Release

Through iteration and validation, we begin to refine our concepts, and to consolidate them into more tangible, testable prototypes, again being prepared to test and iterate. We converge on something that we deliver; that we make live. The design process doesn’t stop here though; it cannot be a case of “fire and forget”. We must start to think about the sustainability of services and applications, and to assess their success once they are being put to work by users.

In the “Release” stage, our work is often even more closely intertwined with that of the team responsible for developing and deploying the service or tool. For example, this might be a team of back-end and front-end developers and bioinformaticians.

Because this stage involves collaboration and teamwork, it is important to find constructive ways to work together, so that we can deliver something of value, monitor it once it is in use, and then be able to adapt and modify as required.

As you continue the development of viable, valuable solutions and look at how to deliver these to users, it is important to consider how you are going to assess impact. Look back at the indicators of success you worked on in the Insights phase.

If you haven’t already established how you will measure the success of your tool or product, consider some approaches like the System Usability Scale or HEART framework.