Designing from the outside, looking in.

“To look is to learn, if you listen carefully.” — Per Arnold

At Base, we share the belief that the best way to grow as designers is to be out there, with our users, IRL. Easier said than done, yet rewarding and totally worth the trouble.

Last November, Thomas and I went to Graanmarkt 13 in Antwerp to perform onsite usability testing at a very early stage in the design process, which was a first time for me. In this case, the subject of testing was a mid-fidelity prototype of the upcoming website on a mobile device.

We wanted to detect potential usability issues that could hurt the core business objectives of the project. We also needed to validate the content architecture by detecting if it raised any way-finding issues.

Here is a screenshot of the prototype:

High-fidelity prototype in html, css and javascript (with a zest of localStorage for good manners).

Tim and Ilse

Graanmarkt 13 is a special place that combines a high-end concept store, a restaurant and a Bed & Breakfast. The place is really special because Tim and Ilse (the owners) really go the extra mile so that every person who enters the building feels special and welcomed. Be it a customer, a provider or… a web designer.