what's your problem? putting purpose back into your projects

❦@whitneyhess

http://whitneyhess.comwhitney@whitneyhess.com

Whitney Hess

What’s Your Problem?

Putting PurposeBack into Your

Projects

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/genesis/multimedia/gen_team_15278.html

http://www.thoughtfarmer.com/clients/intranet-case-studies/continuum/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonlooks/5563391691/

http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

Design is the problem

(not just the solution)

Define the problem before trying to solve it

Ask questions to root out the truth

Be obsessed with the problem, not the solution

Principles of Problem Solving

Process

People

Purpose

ProcessDefine the problem

before trying to solve it

“If I had one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and 5 minutes finding the solution.”

Albert Einstein

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/25945866/Carbon-Footprint-Calculation-Detail

Problem Setting > Solving

What is a Problem?

Gap between current and desiredstate

Problem owner wants to do something

about it

&

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ljmcallister/1012818172/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boiselighting/3604789822/

http://mommyblogstoronto.typepad.com/bloghers_act_canada/2007/09/unwrapped.html

Who is your target audience?

PeopleAsk questions

to root out the truth

մեe problem is out there,not at your desk.

User Research

✦ Interviews✦ Observations✦ Surveys✦ Card sorts✦ Diary studies✦ Etc.

UserResearch

MarketResearch

vs.

What people like What people do

User Research

✦ Interviews✦ Observations✦ Surveys✦ Card sorts✦ Diary studies✦ Etc.

To determine the user’s real problem:

1. Find representative users2. Ask questions3. Listen closely4. Write it all down5. Paraphrase to confirm

understanding

User Interviews

Tell me a bit about yourself. Where do you live? Where are you from? What do you do?

What kind of home do you live in? What do you use for transportation? Special diet?

Lifestyle Questions

User Interviews

How did you become eco-conscious?How long has it been?

How do you conserve? Since when?

What are the obstacles in your life that prevent you from conserving more?

What is the value of being eco-conscious?

Context Questions

User Interviews

Where do you get your information on environmental issues/conserving?

What eco-conscious or environmental sites/blogs/publications do you read?

What environmental organizations do you belong to? Why those? How did you hear about them?

Influence Questions

User Interviews

With whom do you share environmental info that you find? How?

Tell me about a recent conversation you’ve had with a friend or family member about the environment or “going green”

What do you think is preventing your friends or family from doing more?

Social Questions

User Interviews

What do you know about carbon offsets? Have you purchased them?

Have you calculated your carbon footprint? Where? How?

Familiarity Questions

User Interviews

What other websites do you frequent?

What social networking sites do you use? Why these?

How oen? How many friends/followers?

What do you do most oen on each site? What was the last thing you did on <site>?

Web Use Questions

User Interviews

What kind of computer do you own? When did you buy it? Who else uses it?

How do you connect to the Internet?

What kind of mobile phone do you have? When did you buy it? What do you use it for?

What other devices do you own?

Tech Use Questions

Personas

http://www.mymothermode.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/diapers.jpg

Impractical advice

http://cdn.babble.com/famecrawler/files/2011/05/playdate.jpg

Guilt trips

One-handed browsing

մեe Real Problem

✦ Impractical advice✦ Guilt trips✦ One-handed browsing

But I can’t talk with users...

http://garryregier.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/chained-to-desk-computer-grey.jpg

Empathy Map

Created by Dave Gray of XPLANE – Gamestorming pg. 65

Empathy MapEmpathy Map

http://www.cccc.org/blogs/john/2012/02/10/empathy-maps-a-way-to-understand-your-donors-and-beneficiaries/

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Problem

Created by Sakichi Toyoda – Gamestorming pg. 141-143

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

մեey aren’t logging in

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

մեey aren’t logging in

մեey can’t remember their credentials

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

մեey aren’t logging in

մեey can’t remember their credentials

մեey aren’t using it enough

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

մեey aren’t logging in

մեey can’t remember their credentials

մեey aren’t using it enough

It’s intimidating and unclear

5 Whys

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Teacher Managementusage is low

մեey aren’t logging in

մեey can’t remember their credentials

մեey aren’t using it enough

It’s intimidating and unclear

System terminology doesn’t match theirs

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Effect

CauseCause

CauseCause

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Effect

CauseCause

CauseCause

CauseCause

Cause CauseCause

Cause

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Low % manual

adjustments

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Teachers aren’t logging in

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Teachers aren’t logging in

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Teachers aren’t logging in

Don’t have time

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Teachers aren’t logging in

Don’t have time

Don’t know they should be

Don’t know how

Teachers aren’t logging in

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Don’t have time

Don’t know they should be

Don’t know how

Haven’t used it for a while

Takes toolong

Limited lab

time

Didn’t read m

anual

Teachers aren’t logging in

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Don’t have time

Don’t know they should be

Don’t know how

Haven’t used it for a while

Takes toolong

Limited lab

time

Didn’t rece

ive tr

aining

Too hard to

figure out

Can’t remember

training

Didn’t read m

anual

Teachers aren’t logging in

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Don’t have time

Don’t know they should be

Don’t know how

Haven’t used it for a while

Takes toolong

Limited lab

time

Didn’t rece

ive tr

aining

Too hard to

figure out

Can’t remember

training

Setting is buried

Didn’t read m

anual

Teachers aren’t logging in

Can’t remember credentials

Teach

ers are

n’t making

manual adjustm

ent

Low % manual

adjustments

Fishbone Diagram

http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

Don’t have time

Don’t know they should be

Don’t know how

Haven’t used it for a while

Takes toolong

Limited lab

time

Didn’t rece

ive tr

aining

Too hard to

figure out

Can’t remember

training

Setting is buried

PurposeBe obsessed

with the problem, not the solution

Question assumptions

Be more ambitious

http://www.slideshare.net/bokardo/metricsdriven-design-4317168

Cra a Problem Statement

✦ Concise✦ Specific✦ Measurable

Who needs what because why .

Problem Statement Format

Casual environmentalists need

creative ways to conserve without the guilt trip because

they have constraints on adapting their lifestyle.

Teachers in non-sales

regions need an in-depth onboarding process

because they aren’t using critical settings.

5Ws Technique

✦ Who?✦ What?✦ Where?✦ When?✦ Why?

So Skills:

✦ Listening✦ Empathy✦ Connection✦ Facilitation✦ Persuasion✦ Patience

“How can I help you be more successful?”

մեe persistenceof the problem

is purpose

Define the problem before trying to solve it

Ask questions to root out the truth

Be obsessed with the problem, not the solution

Principles of Problem Solving

Process

People

Purpose

Life is too shortto waste it solving

the wrong problems

մեank you.Whitney Hess

@whitneyhesshttp://whitneyhess.com

whitney@whitneyhess.com

Further ReadingBuilding Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems

http://www.cognexus.org/Rotman-interview_SharedUnderstanding.pdf

You Are Solving մեe Wrong Problemhttp://www.azarask.in/blog/post/the-wrong-problem/

A New Make Mantra: A Statement of Design Intenthttp://www.markboulton.co.uk/journal/comments/a-new-make-mantra-a-statement-of-design-intent

17 Types of Interviewing Questionshttp://www.portigal.com/blog/seventeen-types-of-interviewing-questions/

My Best Advice to Conducting User Interviewshttp://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/07/07/my-best-advice-for-conducting-user-interviews/