Reflecting on the evolution of design and development practices, I realized that the traditional frameworks, while effective, still have gaps — especially when it comes to seamless teamwork between designers and developers.
I like the Double Diamond model and so I was curious about Zendesk’s innovative Triple Diamond process. I saw an opportunity to build upon these ideas with a more integrated approach. It became clear to me that the future of product development lies in juxtaposing (I had to put it here) design and code, earlier and more continuously throughout the process. So I wanted to share my thoughts on how we’re adapting these models at Jux.io, and why we believe the juxtaposed diamonds approach can truly optimize how we work together across teams. Take a seat.
The familiar framework: the Double Diamond approach
The Double Diamond model has long been the go-to framework for structuring design and problem-solving processes in product development. It breaks the process into four key stages, and even if you’re not using this model you’re probably experiencing it in software development anyway while experimenting with ways how to ship products.
This common framework effectively organizes the design process and provides clear stages to guide teams. But in an ever-evolving world, diamonds are forever, and you can always add another one, as every model has there’s an opportunity for improvement.
Zendesk’s Triple Diamond Process: A New Evolution
In July 2024, I wrote about the spiral process in product development, a concept that emphasizes iterative learning and evolving solutions. Shortly after, I came across Zendesk’s blog post on their Triple Diamond process, which resonated with our approach at Jux.
Zendesk’s product team, after using the Double Diamond framework for some time, realized it didn’t fully address their needs. They found it too design-centric, not leaving enough room for a real collab between design and dev. To address this gap, they introduced this new model. The third diamond represents the integration of design and development into a unified workflow. Here’s how Zendesk conceptualizes it:
- Design as a Concept: Designs are treated as initial concepts that undergo internal and external validation.
- Engineering & Design Collaboration: Engineers investigate technical solutions while designers simultaneously create prototypes and conduct usability tests.
- Iterative Refinement: As the project progresses, the flexibility for change decreases, with bigger tweaks being made in the early stages and finer optimizations toward the end.
This model enhances collaboration and ensures both design and development are continuously in sync, leading to a more seamless, efficient product development cycle. It was validation of my belief that the future of product development lies in integrating design and code earlier, and most importantly, continuously throughout the entire process.
Returning to the double, juxtaposing diamonds
With Jux, designers no longer have to wait for handoffs or work in silos. Instead, they can create components, validate them in real-time, and push them to a developer that can easily upload to production — all while developers continue to work on the core functionality.
This allows us to pull backward the third diamond, overlapping with the second diamond, with a concept/design/dev crossover — meaning that instead of design being handed off late in the process, designers and developers work side-by-side, continuously validating, refining, and iterating. This helps close the feedback loop faster and streamlines the entire development process.
First, the third diamond moves backward, allowing us to ship and iterate faster as design and development happen in parallel, without waiting for handoffs.
Secondly, the third diamond is also less wide, indicating fewer resources wasted — whether in a big or small team — because fewer tools and silos are involved, and teamwork is greatly enhanced.
Finally, the overlap between the two diamonds highlights how parallel processes can occur simultaneously, all thanks to a unified tool that brings design and development into one cohesive workflow. This approach accelerates delivery and fosters more efficient teamwork.
As Jux evolves and time goes by I believe that the diamonds will overlap completely with a juxed solar eclipse, back to a better double diamond. Design and development will overlap so seamlessly that it will feel like one cohesive process.
What happened here? we are taking the principles of Zendesk’s Triple Diamond process and merging them with new-world tools that enable real-time teamwork, rapid iterations, and faster delivery. Harmony!
