IBM Design Thinking

Question 1

Everyone designs who

Answer 1

devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” - Herbert Simon

Question 2

Technique to get the team to understand the differences in perceptions

Answer 2

Draw a vase, then design a better way to experience flowers at home

Question 3

Design thinking originated in the

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late 1960’s- early 1970’s

Question 4

Stanford d. school model of design thinking (steps)

Answer 4

Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

Question 5

3 principles of Enterprise Design Thinking

Answer 5

Focus on users
Restless reinvention
Diverse Empowered Teams

Question 6

The loop in EDT

Answer 6

Observe - Reflect - Make

Question 7

The keys

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Hills, Playbacks, Sponsor Users

Question 8

Hills format

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Who: Who is your user? Refer to them by name.

What: What will your user be able to do that they couldn’t before? Start with a verb and avoid solutions.

Wow: What differentiates you from the competition? This is measurable.

Question 9

Playbacks are

Answer 9

story-based presentations that share insights, ideas, and updates to a user experience

Question 10

Example of 5 Whys (just read)

Answer 10

Windsor Airline’s consistent flight delays are hurting the company’s bottom line.

Why might that be?

Because the majority of their flights don’t depart on time.

Why?

Because on average the gate isn’t locked 10 minutes before a flight’s scheduled takeoff.

Because the dispatchers don’t have the passenger data, which is legally required for the gate to close.

Because it’s not clear who’s on the final passenger list.

Because gate agents struggle to negotiate last-minute passenger changes.

Question 11

Design thinking at its core is the process of

Answer 11

understanding the situation, recognizing where it can be improved, and then creating a better future for the people involved. This is the concept of moving from as-is, to to-be.

Question 12

3 questions to ask about your users

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Who are your users?

What do your users do on a daily basis?

What do they struggle with the most when they try to complete important tasks?

Question 13

When you feel overwhelmed by a complex domain, try some of these methods to learn more:

Answer 13

Next time you review an idea, design, deliverable, etc. ask yourself what the user would think of it. Then go through the 5 Whys activity to dig deeper.

Have questions? Do some desk research (you can learn a lot about a person’s experience on the internet), or interview a stakeholder or subject matter expert to start to get a handle on things before talking to users.

A lot of users will document their experiences and share them online, which can be a great way to observe remotely. Think user-generated videos, review sites, and social media.

Question 14

“The last best experience that anyone has anywhere,

Answer 14

becomes the minimum expectation for the experience they want everywhere.” - Bridget Van Kralingen

Question 15

A brain-stretching exercise before ideation

Answer 15

Imagine a cube
paint one side red, other blue, other yellow
rotate, spin, throw around
unfold the cube

Question 16

How do we have brilliant ideas?

Answer 16

By leaning into the absurd.

Question 17

examples of misaligned team

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Teams break out into solo work and end up duplicating efforts, or delivering things that aren’t useful.

Alternatively, teams might belabour a conversation when an agreement has already been reached, and get stuck spinning in circles.

Question 18

ways to align the team

Answer 18

Next time you’re in a meeting where the conversation spins in circles, ask everyone to grab something to write with, visualize their thoughts, and then take turns sharing.

Next time you’re in a meeting where only one or two people share their opinion, hold a silent and anonymous voting session to expose everyone’s viewpoints.

Question 19

specific moments where everyone on the team needs to be aligned:

Answer 19

Starting a new project or initiative.
Deciding as a team on a future experience for your users.
Reviewing progress as you deliver.

Question 20

Starting a new project or initiative – answer questions like…

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Who will be the users and stakeholders? What experience are we trying to improve and why?

Question 21

Deciding as a team on a future experience for your users. Answer questions like:

Answer 21

What do we think our users need to be successful? How are we going to serve those needs?

Question 22

Reviewing progress as you deliver. Answer questions like:

Answer 22

Do we successfully deliver value to our users? Are we still aligned as a team?

Question 23

the first step to answering the question is ___

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is knowing what questions to ask

Question 24

What to do with the problem statement once you’ve refined it

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as a source of research questions you want to answer
as a prompt for brainstorming ideas for solutions
as a discussion point for your whole team to align around a shared goal

Question 25

When all else fails...

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just start with Reflect. Reflection means to pause, take a breath, and look at what’s known and unknown. From there, you can make a plan to move forward.

Question 26

Reflect questions

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Who are our users? Who are our stakeholders? How do we define success? What did we Observe or Make? What’s working and what isn’t? What’s our plan? What’s on our roadmap?

Question 27

Steps to doing Assumptions & Questions

Answer 27

First draw a cross with Assumptions and Questions logged Then make a 2x2 grid with Risk and Certainty plotted on X/Y axes, move the A&Qs accordingly Move the highest risk/uncertainty items to another reversed cross grid and diverge to find ways to figure out how to answer those questions

Question 28

The best plans are created and owned by

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the whole team—not just a design researcher.

Question 29

A Research Plan is

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an outline of learning goals and activities. You list your biggest questions along with how exactly you will answer those questions, when, and with whom.

Question 30

A basic Research Plan has four components:

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One or two high-level objectives: “What do we need to know?” A timeline: “When will we do this work? When will we complete it?” A short description of the types of people you’ll talk to: “Who represents our users?” A list of research activities or methods: “How will we answer this?”

Question 31

Contextual Inquiry:

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Act like a fly on the wall, silently observing, or interview participants in-context to get additional layers of detail.

Question 32

Cognitive Walkthrough

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In order to learn first-hand where people struggle or find success while they engage with what you make, allow them to interact with the experience without any help or direction.

Question 33

Interacting with Research Participants - Steps

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1. Introduce yourself and everyone on the call 2. Give them an idea of what you'll talk about 3. Develop rapport - respect for their time, make them feel comfortable, treat them with decorum

Question 34

Draft a research plan, step 1

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Step 1: Define one or two high-level objectives. Ask yourself: “What do we need to know?” These are learning goals. Reference your Assumptions and Questions artifact for ideas.

Question 35

Draft a research plan, step 2

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Step 2: Create a timeline. Ask yourself: “When will we do this work? When will we complete it?” Break down your Research Plan into smaller chunks. What questions can you answer in two or three weeks—instead of two or three months?

Question 36

Draft a research plan, step 3

Answer 36

Step 3: Describe the types of people you need talk to. This description is commonly known as a screener in design research. Usually, screeners describe your user group, but they might also reflect someone like a subject-matter expert. Ask yourself: “Whom do we need to talk to?”

Question 37

Draft a research plan, step 4

Answer 37

Step 4: Pair methods with objectives. Begin to think about what might be in your discussion guide as well. Ask yourself: “How will we answer our high-level objectives? What specifically will we ask and how?”

Question 38

Tips for research plans

Answer 38

Be specific, this is not the time to be vague | Don't skip stakeholder interviews

Question 39

Synthesis is...

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The act of sifting through raw research data—interview notes, recordings, survey results, and more—to find themes and patterns

Question 40

Findings are...

Answer 40

User wants... Surface-level facts learned during your research, such as “6 out of 10 people clicked on the correct button.” Findings are things you can observe. Pain points are examples of observed findings.

Question 41

Insights are...

Answer 41

User needs... Underlying themes discovered through synthesis. They capture the “why” behind your findings. Insights might describe the reason a group of users act a certain way. They are actionable and inform decision-making. (5 Whys help uncover them)

Question 42

Types of diagrams for synthesis

Answer 42

Affinity Maps: cluster by theme Two-by-two Matrix: Use this approach when your data reveals two spectrums of categories or themes. Decision Tree: Show a process and highlight key decision points by organizing your data into a user journey. Venn Diagram: Uncover similarities and differences across multiple categories.

Question 43

Avoid the “analysis paralysis” of being stuck between Observe and Reflect by

Answer 43

only collecting as much data as you have time to synthesize.

Question 44

How to collect just enough data to not be paralyzed

Answer 44

Digitize your data—this makes it easy to share, search, and revisit. Research a question or topic for one week, then spend the second week synthesizing data collected. Over time, combine your weekly synthesis documents to uncover larger themes and tell more complete stories about your users’ experiences.

Question 45

Once you’ve synthesized your data into actionable insights you might be able to:

Answer 45

Write drafts of Hills Write needs statements for your users Make a prototype Make a persona

Question 46

It’s helpful to do an Empathy Map before an _____ because many of the inputs overlap.

Answer 46

As-is Scenario Map

Question 47

Where an Empathy Map helps you step into your users’ shoes, As-is Scenario Maps help you

Answer 47

gain a better understanding of your users’ current workflow, experience, and pain points.

Question 48

As-Is Scenario Map, step 1

Answer 48

On a large section of wall space, hang a few large white stickies side by side. Draw four rows all the way across the stickies and label them Phases, Doing, Thinking, and Feeling.

Question 49

As-Is Scenario Map, step 2

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Next, brainstorm what your users are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling. Use your Empathy Map as a reference and copy over any findings to the As-is Scenario Map. Pro-tip: Copy these onto new sticky notes or photograph your original Empathy Map before moving the notes.

Question 50

As-Is Scenario Map, step 3

Answer 50

To identify Phases, review and cluster the Doing, Thinking, and Feeling rows. Group similar actions, thoughts, and feelings together. Take a look at the order of the steps and ask yourself: “Is this the real order? Should I rearrange anything?” Draw rough columns that represent the unique phases of your user’s experience. Give each phase a name.

Question 51

As-Is Scenario Map, step 4

Answer 51

Identify the highs, the lows, and any gaps in your user’s journey. Circle and label areas that are particularly positive or negative for your user, as well as blank areas where you need to learn more. Work these blank areas into your next research plan.

Question 52

Clickable prototype:

Answer 52

a digital experience (e.g. website, mobile app) that people interact with directly, even if the back-end system isn’t functioning. These experiences can be made with prototyping software (e.g. Invision, Sketch), or directly in code. The point is to show complex screen flows, explain functionality, or test specific interactions with users.

Question 53

Complex flow-chart:

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a diagram that shows the possible user paths through a system. Flow charts can show a user going through a physical experience, like going through airport security, or a digital experience, like purchasing a car online.

Question 54

Service blueprint:

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a specific diagram that shows all angles of a user’s experience as a system. It represents the point of view of the end user, the service providers, and their technology systems. These are powerful artifacts that layer multiple human interactions with the technological systems that make those experiences possible.

Question 55

After Big Idea Vignettes, The first step is to evaluate each idea against these criteria (prioritization grids)

Answer 55

Will this idea deliver business value? Will this idea have a positive impact on our users’ experience? Can we build this idea with the resources at hand?

Question 56

Prioritization Grid tips

Answer 56

Don't dwell on the no-brainers Feasibility isn't about tech (HR & GTM also important) Consider the market -- user importance is how well you address user needs as well as how the idea compares against others in the market

Question 57

we continuously engage in design research and prototyping...

Answer 57

When we move between moments of making, reflecting, observing, and back again

Question 58

everything we make is a prototype. No idea or solution is ever done. It’s simply ___

Answer 58

ready: ready to launch, ready to test, ready for feedback.

Question 59

"evaluative” research

Answer 59

purpose is to evaluate an idea, user flow, or prototype. 1. learn whats not working 2. find out what people will do in realistic scenarios 3. Understand how your users think about abstract concepts

Question 60

how might a prototype or idea change as a result of research?

Answer 60

Small usability changes: move buttons around on a website so that the actions are more clear to users. Content changes: replace the words or images on an app so the message makes more sense to users. Structure updates: change the order of different tasks within a process.

Question 61

two tools that pair well together to do evaluative research

Answer 61

cognitive walkthrough and feedback grid

Question 62

A Cognitive Walkthrough is

Answer 62

a method to test a prototype or solution with a user. You show them the prototype, give them a task to complete. Then the user completes the task while saying their thoughts out loud while you observe. This way, you get insight into what the user’s reaction is to the various elements of the experience in real time.

Question 63

A Feedback Grid is

Answer 63

a synthesis tool for capturing feedback of any kind. It works particularly well with the Cognitive Walkthrough because it separates findings into categories that are relevant to testing.

Question 64

For cognitive walkthrough research plan, answer these questions (5)

Answer 64

``` What questions do you want to answer? What are you going to test? What scenario do you want to recreate? What task will the user perform? What types of users will you need to test with? ```

Question 65

Tips for CW interview

Answer 65

1. don't go alone -- bring someone to take notes 2. arrive early to setup, make sure that everyone sees the screen 3. print out 2 interview guides 4. prepare phone to do transcripts 5. introduce everyone in the room 6. make the interviewee comfortable 7. give a brief description of the product

Question 66

Dig deeper when...

Answer 66

the user has a clear reaction (like, "OK!" - why did they say that, what did they expect?)

Question 67

CW are best for overall products - T?F

Answer 67

False, it's best for specific tasks

Question 68

Hills related to agile

Answer 68

Hills are like themes, that link to epics, that link to user stories

Question 69

One way to keep teams focused on the Hill at hand is to

Answer 69

pair Hills with Experience-Based Roadmaps, to show what user enablement will be delivered over time, and in what order

Question 70

Questions to ask during experience-based roadmapping

Answer 70

when will you deliver on the ideas and prototypes you have created? what's the scale of the user outcome? what user value will you create?

Question 71

How Experience-based Roadmaps are different from your average roadmap or delivery plan.

Answer 71

They don’t only describe project work, but primarily dictate when a user will be enabled to do different things. They focus on the people using the product, service, or whatever is made, instead of the underlying technology or functionality.

Question 72

The near-term enablements often take the form of

Answer 72

Hills. As you go further into the future, the enablements become fuzzier, or less defined, because without learning from how the near-term ideas will play out when implemented, it’s less clear what should come next.

Question 73

Playbacks are

Answer 73

the way we continuously inform each other of our work and our users’ stories across complex teams and systems. They are story-driven presentations that create a shared vision by focusing on user needs and user value.

Question 74

Consider these elements and how you might arrange them to tell your story:

Answer 74

an introduction of your users, their goals, and needs the user’s As-is Scenario, including pain points and opportunities for improvement research insights market opportunities the user’s To-be Scenario, illustrated by a prototype of their new experience a plan of action: Hills and an Experience-based Roadmap

Question 75

Each part of the loop provided a playback and now

Answer 75

at the end, the final playback concatenates smaller playbacks