skipdesign

Skipdesign is a design approach that emphasizes rapid development by omitting or deferring traditional upfront design steps in favor of iterative prototyping and testing. It draws on lean startup and agile principles and has been discussed in design blogs and practitioner communities as a way to shorten feedback loops and accelerate time to market.

Core ideas include prioritizing validated core value over exhaustive feature sets, using minimum viable designs or prototypes to elicit user feedback, and delaying nonessential refinements until after initial validation. Practices commonly associated with skipdesign include rapid prototyping, lightweight documentation, parallel work streams, and frequent release cycles with real users. This approach favors experiential learning and measurable outcomes over comprehensive planning.

Applications: primarily in software, mobile apps, and digital services, but some hardware and service design contexts have experimented with skipdesign to test concepts quickly. Advantages: faster learnings, lower up-front costs, adaptability to user needs; suitability for uncertain markets or innovative concepts. Criticisms: risk of sacrificing usability, accessibility, or long-term maintainability; potential for inconsistent user experiences; may lead to technical debt if not managed.

See also: lean startup, design sprint, minimum viable product, agile development, rapid prototyping.