate, branch off, broaden ideas. Goal: Find novel, solutions, new perspectives, support creativity and innovation.
Focus. Convergent thinking: We evaluate, narrow down, create a focus, define. Goal: Bear down on the problem, get our feet back on the ground, foster decision making, prioritise.
Moving from play to focus also means that we move from complexity to simplicity in our projects. We take away the things that are not essential, creating a purely elegant solution.
While each phase has distinct deliverables and a clear focus, the framework is not a strictly linear process where there is no overlap of activities between the phases. Many activities continue throughout each phase. For example, we use design techniques throughout the framework and we do research and validation with users and stakeholders as part of each phase. Also, project phases are often run in parallel (e.g. the service strategy is often developed in parallel with the service concept).
Context
Within the Context phase, we start with discovery – research in the knowledge space of a project, gaining a complete picture of the landscape on which the service will be built. Questions about key brand principles, target users, what’s happening in the industry now, technology enablers, and the way a client wishes to position itself in the market all belong here.
Concept
In this phase we leverage the key insight from the Context phase (research, analysis and strategy) and quickly start bringing the experience to life. We develop our first ideas for the service and make it tangible by using rapid visualisation techniques like sketching and storyboarding. After validating our approaches, we usually end up with 2-3 concepts.
Design
In this phase all the previous insights and our expertise in design come together. After having created a high-level design in the concept phase, we need to dive into the details of the user interface. We use the Fjord Cross-platform Interface Drivers to make sure the solution is simple and easy to use, and looks and feels elegant on its specific platform.
We have developed a set of unique tools
- Fjord Rumble
An intense workshop technique, designed to generate a wealth of tangible ideas that can then be developed further - Fjord Dashboard
The ultimate tool for competitive benchmarking. Combines standard service, UI, feature benchmarking with expert UX opinions, informed by views about how the future will pan out. - FjordCaster
It is an actionable forecasting tool created specifically for our UX team to inspire and help create. It bridges the gap between trends and opportunity spaces.
We collaborate smoothly with technical partners and we like being involved until go-live, and beyond. This ensures high-quality implementation of our design. Technical architecture and planning can start during the concept phase, and technical implementation can start as soon as the high-level concept is defined.
An agile setup speeds up the project and ensures high-quality results. We’ve done several big projects in an agile set up: Product Owner, tech team and UX sitting in one room, doing sprint planning and backlog prioritization together and validating results in daily standups.
We adapt our approach to your needs and organization:
- The framework is a flexible and customisable kit
- The methods within each phase can easily be combined to create the most appropriate set for each project and each client
- We are happy to support you throughout all phases or just selected ones
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