. Stage One
. Data Collection:
. What is the brief from the Client?
. Is it a new design or a redesign?

. by interacting
           . with users - very important (sampled?) - is there a focused group?
           . with users to talk to them, narrate their experiences and
             getting their feedback
           . with experts to seek their opinion
           . through emails, discussion forums, e-groups, etc
. by observing and studying
           . the users navigate through different spaces
           . the different interactions the users have with the environment
             and how they use the facilities
           . the environment, artifact, building or the facility for the signage
           . external space? internal space? public space? ?
. by documenting
           . all the facilities along with the users
           . using photography, sketches, video-taping
  by conducting
           . experiments (controlled?) ex. for visibility, recognisability, etc
. by referring to
           . previous works, examples, etc.
           . literature, papers, books, magazines, project reports, etc.
           . web documents

. Stage Two
. Understanding the 'Design Problem for Investigation':
. Physical factors?
           . shape, form, colour, number, size, texture, etc
           . sound, smell, growth, repetition, etc
           . realistic, Abstract,
. Organising factors?
           . sequence and hierarchy of information, spatial organisation, flow,              structure, etc
           . activities, interactions, interactivity, etc
. Semantic factors?
           . expressions, meaning, content, feeling, etc
           . macro view, micro view, etc
. Functional factors?
           . educational, entertainment, emotional, promotional
           . to Identify, to differentiate, to focus, etc
           . to inform, to direct, to warn, etc
. Influencing factors?
           . cultural factors, local idioms and conventions
           . aesthetics, trends, etc.
. Usability factors?
           . visibility, readability, etc
           . human factors, etc.
           . human Product Interactions
. Technology factors?
           . materials and processes
           . method of manufacture - batch, mass, hand fabrication?

. Stage Three
. Analysis of the 'topic under Investigation'
. Compare, cross-relate, evaluate
. Locational factors?
           . mapping, way -finding, tracing
           . human movement analysis
. Identification factors
           . identifying functions, grouping, connecting, etc.
           . compare symbols, labels, typography, text, etc.
. Structuring your factors?
           . classification, grouping of similar factors, chunking, etc
           . differentiating factors, identifying unique features, etc
           .assigning hierarchy, ordering factors, etc
. Graphical analysis?
           . graphs, charts, mapping of factors
           . chart of 'time - activity - senses - spaces -function'
           . visualization of Information/ factors
. Experimental analysis?
           . set up constraints and conduct experiments


. Stage Four
. Synthesis and problem solving
. Converge, redefine, brainstorm, idea generation, alternate solutions

. Stage Five
. Rapid Prototyping, Models and feedback
. Mock-ups, sketches, models, scenarios, presentations, user and client feedback

. Stage Six
. Refine, implementation, prototyping and standards
. Detailing, drawings, materials, processes, prototyping
. Vision statement, standards, specifications, manuals, roll-out programme