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I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions
Why Design Refinement Matters
Why Design Refinement Matters
Refinement is where your ideas become a clear, build-ready design. Instead of starting over or making random changes, this stage is about improving the strongest direction using evidence — what you learned from end user requirements, UX methods, modelling, and feedback.
Refining your design helps you:
strengthen clarity (so users quickly understand what to do)
improve usability and experience by adjusting layout, interaction, flow, timing, or structure
simplify or adjust for feasibility so the build is realistic with the time and tools available
make targeted improvements based on testing and feedback (before → after)
check key implications where relevant (accessibility, inclusion, privacy/IP)
A strong refinement stage collects the proof you’ll need later: what you changed, what caused the change, and how the design improved. This makes your final design more coherent, more user-focused, and easier to develop successfully.
Part A - Refining Your Design Direction
Part A - Refining Your Design Direction
This is the stage where you challenge your early ideas and make them stronger before you commit to a final design.
You’re not starting over — you’re improving what you already have by testing and refining the parts that matter most (clarity, user fit, feasibility, and quality).
What you will do in this section
What you will do in this section
You will:
choose your strongest idea (or a combination of ideas) to take forward
refine key parts of that idea (not everything at once)
(e.g. layout, navigation, mechanics, character style, colour options, scene choices, assets, materials, timing, transitions)use feedback and evidence to improve your direction
(sketches, quick prototypes, mock-ups, wireframes, tests, comparisons)record what changed and why, so you can clearly show your thinking later
What to focus on when refining
What to focus on when refining
As you refine, keep checking:
End users — does this meet their needs and make sense for them?
Clarity — would someone new understand it quickly?
Feasibility — can you build this well with the time/tools you have?
Implications — accessibility, inclusion, privacy/IP (where relevant)
By the end of Part A, you should have a clearer, more workable direction that you’re ready to develop into a refined overall design.
Task 1: Refining Key Parts of the Design
Task 1: Refining Key Parts of the Design
Refinement is where you improve the parts that will make or break your outcome.
You are not starting again — you are taking your strongest direction and making it clearer, more usable, and more realistic to build.
Choose 2–4 key parts to refine (depending on your project), for example:
layout / navigation / user flow
key screens / scenes / storyboard panels
character / asset style and readability
colour palette / typography / visual style rules
mechanics / interactions / feedback to the user
materials / construction / dimensions (if product/manufacture)
Remember to use at least one UX method during refinement (e.g., quick usability testing, think-aloud, short interview questions, or task testing) and record what you learned and what you changed.
For each key part you refine, include:
1) What you are refining (what part + why it matters)
2) What evidence you made (sketches, wireframes, mock-ups, prototypes, screen tests, etc.)
3) What you tested (what you checked and how)
4) What you changed and why (based on feedback + testing)
5) What you will do next (what still needs refining)
Repeat this structure for each key part.
Feedback
You’ve already gathered early feedback during idea generation.
Now your goal is to use feedback and testing to improve the quality of the refined design — so your final design is easy to justify and build from.
Use the Feedback Matrix again, but aim for comments that help you answer:
Does this work for the end user? (needs, clarity, accessibility)
Does it actually function / make sense? (navigation, interaction, rules, flow)
Is it realistic to build well? (time, tools, skill level, complexity)
Are there any risks or implications to address? (privacy, IP, inclusion, safety where relevant)
Task 2: Feedback Carousel (speed-dating style)
Task 2: Feedback Carousel (speed-dating style)
Get feedback on your refinement options from 3 different people. Feel free to see the same people as last time so you don't have to start all over.
Use the Feedback Matrix again to help you decide:
which options work best
what still needs improving
what you will take forward into your overall refined design
Try to get feedback from a range of people, for example:
a classmate
an end user or someone similar to the end user
a teacher or someone with relevant experience
Ask for feedback about:
Ask for feedback about:
which option is strongest
what is clearer or more suitable
what still needs improving
what seems most realistic to create
whether there are any important implications to consider
After each round, think about:
After each round, think about:
what should stay the same
what needs changing
what you will take forward
what you still need to test or refine
You may need to get some of this feedback outside class as well.
Task 3: Record your feedback
Task 3: Record your feedback
You are using feedback to help make final design decisions. Keep this short, clear, and linked to what you will refine next.
1) Who and role
For each person, record:
who they are
their role, e.g. end user, classmate, similar outcome user, tool expert
why their feedback is useful
2) Key feedback
Only record the important points. Feel free to follow the matrix headings (keep, change / unclear, ideas, questions / gaps)
3) What you will take forward
Write a quick summary:
Decision: keep / change / improve / remove
Why: link to end users, requirements, clarity, feasibility, or implications
Next step: what you will update before your overall design
Part B - Your Overall Refinement
Part B - Your Overall Refinement
Bring your refined parts together into one clear overall design. This should look almost final, but it is still a design - not the finished outcome. Your goal is to show how the final outcome should look, work, and fit together.
Expectation for this stage
Expectation for this stage
Your overall design should be very close to final:
✅ clear direction chosen
✅ most key decisions made
✅ only small feedback tweaks remaining
Task 4: Created your Refined Overall Design
Task 4: Created your Refined Overall Design
Create one clear overall design artefact (annotated), such as:
a refined storyboard / shot plan + timing, style frames, transitions, sound plan
a full wireframe set (key screens + user flow)
a level/map layout + UI plan
a refined asset pack preview + style rules
key screens, game loop, level flow, asset style direction
page plan + panel layout rules, character/world design direction, readability notes
consistent style rules + set of assets/variants, how they’ll be used, export intention
form + dimensions, parts/assembly plan, materials/process choice, fit/finish notes
Your overall design should include:
Your overall design should include:
the main idea clearly shown
the selected refinement choices brought together
key parts or features labelled
short notes that explain your decisions
Final Feedback (Optional)
If you have time, you may choose to get one final round of feedback on your overall design before creating your final design package.
This feedback should only lead to small tweaks, not major changes or a complete rethink.
Ask people to focus on:
clarity
end-user fit
feasibility
any final issues or implications
Use this feedback to make small final improvements before moving on.
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