Andrea Ames at LavaCon Oct 2016 -- half-day, hands-on, interactive workshop

1. DesignThinking
forContent
Andrea Ames (@aames)
#LavaCon

2. About
Andrea
Technical communicator since 1983
Areas of expertise:
Content experience design: strategy, architecture, and
interaction design
Architecture, design, and development of product-
embedded assistance
Information and product usability
User-centered process for content development and
experience design
Senior Technical Staff Member and chief content strategist
for Integrated Content (IC) Center of Excellence (CoE),
IBM Digital Business Group
University of CA Extension program chair and instructor
STC Fellow, past president, former member of Board of
Directors
ACM Distinguished Engineer
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3. Workshop
agenda
DesignThinking
Exercise context
Empathize-Define (aka
“Understand”)
Ideate
Prototype
Wrap-up/Q&A
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4. DesignThinking
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5. Wikipedia
says…
Design thinking is a
methodology not exclusive
(sic) for designers, that
helps people understand
and develop creative ways
to solve an (sic) specific
issue, generally business
oriented.
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6. Thesecret
sauce(IMO)
Divergence
to ensure that many solutions
are initially explored
Convergence
to narrow down to a single
solution
“Designthinkingencouragesdivergentthinking
toideatemanysolutions(possibleorimpossible)
and then uses convergent thinking
to prefer and realize the best resolution.”
– wikipedia
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7. Notjust
for
“design”
Lamoine Comprehensive
Planning Committee
community meeting
IBM integrated content
UCSC Extension in Silicon
Valley IA & Design course
projects
The list goes on…
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8. What
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As-is experience
Empathy map
As-is scenario map
Brainstorm
Prioritize
To-be scenario map
Low-fi prototype
Requirements
Roadmapping
User test
Stanford’s process depiction
Some of the methods you can use – the ones I’ve found
to be most useful

9. Who
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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Cross-functional
Ideally, PM, Marketing, Design, Content, Dev, Support

10. Tools
Room with clear, flat walls
Flip charts (preferably sticky)
Sticky notes
Colored dots (at least 2 colors)
Virtual?
Document camera (e.g., Ziggi)
Mural.ly
Post-it Plus (iOS)
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11. Empathize-Define
Aka “Understand”
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12. Empathy
map
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13. Empathy
map
Quick
Multiple user dimensions
(more than role)
Leverage your advocacy
role
Consider hopes, fears, and
challenges
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14. As-is
scenario
map
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15. As-is
scenario
map
Visual representation of user workflow
Makes explicit the team’s knowledge
Exposes gaps and what needs further
research
Identify pain points and biggest
opportunities for improvement
Input to requirements
Consider…
“extra” steps
points of inefficiency (doing)
pain points (feeling)
points of confusion (thinking)
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16. Ideate
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17. Ideation
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18. Ideation
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Brainstorming
Ideas – broad, conceptual,
focused on user needs
NOT features – discreet, tactical
BIG ideas, not small ones

19. Prioritize
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20. Prioritize
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Which BIG idea is most
important and feasible for
the given time frame and
project scope?

21. Prototype
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22. To-be
scenario
map
Imagefromibm.com
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23. To-be
scenario
map
Visual representation of user workflow
Makes explicit the team’s knowledge
Exposes gaps and what needs further
research
Identify pain points and biggest
opportunities for improvement
Input to requirements
Consider…
“extra” steps
points of inefficiency (doing)
pain points (feeling)
points of confusion (thinking)
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24. Story-
boardfromibm.com
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25. Story-
boarding
Create a seamless, comic-
book like story
Beginning, middle, end
Focus on the user
NOT on screens
Be ready to tell your story
to someone else
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26. Resources
IBM DesignThinking
Stanford University
Institute of Design
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27. Questions
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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28. Follow/
contact
Andrea
@aames
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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