An overview of Style Tiles and why you should start implementing them in your design process

Since my last article was essentially the length of a thesis full of design jargon, I figured this go around I should make it a point to deliver content that is a little more absorbable (and honestly, more enticing to the average reader).

Within this article you’ll learn:

• What a style tile is
• Why it is useful to implement during the design process
• Where you can find resources to help you get started
• What elements you should include if you want to woo the sh*t out of your clients.

There might even be a few visuals peppered in here that I designed to boost your enthusiasm and inspire you to get down to business.

The research is done (for now). Interviews have been conducted, the data — synthesized. Target users, along with their needs and pain points, have been defined — the problem unveiled. Solutions have been conceptualized, sketched, tested, evaluated, iterated, tested again, wireframed, prototyped, then tested some more.

Now it’s 2pm on a Saturday and you have suddenly found yourself hungover, dehydrated, and in the fetal position on your couch, cradling a lukewarm water bottle as if it were your firstborn. You feel your dignity beginning to leave your fragile body and your house reeks of pepperoni and dirty socks— the byproduct of last night’s pizza party you hosted in honor of celebrating your design teams’ accomplishments thus far. You indulged in one too many glasses of vino tinto and are feeling all the symptoms of a sugar overdose, but you deserved every bit of that 4th slice of ice cream cake. #noregrets.

Fast forward to Monday (because it’s the design world, the wheels keep turning). You’re starting to take a liking to your ameliorated sleep schedule, and you manage to stay under 2 cups of coffee instead of your usual 4. Don’t be deceived, the hard work isn’t over. But it is time to have some FUN.

Whether everything leading up to this point in the design process involved your contributions or whether it was in the hands of a team of…