The Most Underrated Step in Design

Before a single pixel is pushed or wireframe is mapped, there’s a phase that often gets skipped — or worse, rushed. It’s calleddiscovery, and at Obliq, we’ve learned that this early-stage work shapes everything that follows.

Skip it, and you'll likely end up designing in the dark. Embrace it, and you’ll move with clarity.

🧩 What Is the Discovery Phase?

The discovery phase is where we align with our clients, understand the problem deeply, and gather the context that matters — business goals, user needs, technical limitations, and market landscape.

At this stage, design hasn’t started yet. But thinking has.

What we usually do during discovery:‍

• Stakeholder interviews

• Competitor audits

• Product walkthroughs

• User and journey mapping

• Content and tech inventory

• Defining constraints

Insert Image 1: “Discovery Workshop in Action”(e.g., a photo or illustration of collaborative sketching, sticky notes, or remote team sessions)

🧠 Why It Matters More Than You Think

Skipping discovery might feel like saving time. But in our experience, it createshidden costsdown the line: unclear scope, shifting expectations, or misaligned deliverables.

Here’s what solid discovery gives us:

• Clear goals, not guesswork

• A focused design process

• Fewer revisions and pivots later

• Happier clients, smoother sprints

Discovery is how we design forward, not in circles.