UX design

Software design

Design is one of the stages of software development that helps save a company time and money. It involves visualizing the future product and the structure of its pages without design - with the help of schematic prototypes that can be easily tested and checked for compliance with business processes. This is more cost-effective than starting development right away and realizing after a few months that everything is not working properly, because in this case the changes will cost much more.

How the design process is arranged, what stages it consists of and how it helps business, we will understand in this article.

Why do you need software design?

Software architecture design is a set of works that helps specialists determine the internal properties of a software product, choose the format of data presentation, styles and architectural templates, as well as form a strategy for further development. Also, at this stage, the technical documentation of the software is drawn up and the methods of its testing are chosen.

Careful design of the software product helps to achieve the following goals:

• Choose the optimal technology stack and development methods, taking into account the client's business requirements and the features of the planned functionality.
• Form an optimal team of developers.
• Calculate the preliminary cost of product creation and terms of technical implementation.
• Choose the optimal technical architecture. Design defines the general structure and organization of the software product, including the division into modules, components and interaction between them. A well-designed architecture facilitates software development, testing, and maintenance.
• Prioritize functionality. As a rule, in order to bring the product to the market as quickly as possible, key modules are created first, and peripheral ones are refined and implemented already after the release.
• Improve the quality of the result - through design, the best development practices and quality standards are implemented in the software, which contributes to the creation of a reliable, safe and high-quality product.
• Minimize risks and optimize the development process to avoid unnecessary actions that require time and investment.

In addition, during the design process, the logic of the software is visualized, which simplifies communication between the customer and the team. Each module and stage of work is carefully discussed, and accordingly the client receives the expected and predicted result.

Software design tools

For high-quality visualization of software and its individual modules, designers use many specialized tools and platforms in their work that optimize work processes and allow solving tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Let's consider the main tools, their purpose and capabilities in more detail:

• Figma. With Figma, you can create interactive user interface prototypes that allow you to test the functionality and navigation of the application before its actual implementation. This helps identify potential problems or improve the user experience early in development. Plus, Figma integrates with various tools and services like Jira, Slack, GitHub, and more, making collaboration and project management easier.
• Moqups. Another useful tool for UI/UX design. It provides the ability to create detailed user interface mockups, thanks to which designers can visualize the structure of various software elements, as well as test their functionality, navigation and interaction within the software product.
• Axure RP . An interface prototyping and documentation tool that provides a rich set of features for creating complex mockups and interactions between pages. One of the main advantages of Axure RP is the ability to implement dynamic interface elements and generate specifications for developers.
• Lucidchart. A cloud-based diagramming tool that provides professionals with a wide selection of different templates and forms for effective system design. It easily integrates with Microsoft Teams and Jira, making it convenient for teamwork.
• Draw.io. One of the most common and popular software design tools. It helps visualize the architecture of applications, create diagrams of classes, sequences, data flows and others, which makes it easier to understand the structure and interaction of system components.

Stages of product design

Software architectural design is a complex process that each team builds in its own way. Some companies limit themselves to mind maps and schematic visualization of pages, transferring the main part to a technical task that is understandable only to people familiar with development. We consider this approach ineffective and create interactive mockups with targeted content that are as clear as possible for the customer and can be tested directly on the target audience to identify problems and vulnerabilities at the early stages.

In the framework of this article, we will discuss how software design takes place in AVADA MEDIA and what stages it consists of:

• Requirements analysis. When starting design, UX designers first of all study and analyze the customer's requirements. This allows you to determine the functional and non-functional features of the software product, as well as the main capabilities it should have.
• UI design and information presentation. Specialists determine the general structure of the software, modules, components and their relationships, and then perform its visualization and build the structure of pages from logical blocks. In parallel with this, copywriting is performed, illustrations are prepared, photos and videos are taken, after which the content is placed on the target pages of the prototype. At this stage, the lack of design is very important - it allows you to concentrate on logic and content without being distracted by graphic components.
• Technical task. After receiving the requirements for the product and systems, the designers start preparing the technical task. It describes the functional logic of all sections and blocks of the future project. The software architecture, data storage structure, and integration specifications are then developed, and information security engineers capture data protection requirements.
• Testing . The content-filled prototype is tested on real users who are part of the customer's target audience. This allows you to avoid mistakes in the early stages of work and get the most accurate data on how well it meets business goals. After the successful completion of testing, the mockup undergoes final approval with the client.

The step-by-step implementation of design allows the team to minimize risks and create an effective software architecture that fully covers the needs of the client's business and its target audience.

What does design give to business?

The results of software design are documentation, plans and models, which are the basis for further development of the software product. In addition, the project gives the client a clear understanding of what the final result will be, what stages the software development will consist of, as well as how much money and time will be needed for each of them.

Development of a software prototype provides answers to three key questions:

1. What has to be done? The project contains a detailed description of the software, its capabilities, functional and integration features, target audience and other characteristics. Collectively, this gives the team a clear understanding of what product needs to be developed and for what purpose.
2. How to perform development? The project visualizes the architecture, thanks to which it becomes clear how exactly the functional part of the program will interact with the interface and how it should work.
3. How to make sure of the quality of the final result? In addition, specific criteria for evaluating and testing software quality are determined during design. This allows the team to test and show that the product works as intended, and the client to see the effectiveness of the end result.

Our core values

The AVADA MEDIA team specializes in the development and implementation of high-tech software in various areas of business. For us, design is one of the main stages of work, which allows us to individually test and choose optimal software solutions for each specific company.

If you are planning the development of innovative software for your business, contact our team. We will study your request, design a unique technical solution, and then turn it into reality.