At the beginning of a project, I aim to understand the problem. Following my team's discussions with the client and the stakeholders, we usually hold an internal discovery meeting.
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Then, I analyze the initial information, and continue by doing my own research about the client's industry, the target audience and the relevant competitors. I immerse myself in the subject of the project to look for gaps in information and come up with the right questions. When my research is complete, I meet again with my team to discuss how to fill the gaps.
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At the end of this phase, I aim to have a clear definition of the scope, the business goals, the user needs and the estimated timeline of the project.

When the guidelines are clear, I begin the ideation process. I start brainstorming with pen and paper, and create rough sketches of various ideas and solutions. Then, I translate the ones that make the most sense into low-fidelity wireframes. To check if the functionalities support user and business goals, I prefer to connect all screens together and develop a low-fi prototype.
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I proceed with developing the wireframe further by adding the information architecture and the content received from my team. The end result of this phase is a high fidelity wireframe-prototype that focuses on functionality and user interaction, providing only small hints about the layout, and completely ignoring the look and feel.