Project Design Brief

What is a Project / Design Brief?

A project or design brief is the business plan for your project. It is the guiding document that summarizes the parameters of your project: the who, what, why, when and how. It should be created at the beginning of every project as a way of setting your project on track for the best user-centered experience, which is your ultimate goal.

Why use a Project / Design Brief?

The project brief acts as a point of reference that assists you in ensuring that your project aligns with your goals and customer needs as you progress. Also, as it is concise it increases the likelihood that everyone involved in the project will read it and prioritize their work in accordance with the project.

How to Create a Project / Design Brief?

There is no universal template for constructing a design brief. Ideally your brief should be ...brief . A succinct length of approximately 1-2 pages is suitable. However some briefs are more robust at around 10-20 pages. This is acceptable also. In either case, the basic steps to a successful Project brief will include:

Who: Define the persona. Identify and describe who this project is for. This can be an individual, a grouping of individuals, a department or a company.

What: Describe the Project. Identify what you will be doing and who is responsible/involved.

When: Outline the schedule. State when specific milestones are to be accomplished and when should the final goal be achieved

Why: Detail your objectives. Explain why you are doing this. What are your goals?

How: Define the technical requirements and the measure of success. Explain what confinements you must work within, what should not be a part of the project and how you will measure successful completion.