Triphase Mental Model 'The 3 Hats'

A designer must adopt a flexible mindset when working in different environments whether its an agency, contract/freelance or in-house. The Triphase Mental Model combines hard and soft skills across three key phases. A designers needs to able to swap 'hats'.

The Consultant (Soft Skills) In this phase, designers adopt a consultant mindset, focusing on understanding the problem and extracting key insights from stakeholders or clients. Effective information gathering helps refine the project scope, often redefining the brief. Clarity at this stage is crucial, as misalignment can lead to project failure or scope to grow.
The Designer (Hard Skills) This is the phase where we practice our craft design thinking. It follows five steps: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. While each step is essential, this phase requires continuous learning and development. Designers must understand that this process is never truly “finished” there is always room for improvement and iteration.
The Salesperson/Storyteller (Soft Skills) Good design doesn’t sell itself designers must effectively present their solutions, linking them to initial insights. Storytelling is key to conveying design rationale, making solutions more persuasive. This skill develops with experience and enhances a designer’s ability to gain stakeholder buy-in whilst developing their personal brand.

Meet Andreas

Great design isn’t just about aesthetics it’s about solving real problems, understanding users and crafting seamless experiences. For Andreas, a seasoned UX designer, every project was an opportunity to bridge creativity with strategy. When tasked with revamping a popular running app, Andreas knew this wasn’t just about updating visuals it was about creating an experience that felt intuitive, effortless, and engaging.
From the initial stakeholder meeting to the final handoff, he would navigate the full design journey, ensuring every decision was backed by research, user insights and thoughtful execution. This is the story of how a designer’s process shapes great products and how Andreas turned a vision into reality one step at a time.

Kickoff: The Stakeholder Meeting - (The Consultant)

Andreas is greeted by a group of stakeholders eager to discuss the project. He knew that this meeting wasn’t just about taking notes it was about harvesting vital information. Adopting his consultant mindset, he practiced active listening, asking the right questions to uncover the true problem they needed to solve. By the end of the meeting, Andreas had a clear grasp of the stakeholders’ goals, user pain points and business objectives.

Briefing: Scoping the Requirements - (The Consultant)

Back at his desk, Andreas reviewed his notes. This stage was about solidifying the problem and identifying what was needed from a skillset perspective. Would they need additional UX research? Was animation going to be a key factor in the UI? By mapping out the requirements, Andreas ensured that the project was well-defined before diving into design. Andreas then liaised with the stakeholder to go through the project scope to agree what is required.

Empathise: Understanding the Users - (The Designer)

Andreas knew that assuming what users needed was a dangerous trap. Instead, he immersed himself in user research. He interviewed runners, conducted usability tests, and observed how people interacted with the current app. He wanted to feel what they felt the frustration of a cluttered UI, the excitement of tracking progress and the disappointment when certain features didn’t work intuitively. The insights he gathered would shape the entire design process.

Define: Framing the Problem - (The Designer)

After gathering user insights, Andreas synthesised the information into a clear problem statement: "Runners need a more intuitive way to track their progress and receive personalised AI-driven coaching without feeling overwhelmed by excessive data."

With this human-centered definition, Andreas ensured the team stayed focused on real user needs rather than assumptions.

Ideate: Exploring Creative Solutions - (The Designer)

It was time to brainstorm. Andreas gathered his team and led a no-limits ideation session, encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. Some ideas were wild, others practical but every concept helped push their creativity. By the end, they had several innovative solutions, including a simplified dashboard, a voice-guided AI coach, and a personalised progress tracker. Now, it was time to bring these ideas to life.

Prototype: Bringing Ideas to Reality - (The Designer)

Andreas and his team began creating low-fidelity wireframes to visualise the concepts. They then built interactive prototypes to test different layouts and interactions. By experimenting with these early versions, they identified usability issues before development even started.

Testing: Refining the Experience - (The Designer)

Prototypes in hand, Andreas conducted user testing. He watched as real runners interacted with the designs, taking notes on frustrations, confusions, and moments of delight. Some features worked perfectly, while others needed tweaking. Through this iterative process, they refined the experience, ensuring that the app was not just functional but delightful.

Presentation: Selling the Design - (The Salesperson/Storyteller)

With a polished design ready, Andreas faced his next challenge: presenting it to stakeholders. He knew that good design doesn’t sell itself it needed a compelling story. He walked the stakeholders through the journey:

How user research shaped decisions
How early insights led to better solutions
Why the final design would enhance the user experience

By framing the presentation as a story, Andreas earned buy-in from the stakeholders, proving that every design choice was backed by real user needs.

Handoff: Bringing Design to Life - (The Salesperson/Storyteller)

With stakeholder approval, it was time for the handoff. Andreas ensured that every design detail was documented and shared seamlessly with the development team. He used tools like Figma to provide clear specifications, ensuring the final product matched the intended design. He also maintained open collaboration with developers, answering questions and refining details as needed.

The Finish Line

After weeks of strategic thinking, creativity, and collaboration, Andreas saw his work come to life in the updated app. When the first batch of users tested the new experience, their reactions spoke volumes intuitive, effortless, engaging.

Andreas knew that great design wasn’t just about pixels it was about understanding people, solving real problems, and crafting experiences that truly mattered.

And with that, he was ready for the next challenge.