About this ebook
Erica Heinz shares evergreen principles and refined methods drawn from twenty years of experience as a digital design consultant and as a teacher of a variety of undergraduate and graduate design courses in New York City. Think in 4D unites behavioral psychology, business strategy, visual principles, research methods, and human-centered design practices to provide a pithy, visual cheat sheet for hundreds of design ideas. It is an essential handbook for any digital citizen.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the complex design of this book, the ePub is delivered as a fixed layout (print replica) file. The text is not reflowable.
Part I, FRAMEWORK outlines the easy-to-remember 4D thinking model. Four phases (threads, impressions, interactions, and memories) and three dimensions (2D, 3D, and 4D) split the complexity of digital product design into manageable yet integrated parts. The method has seven key tenets — prototype, lower the fidelity, work backwards, work in circles, use principles, use metrics, and co-create — that focus and speed work.
Part II, PRACTICE, provides guidelines for putting the model into action. The four phases and three layers yield twelve chapters spanning 2D (words, layouts, symbols, and images), 3D (inclusivity, flexibility, usability, and personalization), and 4D (relationships, patterns, paths, and moments) focus areas. Each chapter includes key questions, cognitive principles, examples, exercises, and user research tips. Each phase ends with a larger design challenge and critique outline for a key deliverable (concepts, flows, screens, or links).
Part III, CRAFT, refines the practice with ways to advance both creative and conceptual skills. Prototyping is the tangible craft, so the book shares ways to sketch, wireframe, and play more effectively. Thinking is the invisible craft, so the book shows readers how to deconstruct, frame, research, diverge, converge, differentiate, and think in 4D.
"[A]n erudite, savvy book that communicates difficult, technical ideas with accessible, largely jargon-free prose. For both the seasoned veteran of interactive design and the unpolished newcomer, this is an invaluable resource. An impressively thorough and clear introduction to a still-new discipline."
—Kirkus Reviews
“You could choose to work on a digital product without reading Think In 4D, but that would be a mistake. Heinz has brought together the best methods, perspectives, and lessons to form the best guide to applying design principles today.”
—Randy J. Hunt, CPO at Morning
“I’ve never felt more confident in being able to start from nothing. This book totally changed my communication tactics, moved ambiguous product conversations forward, and got stakeholders aligned and inspired about what we’re building and why.”
—Erin Nolan, Product Design Lead at Coinbase
About the author
Erica Heinz has over 20 years of experience working as a digital designer and strategist in New York City, creating apps, websites, products, and services that are popular with millions of people. She has taught undergraduate and graduate design classes at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts, led prototyping and user experience labs in Fortune 100 accelerators and NYC incubators, and spoken on topics from creative culture to CSS.
