If you’re planning on refreshing your design process this year to become a more efficient and productive designer, this guide is for you.
Here, we share some practical advice on how to fully assess, streamline, and refine your creative workflow to create a much-improved design process that will make this your best year yet!
Before you look for ways to revamp your design process, first you should take a step back and reflect on the past year to learn which areas of your workflow need to change and which need improvement. Let’s start there.
Do a Year-End Review
Even some of the biggest companies and corporations in the world conduct a year-end review to fully assess and analyze how the business performed during the year. It’s an effective way to identify the weaknesses and opportunities to improve in the next year.
You should apply this same strategy when creating New Year’s resolutions. The best way to do this is to look back at the year you’ve had and reflect on the things that worked best as well as the things that went wrong.
To figure this out, ask yourself these questions:
- Which tasks took the most time and longest to finish and why?
- Which projects made you the happiest and most energetic to work on?
- When and why did you lose focus and miss a deadline?
- When did clients ask for revisions and why?
- Which apps and tools slowed you down the most?
Reevaluate Your Creative Workflow
Your creative workflow is the core center of your design process. The way you find inspiration for designs, how you brainstorm ideas, and bring concepts into life can determine how productive you can be at completing tasks.
The approach you use in your creative workflows may not always be perfect. Simply rethinking and reevaluating this workflow will not only help be more efficient but also make your work much easier.
Start by analyzing your design process and look for areas that need to be improved. For example, something simple like using templates for reused design elements can drastically improve your workflow.
Turn Your Goals Into Habits
Setting goals is an important part of creating an effective design process. But, to achieve those goals, you should consider turning them into habits.
For example, if your goal this year is to earn more money, set a clear amount you want to earn. Figure out how you’re going to earn that amount, whether it’s taking on a new client or working on a side project. And then set aside time each day to work on that goal. Make it a habit to sit in front of your computer at that exact time to work on your goal.
According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit. But it only becomes a habit when you engage in that activity consistently without breaking the pattern.
Adopt New Productivity Hacks
There are many different productivity strategies you can use to save time and work proficiently. The Pomodoro technique, time blocking, and the 80/20 rule are all great methods you should try.
However, the best productivity hacks are often the simplest ones that you ignore. For example, blocking distractions like social media and notifications on your phone while working is a great start to improve your focus. You can also use project management apps to organize your work. And even saying “no” to things that don’t matter will allow you to work on projects that help you grow as a designer.
Upgrade Your Toolkit
In the past year, we saw many new advancements in the design world. Many of the popular design tools received significant improvements that changed the way you craft designs. Figma is a great example of a platform that received a bunch of new upgrades, including the new Dev Mode and AI tools.
Don’t restrict yourself to just one software or platform. Try some of these new software and look for ways to upgrade your toolkit to better serve your workflow.
Take Advantage of AI Tools
When talking about upgrading your toolkit, we also need to discuss the topic of AI tools. While the fear around AI is beginning to fade, we need to accept that AI is here to stay. The biggest companies in the world are already adopting AI into their software and it’s time for you to do the same.
Not all AI is bad. There are many ways you can take advantage of AI to supercharge your workflow. Use them to automate repetitive and tedious tasks to save time. For example, instead of spending half an hour looking for the perfect pattern or texture for a design, you can now use AI tools to instantly generate them just the way you want it.
Track Your Progress
As you progress through the year working on your new design process, make sure to take notes and check in daily. Use gamification to reward yourself for completing smaller tasks toward achieving the big goals. It will motivate you to keep working hard.
A good strategy you can implement to ensure you stick to your habits and goals is to find an accountability partner, someone who could hold you accountable and focused. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a friend, your life partner, or a family member, ask them to check in on your progress once in a while. You could even set aside some stakes to motivate yourself to stick to your schedule.
In Conclusion
Creating new habits and getting into new routines take time. Be patient and stay persistent with your new workflow. And remember, you can’t grow without change.
Make this year an opportunity to reset and rediscover the joy in your work and celebrate those small wins along the way.
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