HITD 201 Framing Problems

Mark Billinghurst HIT Lab NZ

December 10th 2013

Design Thinking Process

5 modes iterated through

Empathize

Define   Expresses the problem you are addressing   Defines your unique point of view

 Unique design vision based on Empathy outcomes

  Two Goals  Deep understanding of users and design space   Actionable problem statement (point of view)

Expressing the Problem

[User] needs [verb phrase] in a way that [way] How might we [verb phrase] ?

Empathy Map   Synthesize observations and draw out insight   4 quadrant layout

  SAY: What are some quotes and defining words your user said?

 DO: What actions and behaviors did you notice?   THINK: What might your user be thinking? What

does this tell you about his or her beliefs?   FEEL: What emotions might your subject be feeling?

Empathy Map

Stakeholder   Identify key elements of target person

 Demographics  Occupation  Motivation

  Express as adjective description   Develop typical persona

Personas •  Personas are a design tool to help visualize who you are

designing for and imagine how person will use the product •  A persona is an archetype that represents the behavior and

goals of a group of users •  Based on insights and observations from customer research •  Not real people, but synthesised from real user characteristics •  Bring them to life with a name, characteristics, goals, background •  Develop multiple personas

Persona

  Capture elements relevant to problem

Need   Human emotional or physical necessities.

 Needs help define your design

  Needs are verbs not Nouns   Verbs - (activities and desires)  Nouns (solutions)

  Identify needs directly out of the user traits you noted, or from contradictions between   disconnect between what she says and what she does..

Insight   A remarkable realization that you could leverage to

better respond to - a design challenge.   Insights often grow from contradictions between

two user attributes   either within a quadrant or two different quadrants

  Asking “Why?” when you notice strange behavior.

Journey Map   To gain empathy for a person’s process

through an experience  Consider the details of that process to illuminate

areas of potential insights

  Create diagram with multiple observations  Organize data in timeline with significant dates   Look for patterns

Journey Map

2 x 2 Matrix   Use during problem synthesis process

 Organize relationships between things or people

  Process   Pick two spectra - axes  Draw 2 x 2 matrix   Plot items on matrix   Look for gaps/opportunties

Example: Breakfast Cereals

2 x 2 Matrix

Problem Definition Creates Insight

User + Need = Insight

How Might We … ?   Short questions that launch brainstorming

Good Point of View   Inspires your team   Provides focus and frames the problem   Provides a reference for evaluating ideas   Fuels brainstorming by suggesting ‘how might we’   Captures the hearts and minds of people   Guides your innovation efforts

Assignment Two   Interview people to find out what are the key

elements in a creative space for them   Complete an empathy map and define a

problem statement with insight into how space could be improved

  Sketch/write a list of things that could be done to improve the class space for creative design

  Submit the empathy map and list of improvements