The VCD Design Process: Discover, Define and Develop Phases

The Double Diamond Model in VCD

The VCE VCD study design uses a design process structured around four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver — often represented as the “Double Diamond” model. This process reflects how professional designers move from understanding a problem to resolving a solution.

In Unit 3, students work through the first three phases: Discover, Define, and Develop.

KEY TAKEAWAY: The VCD design process is not a linear checklist — it is an iterative, thinking-driven process. Designers regularly loop back through earlier phases when new information, feedback, or constraints emerge.

The Double Diamond — Overview

Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver
  (diverge)  (converge)  (diverge)  (converge)

The diamond shape represents the alternation between divergent thinking (opening up possibilities) and convergent thinking (narrowing to solutions):
- First diamond (Discover → Define): Opens wide with research, then converges on a specific problem and brief
- Second diamond (Develop → Deliver): Opens wide with many concepts, then converges on a resolved solution

Phase 1: Discover

The Discover phase is about opening up — understanding the problem space broadly before defining it precisely.

Key Activities in Discover:

• Divergent thinking: Actively avoiding premature conclusions; asking “what else?” and “why?”
• Research and information gathering:
• Interviews and surveys with stakeholders, users, and clients
• Observation of behaviour in context
• Competitor analysis — what already exists in this space?
• Secondary research (existing reports, statistics, trends)
• Creating personas: Detailed profiles of representative audience members
• Journey mapping: Mapping the user’s experience to identify pain points and opportunities
• Inspiration gathering: Looking at analogous design fields, historical precedents, nature, and culture

Discover — Key Question:

“What is actually happening here? What do stakeholders and users really need?”

Phase 2: Define

The Define phase involves convergent thinking — synthesising all the research gathered in Discover to clearly articulate the design problem and create a brief.

Key Activities in Define:

• Analysing and synthesising research findings: What patterns emerge? What are the real needs?
• Identifying design opportunities: From the research, what problems are worth solving? What gaps exist?
• Writing the design brief: A formal document that specifies:
• The client and project context
• Two distinct communication needs
• Design criteria for each (audience, purpose, context, constraints)
• Establishing design criteria: The specific benchmarks against which solutions will be evaluated

Define — Key Output:

A single design brief that defines two distinct communication needs — each different in purpose and/or presentation format.

EXAM TIP: The VCD design process is commonly examined. Know the distinct purpose of each phase: Discover = research and understand; Define = synthesise and brief; Develop = ideate and iterate. Being able to describe what activities happen in each phase is essential.

Phase 3: Develop

The Develop phase returns to divergent thinking — generating a wide range of design ideas in response to the brief.

Key Activities in Develop:

• Ideation sketching: Producing many rapid, exploratory sketches to explore different directions
• Brainstorming and mind-mapping: Generating conceptual connections and visual ideas
• Researching inspiration: Looking for visual references, existing designs, colour palettes, typographic approaches
• Prototype development: Creating rough models or mock-ups to test ideas in 3D or at scale
• Peer critique: Sharing ideas-in-progress with others for structured feedback
• Annotation: Recording decision-making rationale on sketches and explorations

This phase is undertaken separately for each communication need defined in the brief.

Develop — Key Question:

“How many different ways could this problem be solved? Which directions are most promising?”

Iterative Nature of the Process

Real design process is rarely sequential. Designers in the Develop phase often:
- Return to Discover to gather more specific research
- Revisit Define to clarify or update criteria
- Receive feedback that changes the direction

COMMON MISTAKE: Presenting the design process as a linear checklist rather than an iterative cycle. Examiners want to see evidence of iteration — moments where you gathered new information, received feedback, or encountered a constraint that caused you to revisit an earlier phase.

VCAA FOCUS: In your folio and in exam responses, use the correct phase names (Discover, Define, Develop) and describe what you actually did in each phase, not just what the phase is. “In the Discover phase, I conducted three stakeholder interviews and an online survey to understand how parents currently receive school communications” demonstrates genuine application.