Gangverk's Designerly Beliefs

No. 1 We believe that design is a service

We partner with clients in long-term relationships and create meaningful solutions through close collaboration. Our service is creative problem-solving, and we need to understand the problems we are trying to solve. That means we believe in challenging assumptions and empathizing with users’ situations before creating solutions. 

No. 2 We believe in iterating

We strive for the best solutions but acknowledge that needs change, and nothing will ever be perfect. Thus we believe in iterating on everything we do; the research, the designs, our process, and what has already been shipped.

No. 3 We believe in teamwork

Designers work in autonomous teams with people from other disciplines who build and ship what we design. The whole team is included in the design process because we believe the best implementable ideas arise through cross-discipline collaboration. That way, we get buy-in from the whole team to ensure that what we design can be built.

No. 4 We believe that design is personal

We have different needs and preferences about how to design. What we need can depend on the project, where we are in the process, or how we feel when we wake up in the morning. When someone needs to be alone at home staring at pixels, we respect it. When someone needs a second pair of eyes on a prototype, we provide them. We believe that designers thrive the best when trusted to work independently but always have the support of their peers. 

No. 5 We believe in having fun

This one is simple; we just like what we do and believe we deliver the best work when having fun. We have rituals and ceremonies where we receive support and spend time with other designers, such as design discipline discussions, workshops, one on one talks with the head of design, design syncs for each partner, Monday warm-up sessions, and out-of-workplace meet-ups. 

No. 6 We believe in adapting the design process

We have a design process, and following the phases of the process has proven to lead to quality solutions. However, since every project is unique, we believe in adapting the process to the differing needs of each project. The phases, which we navigate through in a nonlinear way, are the following: 

Empathize

Everything starts with understanding the business and empathizing with users' situations. We observe what they do, listen to what they say, and try to understand what they need. 

Define

We define the problem to solve and set measurable goals to ensure that our solution adds the most value to our users and partners. 

Ideate

Ideas come from everywhere and everyone. Sometimes they arise through structured workshops, other times while alone out running. 

Prototype

We create prototypes to flesh out ideas and collaborate. They can be sketches, wireframes, user flow diagrams, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes.

Test

We use the prototypes to validate our solutions. We show them to business stakeholders, watch how users interact with them, and listen to what they think of them.

Delivery

We ship what we design. Our work continues because we have long-term relationships with our partners. We monitor how well solutions meet our goals and keep learning and improving the solutions.