1. Start with people
Before solutions, before features, before requirements — get to know the people whose lives the work will touch.
2. Make assumptions visible
Every plan rests on beliefs. Write them down so you can test the risky ones rather than discover them at launch.
3. Prototype to learn
A prototype's job is to answer a question, not to look good. The faster and cheaper you can get to a question, the more you learn.
4. Design with, not for
Bring the people you're designing for into the process. They will spot things you can't.
5. Measure what matters
Decide up front what good looks like, in plain language, and track it after launch.