Role: Head of Design
Team: Head of Product, Product Designers and CPO
Timeframe: June 2025
Stage: Live Framework
TL;DR
MrQ needed a consistent, accountable way to move from idea to validated solution; fast, informed, and without wasting cycles.
I built and formalised a Discovery Process: a structured, four-stage framework (Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver) that ensures every problem is understood before it’s solved, and every decision is tied to evidence, not instinct.
It’s not a design process — it’s a company rhythm. Each stage defines who’s accountable, what’s required, and when to stop, iterate, or ship.
Background
As MrQ scaled into multi-squad operations, discovery became noisy. Ideas were surfacing without clear ownership, research was inconsistent, and teams defaulted to “just ship it” over understanding the problem.
The result? Rework, misalignment, and diluted impact.
The goal was to design a repeatable framework — one that created clarity, set pace, and built accountability into every stage.
We needed a process that:
Scales across squads
Embeds research and validation
Clarifies roles and exit criteria
Keeps cadence without bureaucracy
Understanding the problem
Discovery wasn’t broken; it was inconsistent. Teams varied in depth, speed, and rigour. Some ran full sprints, others jumped straight to UI.
We mapped the pain points:
No shared definition of “done” at each stage
Research done ad hoc, often too late
PMs and Designers unclear on ownership
Stakeholders lacked visibility until too late
The opportunity: codify how good discovery looks — one path, shared by all.
1. Idea → Discover
Purpose: Understand the problem and the player.
Accountable: Product Designer
Collaborators: PM, Player Insights, Tribe Reps
Key actions:
Speak to real players (calls, data, empathy maps)
Analyse patterns, frame the problem
Capture hypotheses: How might we…?
Share player insights in Tribe Review
Exit Criteria:
✅ Problem Statement signed off by Tribe Reps
The Process
A simple double-diamond, re-engineered for pace and accountability.
Each phase has one accountable owner, a clear output, and cadenced rituals.
2. Discover → Define
Purpose: Align on the problem and define success.
Accountable: Product Manager
Key actions:
Build a solid hypothesis (define why solving this matters)
Define baseline + success metrics
Check technical feasibility (with Engineering)
Co-create measurement methods (surveys, analytics)
Run Design Studio sessions every 4 weeks
Sync with Leads to remove blockers
Exit Criteria:
✅ Design Brief approved by Tribe Reps
3. Define → Develop
Purpose: Explore, prototype, test, iterate.
Accountable: Product Designer
Key actions:
Rapid prototyping + usability tests
Iterate fast; log learnings
Gather feedback weekly
Showcase prototypes to PMs and Tribe Reps
Capture insights in Iteration Log
Exit Criteria:
✅ Validated Design Solution, ready for delivery
4. Develop → Deliver
Purpose: Finalise design, prepare for hand-off.
Accountable: Product Designer
Key actions:
Final UI: edge cases, error flows, performance constraints
QA checklist (visual + functional)
Engineer review pre-build
Final design sign-off with stakeholders
Exit Criteria:
✅ Final Prototype — interactive, annotated, validated
Design Principles
Accountability over activity
Every phase has one owner.
Cadence creates clarity
Fixed rituals reduce chaos.
Evidence before execution
Validation gates, not vibes.
Signal over noise
Only pursue ideas with real insight.
Results
Alignment: Clear ownership and expectations per phase.
Efficiency: Less rework; faster iteration cycles.
Visibility: Stakeholders looped in early and often.
Consistency: Every squad now follows the same path from idea to prototype.
The process scaled across multiple squads without slowing delivery — it became part of how MrQ thinks, not just how it designs.
Lessons
A good process is a signal amplifier, not a speed bump.
Discovery isn’t linear; the framework gives shape, not shackles.
Accountability is clarity; shared ownership is fog.
Cadence beats ceremony — short, regular syncs > one-off workshops.