medialab amsterdam design process 2014

MediaLAB AmsterdamDesign Process 2014

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About

(4-13)

— MediaLAB Amsterdam

— Manifesto

— Team

Program

(14-45)

— Design Process

— Scrum

— Toolkit

— Workshops

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@MediaLAB Amsterdam

(46-61)

— Multidisciplinary team

— Presenting your work

— Rules of thumb

Schedule

(62-76)

— September

— October

— November

— December/January

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“We don‘t design for the sake of designing, we design for a purpose”Marco van Hout

Our current age sees everything as an object of manufacture, as something which can be got hold of and improved or altered, to produce better or more effective outcomes.

Though this is what makes us human, we

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Tshould stay focused on designing for a purpose: to meet a need, to achieve a goal, or to make a statement.

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About MediaLAB Amsterdam

Research and design with a focus on current, relevant and meaningful digital media and

applications. It offers talented students a structured, high-paced,

20-week program in which they experiment and search for

solutions in challenging projects formulated by academic and

industry partners. The project teams are multidisciplinary

and international, comprising students from different cultural

backgrounds and from both academic and applied study areas. Each team writes a full academic

paper and presents a working prototype to the challenging

partners. The teams work five days

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Ta week at Studio HvA or at the partner’s premises. The students

have one day a week to work individually on the documentation

of their internship or graduation project. The program is in English

and available to all final year students from universities and applied universities. During the

program students follow an agile Human-Centered Design process supported by an expert from the MediaLAB, several workshops,

and coaching by external experts. MediaLAB Amsterdam is located

in Studio HvA and is part of CREATE-IT, the applied research centre of the School of Design &

Communication at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

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Our highest priority is to satisfy society with the early, open and continuous delivery of

valuable research and meaningful solutions.

We welcome change and acknowledge the need to continuously adapt tools, approaches

and requirements to meet changing needs and respond to other results.

We deliver working prototypes frequently and test them continuously with real people.

Researchers, designers and engineers must work together daily and connect with other

stakeholders as much as possible throughout the project.

We build projects around motivated individuals. We give them the environment

and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

The AgileMediaLABManifesto

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The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development/research team is face-to-

face conversation.

Useful research and working prototypes are the primary measures of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable research. Sponsors, partners, researchers

and developers should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to scientific, technical and design excellence enhances

agility.

Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential.

The best theories, requirements, solutions and designs emerge from self-organizing

teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes

and adjusts its behaviour accordingly.

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My background is in critically engaged electronic arts, and media & cultural studies. I hold a BA in Media & Culture: New Media from the University of Amsterdam and an MA in Interactive Media from Goldsmiths College, London. In recent years I’ve worked as innovator in arts education for youth and worked on projects at the Patching Zone (NL) and Kitchen Budapest (HU). Forget about practice, there’s only do: let’s get our hands dirty.

LoesBogers

[email protected]

I hold a Master degree in Communication Design from Politecnico di Milano. My focus is on data visualization, infographics and visual story telling. In the past years I have gained a good experience in designing visual tools to facilitate academic and market research projects. I have worked at The Visual Agency, an Italian design agency focused on infographics and I often collaborate as a visual designer with the Digital Methods Initiative. I like big excel files, risotto, old maps and typographic ligatures.

My background is in Media Entertainment & Pop Culture. Since 2008 I’ve been researching and designing media applications with various partners from the MediaLAB. Besides my work at the MediaLAB I‘ve started an R&D lab at the NOS, the Netherlands News Network. I love to work on topical issues and trends in media and technology. Coordinating the MediaLAB gives me the opportunity to create collaborations between research, education and creative industries and work with talented and highly motivated students. In my spare time I love to visit Amsterdam’s creative hotspots. I can advise you on places to go for inspiration or just an icecold beer.

GabrieleColombo

GijsGootjes

[email protected]

[email protected]

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For the last ten years I have gained experience in various disciplines of new and interactive media. I hold a bachelor degree in Integrated Communication Management, a post bachelor in Business Science and a master in Information Studies, track Human Centered Multimedia. After working at the Waag Society and Media Guild for more than five years, I now work for the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences since 2008. Also I am involved in the Institute of Network Cultures with various research projects. My motto is keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for stars.

MargreetRiphagen

[email protected]

With a passion for human centered design, I bring over 12 years of experience in applied research and design practice. In the past decade I have specifically specialized and pioneered in design for emotion, building the foundations of this emerging field. I am a co-founder of Susa-Group, a strategic design consultancy. As board member of the International Design & Emotion Society and as trainer / public speaker I have the opportunity to travel and see many countries, but the best trips are to my atic where I love to create abstract paintings. As research and design program coordinator I foster the role and importance of applied research and the need for structure, critical

thinking and deep questioning in our design process.

Marcovan Hout

[email protected]

My interests in art and technology motivated me to move to The Netherlands where I have discovered the fun of tinkering, affecting computing and serious games. I hold a BA in Computer Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and a MSc in Media Technology from Leiden University. I am co-founder of Advance Consulting, a software development company based in Quito-Ecuador and have experience as a programr, project manager and dancer.

TamaraPinos

[email protected]

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Program

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A high-paced, agile design program with room for experimentation and personal development.

MediaLAB Amsterdam uses a combination of an iterative design cycle and Scrum process in order to foster both the creative process and enforce teams to work structured and goal oriented.

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This has proven to be a powerful combination for the multidisciplinary design teams that work on projects in the lab-context that we provide.

The process is further fed by workshops,an extensive (research) method toolkit, expert meetings, and supported by (embedded) researchers and MediaLAB coaches.

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Design Process

The MediaLAB Amsterdam design process is a problem solving

method that helps create and evaluate solutions in response to challenges. In the process MediaLAB tries to evoke real

curiosity in order to make the teams feel highly motivated for finding answers and solutions. This involves lots of iterations,

making, prototyping, going out on field studies and test each idea, concept or prototype with actual

users.

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RESEARCH, TRANSLATE AND CREATE.

At the start of every design challenge, and after, at the start of each new stage in the design process, research has a central role. Research will provide plenty of insights; of how people act/think/feel and who the intended users are, within the context of the challenge.

Those insights are the key to a solution, however they will have to be translated into actual require-ments for the design: which are key for the optimal solution? That is something that can be decided based on research and be implemented and test-ed by creating a prototype. A next step could be again to research what you created by setting up a test with users.

During the project there is a constant flow, fol-lowing both directions; from research, transla-tion to creation, and from creation, translation to research.

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Scrum

Scrum is an iterative and incremental process for design and development

of products and services and has a very specific way to organize a

team. Tasks will be achieved faster and with higher quality with the help of the Scrum-Framework. This is possible because of the

high self-motivation of the team, which chooses itself how tasks

will be executed. The project partner’s demands will be iteratively

prioritized and quickly realized.

At MediaLAB Amsterdam, the flow of the design process is embedded in a sprint-based schedule, supported

by Scrum roles, rituals, sessions and artifacts that support the process.

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SPRINTS

A sprint (or iteration) is the basic unit of develop-ment. The sprint is a “timeboxed” effort; that is, it is restricted to a specific duration. The sprints in the MediaLAB program have an average dura-tion of three weeks. However, teams are free to fit and exercise more sprints within those scheduled three weeks.

RITUALS

At the MediaLAB we use specific rituals during each sprint. Each sprint starts with an ideation and plan-ning session, has a mid-sprint translation/ transfer session, and ends with a sprint review meeting and retrospective. During a sprint, the team has daily stand up meetings.

sprint

translateIDEATION

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1 —

Daily stand up meeting

The daily standup meeting takes place at the same time and place of every working day. The daily scrum meeting is held in the morning, as it helps set the context for the coming day’s work. These scrum meetings are strictly time-boxed to 15 min-utes. This keeps the discussion brisk but relevant.

The daily stand up meeting is not used as a prob-lem-solving or issue resolution meeting. Issues that are raised are taken offline and usually dealt with immediately after the meeting. During the daily scrum, each team member answers the fol-lowing three questions:

a - What did you do yesterday?b - What will you do today?c - Are there any impediments in your way?

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2—

Ideation and planning

Every sprint has a ideation and planning session. In this session the creative process is triggered by the facilitation of a brainstorm and ideation ses-sion in which ideas are identified and sketched out quickly.

The most promising ideas are placed in a hierarchy and it is decided which have potential to be tak-en along in the sprint. After this, tasks are identi-fied, but more important the exact sprint goal (and duration) is set out.

It is important to have a very clear goal, so that the team can cut the effort down into smaller sized pieces that contribute to achieving that goal more smoothly, using the planboard (§ pag 34, Toolkit)

IDEATIONPLANNING

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3—

Translate and transfer

In the middle of the 3-week sprint, there is a scheduled translate and transfer session, in which, your team and the project-related researchers come together and translate research insights and decide which things to act on in this sprint or the next (transfer).

translate

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translate

4—

Sprint review

After the team has finished the planned delivera-bles for this sprint, it is time for the sprint review. In this meeting, which is organized with all stake-holders present, decisions on the progress and how to proceed are made, including next steps and possible needs and wishes. Specifically, the team will present the work they did during the sprint and will run through the sprint backlog together with stakeholders.

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5—

Sprint retrospective

At the very end of each sprint, the retrospective is being held. Sprint retrospective is a meeting to reflect on both the results and the process with the team. It is meant to change, improve or stick to the way they work and function as a team.

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ROLES

Scrum has only three roles and the relationship between these roles is easily defined and easy to understand.

ProductOwner

(PO)

ScrumMaster

(SM)

Team

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Product Owner

The Product Owner is the final authority on the requirements for the product and responsible for the product vision and improving return on investment.

The PO manages the end user and stakeholder’s expectations, prioritizing the product backlog, release planning and providing clear and testable requirements to the team.

A PO collaborates with the team, end users and stakeholders ensuring that the goals are met and that they accept the deliverables at the end of each sprint. The project partner is the PO, and dur-ing the sprints the team coach serves as dedicated Product Owner.

PO

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2—

Scrum Master

Responsible for facilitating the team: creating a trustful and inclusive environment, facilitating team meetings and negotiations with the prod-uct owner and removing team and organisational impediments.

SM’s keep the process moving forward, ensuring that the values and principles of scrum along with its framework are followed. He/She also facilitates the stand-up meetings and the retrospective, and organizes the planning and ideation sessions and the sprint reviews.

The SM is a crucial role within the team, ensuring its success. Therefore, at the start of the semes-ter, each team has to make sure to appoint some-one who fits the characteristics of a good SM. Important: the SM is also a team member.

SMTEAM

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Team

The multidisciplinary design team is cross-func-tional, autonomous and self-organising.

The team is responsible for researching the requirements, translating those and making their own design and implementation decisions.

The team members track the progress of their own work with the guidance of the scrum master and the team commits to create deliverables being accountable to the product owner for delivering as promised.

TEAM

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Artifacts

PRODUCT BACKLOG

USER STORIES

SPRINT BACKLOG

SCRUMBOARD

TASKS

O-DO, IN PROGRESS, PENDING FOR APPROVAL AND DONE.

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1 — Product BacklogThe requirements for the product are listed in the Product Backlog. It is an always changing, dynam-ically prioritized list of requirements ordered by Business Value. Requirements are broken down into User Stories.

2 — User StoriesUser stories are short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer of the system. They typically follow a simple template:

As a <type of user> I want <some goal> so that <some reason>

3 — Sprint BacklogThe Sprint Backlog contains all the committed User Stories for the current Sprint broken down into Tasks by the Team. All items on the Sprint Backlog should be developed, tested, documented and integrated to fulfill the commitment.

4 — TasksThe goal is to have all tasks fixed for the current sprint without having to add new tasks.

5 — ScrumboardThe Scrumboard gives you a quick way of visually seeing the status of your iteration. Add and move stories into different columns to change their status-es, such as to-do, in progress, pending for approval and done. Every Team member works on tasks and the PO decides when the tasks go from pending to done.

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MediaLAB method toolkit

To support research planning, ideation and testing, MediaLAB

Amsterdam has developed a special method toolkit, which is a combination of a 60+ method

cards collection and a plan board.

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PLAN BOARD

Use the plan board to have a clear idea of what the goals are, how much time needs to be invested and what the results will mean for a possible solution.

The plan board asks the teams to take a User Story as a starting point. Then, go to the method cards deck and choose a method according to the goal the User Story represents.

Then time needs to be estimated (how long will execution, preparation and analysis take?). Based on the necessary steps in the method, the User Story can be cut down into single tasks (and serves as input for the scrum board).

O-DO, IN PROGRESS, PENDING FOR APPROVAL AND DONE.

METHODCARDS

USERSTORIES

TIMEESTIMATION

SINGLETASKS

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Method cards

The MediaLAB Amsterdam method card collection is a very wide range of design and research meth-ods that can be used to get the necessary insights.

The methods are divided in categories relating to the type of insights that can be gained with them. The methods can be about defining goals, knowing context, knowing the user, framing insights, idea-tion, prototyping or testing.

Most of the cards can be used throughout the com-plete design process. The teams are encouraged to use a variety of methods (in order to have a wide variety in insights) and use them continuously. The method plan board is literally the backside of the scrum board, making them interdependent.

Define Goalsand Intentions

KnowContext

KnowUser

FrameInsights

Ideation andConcepts

Createand Test

SENSORIAL

TRIGGER

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Workshops

An important part of the support in the design process consists

of the workshop program. These workshops are facilitated by

experts from the MediaLAB and from the field and follow the

work intensity and current needs of the teams as the program

evolves. Students will learn about ideation, selection of ideas, user

experience (design), user testing, prototyping, business model canvas, etc. Every workshop

withholds relevant information and skills for each sprint.

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WorkshopScrum

September 89:30 - 12:00

This workshop covers the principles and process (theory) underpinning the mechanics, rules and roles of the Scrum framework. Attention is paid to the rituals, artifacts and roles, and specifically how they relate to the program and creative process within the MediaLAB.

Students learn through instruction and team-based exercises, and are challenged to think in terms of the Scrum principles to better understand what to do when starting their project.

After this workshop, scrum teams still need a lot of practicing and trial/error, but it is beneficial to team dynamics and project progress from day one!

Scrum

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WorkshopProblem definition

September 159:30 - 12:30

In order to clearly understand the “problem” the team has been asked to solve, this workshop will show how a design brief can be written based on a deep understanding of stakeholders, needs, values, requirements, restrictions and opportuni-ties that surround the assignment.

Furthermore, teams are inspired to think beyond descriptives and become creative thinkers.

Problem Definition

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WorkshopTinkering

September 179:30 - 12:30

Tinkering is all about exploring materials (often technical materials) and finding new applica-tions by engaging with them in playful, somewhat unstructured ways.

In this workshop, students will experiment with Makey Makey (an Arduino-based device that lets you turn nearly anything into a computer key) and Scratch (a free programming language, orig-inally developed by MIT for kids, where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations).

Build a playful installation, game or prototype in just the time of this half-day workshop!

Tinkering

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WorkshopIdeation

October 69:30 - 12:30

In this workshop, students start once more with checking their understanding of the problem at hand. In order to generate good ideas, it is vital to fit them well within context.

The workshop introduces several high-paced and productive exercises that can be used to generate lots of ideas in a short time frame. Teams will then try and cluster the ideas into potential solutions.

One of the most important goals of the workshop is to have fun, open your mind and change the way you look at the world.

IDEATION

Ideation

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WorkshopUser Experience Design

October 299:30 - 12:30

This workshop engages the teams in a hands-on ‘design for experience’ practice.

By introducing a systematic approach to designing products that deliberately elicit predefined emo-tional responses, the workshop aims to facilitate a shift from an intuitive to a structured and manage-able perspective on user experience in conceptual design processes.

Denying the experiential and emotional impact in the design of new concepts is like denying they are designed for humans.

User Experience Design

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WorkshopUser TestingNovember 199:30 - 12:30

User testing is important but is often overlooked due to budget, time, and resource constraints.

This workshop will explain how user testing can support the design process and can be employed to deliver better a user experience and a more meaningful end product.

Learn how to choose between unmoderated and moderated testing. Learn when to integrate test-ing at different development/ design phases. Learn how to maximize the ROI by knowing what to test. How to extract useful patterns from quali-tative and quantitative tests.

User Testing

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WorkshopBusiness Model Canvas

December 179:30 - 12:30

The Business Model Canvas, is a strategic manage-ment and entrepreneurial tool.

It allows to describe, design, challenge, invent, and pivot any business model. In this workshop, teams will be challenged to imagine the business behind their concept and foresee opportunities, constraints, challenges, etc.

Seeing the potential of the concept from a busi-ness perspective will help to sharpen the offering and final deliverable, and will support future sce-narios for the continuation of the project after the semester.

Business Model Canvas

@MediaLABAmsterdam

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Your team is bigger than you might think! You are supported by many.

Besides your fellow team members, many other people are directly involved in the project.

An expert from the MediaLAB Amsterdam team, your graduation or internship mentor, the project partners

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and, in the course of the design process, developers, external experts, creative consultants, etc.

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Multidisciplinary and

multicultural teamwork

At MediaLAB you work in a team comprising people with different skill sets and from

different educational and cultural backgrounds. Even local cultural differences between people from the same country can have a big

impact on the way they work with each other. Working in a

team with a varied composition therefore requires a special

attitude, both professionally and socially. Here are some things you

should take into account.

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Language

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Multidisciplinary and intercultural teams are great for creative processes. However, when people who work together have different languages, this can be an obstacle to success. Speaking in your moth-er tongue is very different from speaking in a sec-ond or third language.

So consider your words carefully; there are issues of interpretation, but also of cultural differences, especially when the spoken language is not the first language for either of you. Use visuals, write down your ideas, sketch. Make sure you are under-standing each others.

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Communication Styles

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Methods of communication that are normal for one group of people may appear ineffective or inap-propriate to another group.

A person from a culture in which loud voices and interruptions are not seen as aggressive may intim-idate someone from a culture that teaches more reserved modes of expression.

Learning in advance about the cultures of your team members before you work on a team with them can help you understand their methods of communication.

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Hierarchy

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The importance of authority varies greatly between cultures. Some groups give great respect to peo-ple in positions of authority, while people from other cultures are perfectly willing to question an authority figure if they see him doing something wrong.

Authority is based on different criteria in differ-ent cultures. The nature of a team should be made clear to all participants at its inception.

At the beginning of the semester you will there-fore write a team ‘plan’ in which ways of work-ing together, but also values and roles are written down and agreed on.

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Language

CommunicationStyles

Hierarchy

Conflict

Conflict

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When conflict does occur within a team, members from different backgrounds may react to it in dra-matically different ways. Some people will repress their reactions to an insult or slight, while others will fight back. These reactions are based on indi-vidual personality to some extent but are also con-ditioned by a person’s background.

Resolving conflict between team members effec-tively requires an understanding of everyone’s view of what caused the conflict. Being open, but respectful to each other’s background, is the best remedy for conflict resolution.

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Language

CommunicationStyles

Hierarchy

Conflict

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Presenting your work

At the end of the design process you will have the opportunity to share with the world what you

have created. We use the website as a communication portal for all

our projects, but you will also have the opportunity to present your results to the creative industry during a final event organized at MediaLAB Amsterdam. This

will be the showcase of your final design and prototype. You will

present yourselves as experts to an audience consisting of friends, family, partners from the creative

industries but also creative agencies looking for the latest trends and scouting for talent.

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One of MediaLAB Amsterdam’s most important communication channels is its blog. Here, project teams keep followers and friends updated on the latest developments and insights in their projects or in related fields. As a team we trust you are just as proud as we are of our work, and just as keen to share its news on a regular basis. In the first week you will learn how our blog works and how you can best communicate and promote your team’s work there.

SHARING, WORKING, DOCUMENTATION

To work together efficiently you’ll need tools to collaborate on projects, share documents and cal-endars, and communicate. There are huge numbers of digital tools to help you with this: use them! The right tools will put the most relevant information within easy reach.

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Rules of thumb

No ambitious program would be achievable without some good

old rules of thumb about things you can do, or should do (act);

things to remember; and things to respect. We expect you to take note of these and commit them

to memory. We are open for initiatives, so if you have anything

to add or suggest (a change), please do not hesitate to talk to

someone from the MediaLAB team and your team members. We’ll find a way to make everybody

happy.

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1 — Every team works and studies for five days a week from 9:00 until 17:30.

2 — Schedule when you will spend time on individ-ual research, your own graduation project, or your personal development plan

3 — Appreciate the value of the structured morn-ing-scrum setup; it is there to help you and your team aim for the highest level of quality

4 — Finish things in time, as agreed upon with your team in your meetings

act

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1 — Involve or CC your MediaLAB expert coach in communications with the project partner. In case of a meeting, inform them in time about the details. The expert will always want to be present at part-ner meetings

2 — You can request a day off with your PM. Of course you will have to inform your team too. One day requests: a week in advance. More than one day? At least 3 weeks in advance. Be aware that your requests may or may not be granted, depend-ing on project needs.

3 — The MediaLAB team is not responsible for your personal grades (except for international students)

remember

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1 — Keep to the team agreement document that you filled in at the start of the process

2 — In the event of illness, please contact your expert coach before 9:30

3 — Keep the MediaLAB tidy, shiny and awesome!

4 — Workshops are obligatory. There are no excep-tions, as these are a vital part of the program. If you arrive late, the doors will stay closed

5 — Some distraction is good, but don’t over-do social media, appointments with others dur-ing working hours, etc. Keep the work/fun ratio balanced

6 — You are not alone, and your team members will need to feel the same dedication coming from you as they are putting in themselves. Keep the same energy level and the motor will run beautifully!

respect

Schedule

Schedule — September

-MORNING -AFTERNOON

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

1 2 3 4 5


8 9 10 11 12

KICKOFF

sprint 0

PARTNERVISIT

DESIGNCULTURE

INTRODUCTION

deadline:user scene

WORKSHOPTINKERING

WORKSHOPPROBLEM

DEFINITION

sprint 0REVIEW AND

RETROSPECTIVE


15 16 17 18 19


22 23 24 25 26

sprint 1TRANSLATE

SESSION

PLANNING

sprint 1

WORKSHOPSCRUM

deadline:design brief

translate

Schedule — September/October

-MORNING -AFTERNOON


29 30 1 2 3


6 7 8 9 10

WORKSHOPIDEATION


13 14 15 16 17


20 21 22 23 24

deadline:design brief

deliverable 2

MAKESESSIONAT MK24

WRITEUP

PEERPITCH

9:30-12:30sprint 1REVIEW AND

RETROSPECTIVE

IDEATION

WORKSHOPIDEATION

IDEATION

PLANNING

sprint 2

sprint 2TRANSLATE

SESSION

translate

PEERPITCH


RETROSPECTIVEWRITE

UP

deliverable 1

IDEASELECTION

TEAMSESSIONS

deliverable 3

Schedule — October/November

-MORNING -AFTERNOON


27 28 29 30 31


3 4 5 6 7

WORKSHOPUX DESIGN


10 11 12 13 14


17 18 19 20 21

PLANNING

sprint 3

PLANNING

sprint 4

PEERPITCH


RETROSPECTIVE

sprint 3TRANSLATE

SESSION

translate WORKSHOPUSER TESTING

Schedule — November/December

-MORNING -AFTERNOON


24 25 26 27 28


1 2 3 4 5


8 9 10 11 12


15 16 17 18 19

PLANNING

sprint 5sprint 4TRANSLATE

SESSION

translate

sprint 5TRANSLATE

SESSION

translate

WORKSHOPBUSINESS

MODEL

deliverable 4

PEERPITCH


RETROSPECTIVE

deliverable 5

sprint 5REVIEW AND

RETROSPECTIVE

WRITEUP

Schedule — December/January

-MORNING -AFTERNOON


22 23 24 25 26


29 30 31 1 2


5 6 7 8 9


12 13 14 15 16

final deliverable

final sprintREVIEW

TRY-OUT

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

XMASPERIOD

PLANNING

final sprint final sprintTRANSLATE

SESSION

translate

Schedule — January

-MORNING -AFTERNOON


19 20 21 22 23


26 27 28 29 30

9.30-

BUSINESSMODEL

CANVASVALORIZATION

SESSIONS

DELIVERPACKAGE

TOPARTNERS

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