As a branding, packaging, and digital product designer, both at Input Logic and as a freelancer, I work with clients across a wide array of industries, and am responsible for simultaneously getting to the heart of what each client wants and translating those wants into beautiful designs.

作為Input Logic的品牌，包裝和數字產品設計師，我還是自由職業者 ，我與各行各業的客戶合作，并負責同時深入了解每個客戶的需求并將這些需求轉化為漂亮的設計。

I’ve done my fair share of research on how to best approach new design projects and sprints and there’s a lot out there. What I find is lacking, is about engaging with clients. How can we ask questions to guide their experience and explorations?

我已經就如何最好地處理新設計項目和沖刺進行了相當多的研究，并且還有很多工作要做。 我發現缺乏與客戶互動的能力。 我們如何提出問題以指導他們的經驗和探索？

不只是看樣子 (Not just about how it looks)

Seeing as we all know that design isn’t just about what looks good, it’s logical that we should emphasize creating meaningful conversations at the beginning of a design sprint so that everyone understands what the intended outcomes are. This sounds like a no-brainer, but once you experience a project riddled with bumpy communication, it makes sense why it’s so important to emphasize information sharing at the very beginning.

眾所周知，設計不只是外觀上的好 ，我們應該強調在設計沖刺開始時就進行有意義的對話，這樣每個人都可以理解預期的結果是合乎邏輯的。 這聽起來很容易，但是一旦您經歷了一個充滿溝通障礙的項目，為什么從一開始就強調信息共享就變得如此重要是有道理的。

Getting to the heart of the product, understanding its’ users, and knowing the client’s vision should always be priorities during a design sprint, no matter the size or scope. As a designer, I find my job is to pull out what the client wants! Sometimes this isn’t always readily available, so we use questions to guide that process of opening up.

無論產品的大小或范圍如何，進入產品的核心，了解產品的用戶并了解客戶的愿景始終是設計沖刺的重點。 作為設計師，我發現我的工作是拉出客戶想要的東西！ 有時這并不總是很容易獲得，因此我們使用問題來指導開放過程。

The beginning of a sprint is a crucial time, and jump-starting a relationship that values the sharing of these thoughts and opinions will lead to more thoughtful design. Open-ended questions get people talking, and it’s the little details that come out of responses that impact the relationship for the better. This dialogue creates a heightened common understanding, leading to more productive design reviews, followed by the outcome of high-quality design that fits the product. Great conversation early on leads to better design outcomes delivered on time, because everyone starts on the same page.

沖刺的開始是關鍵的時刻，而開始建立重視這些思想和觀點共享的關系將導致更周到的設計。 開放式問題會引起人們的議論，而答案中的一些小細節會影響關系的發展。 通過這種對話，可以增進共識，從而使設計審查更有成效，然后得出適合該產品的高質量設計的結果。 盡早進行良好的對話可以使按時交付更好的設計結果，因為每個人都從同一頁面開始。

客戶要帶什么來？ (What does the client bring to the table?)

Clients usually come to a sprint with a strong understanding of their business and position in the market. Our job here is to take in that information and apply our ability to use design to solve problems. This wealth of insight can come to us in many forms:

客戶通常會對自己的業務和在市場上的位置有深刻的了解而沖刺。 我們在這里的工作是吸收這些信息，并運用我們的能力使用設計來解決問題。 這種豐富的見識可以多種形式出現在我們面前：

• Documents
  文件資料
• Moodboards
  踏板
• Spreadsheets
  試算表
• Sketches
  草圖
• Notes
  筆記

Often useful information is tucked away in the clients brain and can be revealed through conversation. Some clients think through many of these questions on their own, while others are prompted by them to find new insights about their product, users, and goals. Translating thoughts and ideas into something coherent can help to expand on ideas that haven’t been explored yet, and work through explaining complex thoughts. It is valuable for everyone involved to understand details, so communication is seamless, and there is a deep understanding of what they’re working on.

通常，有用的信息會藏在客戶的大腦中，并且可以通過對話來透露。 一些客戶會自己考慮許多問題，而其他客戶會提示他們尋找有關其產品，用戶和目標的新見解。 將思想和想法轉化為連貫的內容可以幫助擴展尚未探索的思想，并通過解釋復雜的思想來開展工作。 對于每個參與人員來說，了解細節都很有價值，因此溝通是無縫的，并且對他們正在做的事情有深刻的了解。

We break up these questions into a few categories: background, the audience, and tone. The more a designer understands these, the stronger the design process will be, and the branding will be enriched with all the right insight. Treating the answers to these questions as though they are for someone who isn’t familiar with the product will also expand the way the questions are answered and may bring up entirely new ideas and thoughts.

我們將這些問題分為幾類： 背景， 受眾和語氣 。 設計師對這些知識的理解越多，設計過程就會越強大，并且所有正確的見識將豐富品牌。 將這些問題的答案當作是對不熟悉產品的人使用的那樣，還將擴展問題的回答方式，并可能提出全新的想法和想法。

背景 (Background)

I usually start with questions around the background of the company or product, such as:

我通常從圍繞公司或產品背景的問題開始，例如：

• What is the story behind your brand?

  您的品牌背后的故事是什么？

• What is your elevator pitch?

  您的電梯間距是多少？

• What problem does your product help solve in your space?

  您的產品可幫助您解決什么問題？

• Is there any existing documentation you have that could be used to better understand the market surrounding your brand?

  您是否有現有的文檔可以用來更好地了解您品牌周圍的市場？

• List 10 words that describe your brand, or the ideal future for your brand (adjectives, nouns, verbs, etc).

  列出描述您的品牌或品牌理想的未來的10個字(形容詞，名詞，動詞等)。

Many of the answers to these open-ended questions might feel redundant by the time a design sprint begins, but insight can be found in the way they are answered. Is the story behind the brand to do with a family member or childhood friend that served as the inspiration? Or maybe the origin came out of first-hand experience or problem, and in turn, the product aims to solve it.

在設計沖刺開始之時，這些懸而未決的問題的許多答案可能會變得多余，但可以通過答案的方式找到見識。 品牌背后的故事是否與受到啟發的家人或兒時朋友有關？ 或起源可能來自第一手經驗或問題，而該產品旨在解決該問題。

The origin and background of a product is often an area in which many similar products may have something that differentiates them, and these details are often valuable as a piece of reference material when building a brand.

產品的起源和背景通常是許多類似產品可能具有與眾不同之處的領域，而這些細節在打造品牌時通常作為參考材料有價值。

Each product has a unique background, and while some may find an emphasis on the story behind the product, others may see the solving a specific problem as a big part of the story. For example, a brand who’s background is rich in family history might find that this is important to carry this through into the branding, creating a more personal and approachable feel. In exploring these questions, the importance is finding what that emphasis or strength is, and focusing on it.

每個產品都有獨特的背景，盡管有些產品可能會強調產品背后的故事，但其他產品可能會將解決特定問題視為故事的重要部分。 例如，具有豐富家族背景的品牌可能會發現，將其貫徹到品牌推廣中，創造出更加個性化和平易近人的感覺很重要。 在探討這些問題時，重要的是找到重點或優勢所在，并專注于此。

聽眾 (Audience)

Once I understand the background and story behind a company, I start to ask questions about their target market:

了解了公司背后的背景和故事后，我就開始詢問有關其目標市場的問題：

• Who is your brand for? Describe your customer.

  您的品牌是誰的？ 描述您的客戶。

• How do people find out about your brand?

  人們如何了解您的品牌？

• What features or benefits does this identified target audience seek that your product is offering?

  這個確定的目標受眾希望您的產品提供什么功能或好處？

Understanding the customer is very important, as we all know. In some cases, maybe the client belongs to their target demographic, making it easy for them to understand their customer. In other situations, it might take some exploration to identify who the target customers are. This can take many forms — from examining competitors customers to diving deep into the product and it’s features to identify who would be likely to use it. This is crucial to building a visual identity, as it creates a high level of empathy and understanding for when, why, and how a user might interact with the product.

眾所周知，了解客戶非常重要。 在某些情況下，客戶可能屬于他們的目標人群，這使他們很容易理解他們的客戶。 在其他情況下，可能需要進行一些探索才能確定目標客戶是誰。 這可以采取多種形式-從檢查競爭對手的客戶到深入研究該產品，它的功能是確定誰可能使用該產品。 這對于建立視覺標識至關重要，因為它會在用戶何時，為什么以及如何與產品進行交互方面產生高度的同理心和理解。

On top of identifying the target audience, It’s also crucial to understand some of the more subtle interactions that these people have surrounding the brand. While a lot of insight into the customer base comes from research in the form of interviews, testing, focus groups and surveys, it’s still beneficial to identify if anyone out there has published research surrounding the identified target market segment. Having a general understanding is a great place to start, and will help aid the design process to be on track with the right look and feel for the intended customer.

除了確定目標受眾之外，了解這些人圍繞品牌的一些更微妙的互動也至關重要。 盡管對客戶群的洞察力來自于訪談，測試，焦點小組和調查等形式的研究，但確定是否有人在已發布的目標市場細分領域進行研究仍然有益。 全面了解是一個很好的起點，它將幫助設計過程按預期的目標客戶正確的外觀進行。

音 (Tone)

Once I understand the background and audience, then I like to dig into the tone and voice the customer expects:

一旦了解了背景和聽眾，便喜歡挖掘客戶期望的語調和聲音：

• What existing brands are similar to yours in spirit (doesn’t need to be the same industry). Describe the connection.

  現有的品牌在精神上與您的相似(不需要是同一個行業)。 描述連接。

• What feeling do you get when you think about your brand?

  當您考慮自己的品牌時，您會得到什么感覺？

• What do you want people to understand, feel, or believe about your product?

  您希望人們對您的產品有什么理解，感覺或相信？

• If your brand was a period or era, when would it be & why?

  如果您的品牌是一個時代或時代，那會是什么時候，為什么？

Many things influence the tone or attitude of the brand, including the background and audience. Often, the intended customer might expect a certain voice or feeling from the product, while others might be more open or even expect something different. In terms of the design process, the tone is one of the most crucial portions of research that influences design, which can come in the form of visual appearance or even microcopy. In many cases, we see a lot of value in hiring a copywriter who is experienced with the target market. For example, if the voice of the product is youthful, fresh, and innovative, this has a direct influence on things such as colour, and typography, as well as the type of vocabulary that is used when communicating.

許多因素都會影響品牌的語氣或態度，包括背景和受眾。 通常，目標客戶可能期望產品有某種聲音或感覺，而其他客戶可能更開放，甚至期望有所不同。 就設計過程而言，基調是影響設計的最關鍵的研究部分之一，它可以以視覺外觀甚至顯微鏡的形式出現。 在許多情況下，我們認為聘請在目標市場經驗豐富的撰稿人具有很大的價值。 例如，如果產品的聲音年輕，新鮮且具有創新性，這將直接影響諸如顏色，版式以及交流時所使用的詞匯類型等內容。

開放式問題的價值 (The value of open-ended questions)

Open-ended questions bring up a myriad of different response types, which is what makes them so valuable for gaining insight. Answers could come in the form of a story, documentation, keywords, concise explanations, or even conceptual feelings that the product aims to communicate. While some questions might take some time to answer and clients will benefit from having time to think through them independently, it’s also important to use them as a tool for conversation, let them naturally flow, and engage with the responses. Most importantly, take notes! Having this valuable insight is a great resource to come back to later.

開放式問題提出了無數不同的回答類型，這正是它們使獲得洞察力如此有價值的原因。 答案可以是產品旨在傳達的故事，文檔，關鍵字，簡潔的說明，甚至是概念上的感覺的形式。 盡管一些問題可能需要一些時間來回答，而客戶將有時間獨立思考，從而從中受益，但將其用作對話工具，讓他們自然地交流并參與回應也很重要。 最重要的是，記筆記！ 擁有這種寶貴的見解是返回以后的寶貴資源。

付諸實踐 (Putting it into practice)

Identifying actionable steps is great, but putting them into practice is better. How can these questions be put into use? However they’re applied, whether in a survey before the kickoff call, or brought up naturally in conversation, we must use them to create dialogue, rather than an interview-style where we simply ask, answer, and move on to the next question. Refer to them during a kickoff call at the beginning of a project, use them as a guide for conversation, and create a dialogue around them. These questions can and should be used as a tool for designers and project managers to gain insight into the client’s perspective and vision, as well as for the clients to communicate their expectations.

確定可行的步驟非常好，但是將它們付諸實踐則更好。 這些問題如何使用？ 無論采用哪種方法，無論是在開通電話之前進行調查還是自然地進行對話，我們都必須使用它們來進行對話，而不是像訪談式那樣簡單地詢問，回答并繼續下一個問題。 在項目開始時的電話會議中參考他們，將它們用作交談指南，并圍繞它們進行對話。 這些問題可以并且應該被用作設計師和項目經理的工具，以洞悉客戶的觀點和遠景，以及客戶傳達他們的期望。

收盤時 (In Closing)

Do you have a branding kick off process you can share? Want to learn more about how I approach design engagements? I’d love to read your comments below and would appreciate any likes, shares, or follows!

您是否有可以分享的品牌啟動過程？ 想更多地了解我如何進行設計參與？ 我很想閱讀您在下方的評論，不勝感激，喜歡或分享或關注！