In this chapter we reached another milestone in the experience design journey. Starting with research, designers collect raw materials from many sources, and continue with analysis and synthesis to build a deep understanding of the business, product, and customer space. Then, we switched to a creative phase in which abstract constructs are iterated on until they take concrete forms. Throughout this process, designers are often guided by a design philosophy that informs their approach.

As a concept is tested, revised, and transformed into detailed prototypes and design specifications, the experience itself--the essence of the entire effort--emerges as well. When you think about it, the experience that drives the products we are enticed to purchase and love using, is in a fairly raw state throughout the concept development phase. Yet, that is when major decisions are often made regarding the final experience. The emerging experience has been validated with a relatively small number of people, and now it is expected to generate similar emotional responses and experiences from a substantially larger number of people, sometimes millions of people.

However, before production begins, there is an important phase that involves testing the design by placing it in front of real people that represent the final target user base. Additionally, the design has to be documented to enable engineers to build it, and provide a blueprint that will guide future iterations of the design, so it can be extended consistent and predictable ways. These topics are discussed in the next chapter.