Design for Scale
Achieving scale requires thinking beyond a few pilot communities by determining affordability and usability when rationalizing a whole region or country and formulating decisions that enable widespread adoption in the future. This should be considered at the beginning of the design process in order to ensure that your project can be easily expanded to new users, regions, and/or markets. The initiative or project must have a local impact and meet user needs.
| Checklist Questions |
|---|
| Have you planned and designed for scale from the start? |
| Have you developed a definition for scale for your project or initiative? |
| Is your design simple and flexible in the case where changes are needed? |
| Is there an agreed-upon definition of important goals and models? |
| Are there any possible partners who might be able to aid the project? |
| Is this implementation feasible considering project funding |
| Is the initiative plan and approach fully thought through and considered by multiple parties? |
Additional Resources
- Design for Scale | Principles for Digital Development
- Scaling Design as the Company Grows | by Ian Armstrong
Case Study
The case study above applied this design principle of designing for scale by allowing for their project to be readily expandable to new users and regions. This study applies the research to real world applications that can be interpreted by all users.