Reflections on Aprils Software Design Experiences Class

Hasso Plattner / Terry Winograd Workshop on Design ThinkingD-School Day One: The Big Picture

February 2008

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HPI D-School | February 2008 | 2

Reflections on April!s "Software Design Experiences# Class

Play film

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Learning Objectives

Taking a holistic view, apply needfinding, analysis,synthesis, prototyping and presentation techniques torecommend a user-centric solution to the design challenge.

! Practice analysis and process mapping based on primary andsecondary research

! Identify different user roles and how they might collaborateto address stakeholder needs

! Synthesize insights and develop a POV! Ideate solutions to address key user needs!Take prototypes to the next level based on research findings! Present recommendations in a compelling, actionable way!Tie to current d.school class - "Design for Agile Aging#

Please review

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Deliverables for Friday

• Persona• POV• Experience design prototype• Compelling, actionable presentation

Needs discussion

Show solution - “software” simulation or on paper

Have Terry discuss issue son Agile Aging - perspective


Placeholder: Terry!s Big Picture Perspective

Terry!s perspective on:

• Design thinking -Stanford context

• What!s going on at theStanford d.school,including "Experiencesin Software design#and "Agile Aging#

• Corporate Projects

• Developing a commonlanguage for designersand developers


Hasso!s perspective on:

• Design thinking - whythe passion around thistopic?

• The challenge ofheterogeneous teams

• Developing a commonlanguage for designersand developers

Placeholder: Hasso!s Big Picture Perspective


Design Challenge - Build on November Challenge

Situation:You are part of a small software start-upcompany based in Potsdam. Your team has beenhired by the government to design a solutionto the following challenge:

"How might we design a solution that enablesthe unemployed to successfully andsustainably re-integrate into theworkforce?#

Introduce the client by sharing short movie clips of responses to interview

questions focused on this issue.

Set expectations around what must be delivered by the end of this week


November Bootcamp Highlights

Recap November bootcamp results. This challenge is a continuation of the

November bootcamp challenge.

Show boot-camp video, highlighting process, prototype iterations, prototype

presentation and the audience feedback


Exercise Description

• Key Takeaways: Taking a holistic view, learn basicprinciples of typing solutions to factual data, learnwhat a business process is, and how businessprocesses inter-relate and function in a publicservice environment.! Identify different user roles and how they collaborateto solve a shared problem.

!Following research, analysis and synthesis, students willdevelop persona, POV, and develop a high-level processdiagram for a scenario they saw.

desirable

feasible viable

-Introduce the client by sharing short movie clips of responses to 3-4 interview

questions focused on this issue. This will enable students to understand the

design challenge in their own words.

-Set expectations around what must be delivered by the end of this week

-Create document that explains deliverables- - distribute to students on

Monday.

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Business Process Example: Utility Billing Process

Overall Process

Deep D

ive

Terry to present this topic?

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360o View - Preparation

• Introduction to the 360o View• Who is the client?• The stakeholder map


Stakeholder Map

Person 8x

AFFECTED

STAKEHOLDERS

CLIENT

x

PRO

SKEPTICAL

NEUTRAL=

Informal lines of communication

Person 6

Person 1

Person 3

Person 2

Person 10

Person 9

Person 11Person 12

Person 15 Person 13

Person 14Person 16

Person 17Person 18

Person 18

Person 7

Person 5

Person 4

=


360o View - Use Multiple Perspectives to Solution Space & Requirements

ProblemSpace

Envisioned Solution

User & Customer research

UnemployedUnderemployedEmployed (non-users)

GovernmentVolunteersOther

Ecosystem

Government Agency DomainsOrganizational StructuresPolitical DynamicsCompetitive Forces?Corporate Perspective

AEIOU

Informs

Trends

Other

Technology


Mind Map of Opportunity Areas for "Software Design Processes# Class

e-Government

Services

Access to

Information

Bus Routes

Online

Payment

Applications &

Request

ZoningMaps

Taxes

Utilities

Citations

Licenses

Marriage

Fees

Asset Repairs

Permits

School

Jobs

Pest Control

Voting

Registration

Events

Citizen’s

Portal

Example of what we want students to come up with during the Get Smart Fast

activity


Get Smart Fast

• With your project team, discuss your 360oview findings

• Develop a preliminary research plan, includingwho you will target, and what you want tolearn and validate


Stakeholder Deep Dive

• As a team, decidewhich stakeholders youwill go after

• Divide up so you have atleast one membertraveling to the eachkey stakeholderdiscussion table

• At each stakeholdertable, brainstorm aresearch approach fortomorrow


Logistics

• Take handout (map) - where to arrive by 8:45 AM• Protocol discussion• Bring digital camera• Supplies


Daily Debrief

I like$I wish$How to$

Post on wiki - Uli to give us access


Hasso Plattner / Terry Winograd Workshop on Design ThinkingD-School Day Two: Needfinding

February 2008

http://best.me.berkeley.edu/~lora/images/process_photos/ix_logbook3.jpg

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Reflections / Overview of the Day


Needfinding - Review: Observation

Collect observations to ground your research.

!Watch stakeholder behavior in context• From the vantage point of their natural habitat, watchwhat s/he does• Write down detailed observations

o When you have a chance to speak with someone whodemonstrates this behavior, ask him/her to explain what s/hewas doing, step by step

• Methods:o "hanging out# - spending time soaking in their environmento "sinking in# -take a Walk in subject!s shoes by assuming therole of the subject and performing a typical activity

o Tourist: Ask for a tour from an insidero Paparazzi: observe and photograph (with permission as needed)


Needfinding - Review: Interview Flow

Interview Flow

Most interviews follow this sequence:• Introduction• Kickoff• Build Rapport• Grand Tour• Reflection• Wrap-Up


Needfinding - Review: The Anatomy of a Story

Memorable stories typically embody this structure:

Introduction

ClimaxDenouement

Rising Action

Diagram courtesy of Michael Barry.


Needfinding - Review: The Anatomy of an Interview

The ethnographic interview generally shares this structure:

IntroductionKickoff

Build Rapport

Grand Tour Reflection

Wrap-upIntroduction

ClimaxDenouement

Rising Action

INTRODUCTION:

Establish partnership with interviewee by introducing yourself, describing your

purpose “we’d like the process of a single case from application to hire”

Let them know their knowledge is important. You are there to learn from them.

Transition: “So, a good place to start is to have you introduce yourself and tell

us about your role here.”

KICKOFF:

Interview introduces themselves, explains his/her role. Talking will also put

the interviewee at ease.

BUILD RAPPORT:

Make a connection by asking descriptive questions and building confidence

and trust. Guide them to talk about what is of interest to you, and provide

encouragement when they are on the right track “this is exactly the kind of

detail I need.

Can you say more about that?”

GRAND TOUR:

AEIOU - what sort of activities do they perform? What is the

environment/context? What are the interactions with systems? What objects

or tools do they use? Why? Who else do they work with? What are their

roles?

Contrast “sunny” day when all works well vs. “rainy” day when it doesn’t go so

well.

Tour their work setting

Encourage him/her to “show you” vs. tell you. Be curious.

REFLECTION

Review key points to be sure you aren’t missing something and that you have

heard correctly.

Encourage personal insights from the interviewee by having him/her explain

why s/he does things a certain way. Lessons learned when things didn’t go

well, what 1-2 things would s/he change?

WRAP-UP:

At the end of the interview, thank him/her, and tell them how helpful this

conversation was. Ask if s/he has final thoughts to share, or any questions for

you. Be sure to keep taking notes through the end of the interaction.

Often the end of the interview triggers some afterthoughts and insights -- be

sure to capture these!


Example: Coffee Drinking

Introduction: "Hi, I!m a HPI D-School student studying coffeedrinking. I!m interested in hearing about your experience withcoffee. There are no right or wrong answers, I just want tohear what you have to say.#

Kick-off: "Do you drink coffee?#

Build rapport: "Did you have a coffee today? How was it? Doyou have a favorite place to drink coffee?#

Grand Tour: "Can you describe your most memorable coffeeexperience? Why was it so unique? What happened?#

Reflection: "If you could change one thing about your coffeeexperience, what would it be?.#

Adapted from Michael Barry’s example.

Revisit 5 Why’s


Needfinding Best Practices

• Protocol to follow with government officials• Ideas for collecting and organizing artifacts in the field• Mini synthesis techniques

Handout: Needfinding tips and tricks


Needfinding Part I and II

Government• Conduct observations• Interview officials• Understand resources

available from governmentperspective

Citizen• Conduct observations• Interview citizens• Understand resources

available from citizenperspective


Six Things to Remember When Observing What People Do

From Software Design Experiences, Spring 2007

Insert a copy of this in the student research booklet


Mini Synthesis

• Identify questions that worked particularly well• Discuss any surprises that should be checked with next set

of research participants• Identify contradictions discovered between what is said vs.

done (ideally from observing subject perform the activity)• Identify unarticulated needs, workarounds, manual processes• Discuss how the work/environmental context impacts activities• Review any artifacts collected• Discuss observed patterns of interactions with other people,

agencies, etc.• Students an coaches collaborate to revise research

guide/strategy and identify findings to be validated inNeedfinding Part II (as needed)

Discuss this before students leave to conduct Needfinding Part I, as they will

likely conduct mini-synthesis in the field

Include handout on this in the packet of information they receive for this day


Hasso Plattner / Terry Winograd Workshop on Design ThinkingD-School Day Three: Analysis & Synthesis

February 2008

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Analysis: Determining Your Point of View

Storytelling and Analysis• Goal: Identify the core problem(s), articulate insights• How: Cluster observations and findings into themes• Define persona, a Point of View and a scenario• Re-Frame by re-clustering data (or create duplicate

Post-Its and arrange on another section of the wall)• Define a different persona, Point of View and

scenario

Terry: POV

Mad Libs exercise

Hasso: Group Dynamics and energy


Developing a Point of View

What is a Point of View?

Great ones can be compressed to fit on a bumper sticker.Points of view are built out of two things, an understanding of a usergroup (hopefully a unique empathic understanding) and insight into aneed that group has.

User + Need + Insight = Point of View

From Design for Agile Aging, Winter 2008

One of the most challenging creative leaps to make

in design work is to move from the concrete world

of observations to a concisely stated point of view.

It requires you and your team to extract relevant

insights from the observations and stories you’ve

collected. It also requires you to generate new

concepts and frameworks that allow you to plot a

course towards new ideas. Sometimes it’s difficult,

but it’s worth it.

Your POV will:

･ Provide focus.

･ Allow you to determine relevancy of competing ideas.

･ Inspire your team.

･ Empower colleagues to make decisions independently in

parallel.

･ Fuel brainstorms.

･ Capture the hearts and minds of people you meet.

･ Save you from the impossible task of developing concepts that

are all things to all people.

･ Be something you revisit and reformulate as you learn by doing.


How do You Develop a Point of View?

• Saturation: Put up Post-Its and other artifacts to expresswhat you heard and saw

• Mapping: Create diagrams that capture multiple observations.Ground stories in visualizations such as day-in-the life, theuser journey, a 2 x 2 matrix, etc.

• Grouping: Find common themes among your stories for groupsof users

• Mad Libs: Fill-in-the-blanks method to create a short, pithyexpression that captures the main elements of your POV.

POV example: User + Need + Insight = Point of ViewSafety-concerned parent with toddlers (user) wants ashopping experience with active kids (need) who can beindependent but always in sight (insight).


Composite Characters: Who is that new user you

are defining? Create imaginary character profiles

that combine your observations and understanding

so far. Get creative, and be specific. Give them

names. How old? Hometown? Where do they go

on vacation? What’s the last book they read? What

kind of car do they drive? Combine stories from

your observations. Draw out the characters to the

greatest depth that your observations and

understanding allow – this depth of understanding

is what will make your process stronger going

forward. Now your team has imaginary friends.

Include them in your design process.

Insights from Observations: Draw conclusions (or

postulate some) from multiple observations. (10

observations distilled into one).

Directives from Insights: Synthesize insights into

directives. Take your insights to the next level and

put them in the form of an action. This is getting

very close to a Point of View.


Tips - Developing a Point of View

Focusing tools helpyou narrow your

field of view.Flaring tools expandyour field of view

generating newconcepts and

frameworks thatdeepen your thinking

Tips for Developing a Point of View• Focus on the stories that keep you up at night• If you!re stuck, extract a POV from your favorite idea. Then go

further. Don!t worry about being sure it!s right.• Use empathetic language % see things from the user!s perspective• Go for meaning

From Design for Agile Aging, Winter 2008 HPI D-School | February 2008 | 36

Traps to Avoid when Developing a Point of View

Traps to Avoid When Developing a Point of View• Don!t design for everyone• Don!t confuse solutions with needs• Don!t try to include all of your insights• Don!t be afraid to choose a POV before you are "ready#



Synthesis: Identifying Key Themes and Design Requirements

Synthesis• Goal: Identify patterns in wants, needs and motivations;

Identify design requirements ad opportunity areas


Analysis

User Journey• Goal: Understand the complete experience• How: Start with the experience you are considering (e.g.

updating skills of the underemployed)• From the user!s point of view, mentally step back to

the earliest stage of the process (e.g. visiting theagency, thinking about finding a job, being rejected by apotential employer, etc.)

• Step through each stage of the process, recording it ina flow diagram

• Analyze your diagram. What happens at each of thesestages? Why? How do the stages interrelate? Whatopportunities areas do you see?


Example: Movie-goer Experience

User Journey:

Vijay Kumar, Innovative Methods HPI D-School | February 2008 | 40

Present POV for Feedback

Team Activity: Teams present persona, POV, and scenario (3 min + 2 min

feedback per team)

Need panel for initial reactions –like American Idol?


Idea Generating Insights

Discussion may include:

• Where good ideas come from, how to amass a lot of them,how to really reserve judgment, cultural factors andchallenges.

Terry and Hasso


Brainstorming


Wild Idea Sharing

Applause meter


Logistics


Daily Debrief



Hasso Plattner / Terry Winograd Workshop on Design ThinkingD-School Day Four: Designing Compelling Prototypes

February 2008

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• Overview of the day• Challenges of creating compelling prototypes• "Experience prototypes#• Discuss group dynamics that typically occur during prototyping


On Prototyping

• Different types of prototypes• How ideas evolve & how to communicate them• What makes a prototype compelling?

Hasso & Terry

Terry - do you have slides on different types of prototypes and when to use

them? If not, I have the one we used last time.

What type of prototype?

-How will the prototype be used (e.g., paper bike must roll and withstand polo-

playing for 1 hour, etc.)?

-What is being prototyped (gadget, experience, etc.)?

-What mediums make sense given time and available materials?

“Never go to a meeting without a prototype”

Fail early and often at the early stages, smaller changes later in prototype

lifecycle

Discuss successful vs. unsuccessful prototypes


Collaborating on a Vision

• Hasso talk on challenges in Designer / Developer communication

www.monkeynoodle.org/comp/the_tree.pdf

Hasso talk on how to enable better collaboration between design and

development once product development starts, including the language they

use


Building Prototypes

“Prototype early and often”

As “rough” as possible - user input into final product vs. too polished and

“done”

Discuss continuum of prototypes - basick sketches to functional prototypes

that support sample data and reveal technical constraints


Logistics


Daily Debrief



Hasso Plattner / Terry Winograd Workshop on Design ThinkingD-School Day Five: Delivering Compelling Presentations

February 2008

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• Overview of the day• Challenges of presenting• Telling compelling stories• Hasso talk about what makes a gripping, convincing presentation


Developing and Validating Prototypes


Presentations


Presenting Results


Daily Debrief



Closing Remarks

Terry and Hasso close session

Terry shares insights about similarities and differences based on his

experience this week.

Documents

Reflections on Aprils Software Design Experiences Class