ixd303 week 06

This week we looked at design sprints. The technique is to test a prototype within 5 days. Look at the problem, see the solution and production direction. This saves time at the end of the production. Today we will be conducting a design sprint in teams with the goal of completing it in one day.

  • To answer critical business questions
  • To generate creative solutions
  • To create visual storyboards
  • Day 5: Real Person Testing

 

Each Design Sprint has a Sprint Master to lead the way. Then a Design Audit researching the current problem.

 

  • Interview key stakeholders
  • Interview Project Leaders
  • User Research
  • Documentation

 

There are six stages in the design sprint

 

  1. Understand (Explore) Needs, focus on user
  2. Define: Focus (Key Strategy)
  3. Ideation (Tinker) Looking at many possible ideas
  4. Decide (Focus) On best idea
  5. Prototype (make) A solid idea on a possible solution
  6. Validate (Focus) User testing on possible idea.

looking into the ‘How do we?’ of our issue. Think about backlogs of ambulances in sickbays, but narrow that down and focus on possible solutions.

Next: Categorise your Post-It notes into different sections. (Infinity Mapping) Once categorised we can narrow it down. (focus)

Think about confidence, clarity and non-monetary objectives.

Next stage: the user journey map. Thinking about who is your user and the journey they are going to take. The top solution will be specific to the product itself. What actions do they need to take?

From what you looked at so far, does the ‘how might we’ question need adjusted?

Design Principles

Looking at seeing your product from a user persona, think about thoughts you want people to come across.

 

  • Effortless: informative, reliable
  • Insightful: what’s welcoming?
  • Attentive: child or OAP friendly
  • ?umble

 

Next: Pick a target. Narrowing down on where you’re going and finding a point in the customer journey that is critical to get right. What’s the critical point to get right, that will cause the most pain.

 

(Day) 3. Ideation

All on paper. Look for inspiration in areas other than where you are focusing.

Crazy Eights

Speed is of the essence. Aim for one minute per panel, maximum two. Time yourself. Just getting the idea on paper.

Next: The Solution Sketch

Team agreement on the direction we’re going: layout of what that will look out. Still at the sketch stage, but working with the team choice which will be pitched. So also picking a pitcher.

Day 4: Decide

What are the words you’d like users to describe your product as? What would be used if your product was successful? With that there would be a ‘silent review and vote’ on the content.

From a realistic perspective you would look at the feasibility of the product: hard and important, easy and important, this can wait, isn’t too difficult.

Day 5: Prototyping

Storyboarding, Persona and Scenarios

Assigning tasks to different members of the team people focusing on UX or the technical side of it.

 

  1. Validation

Usability study, checking with real users, going back to iteration, re-design and re-prototype if needs be, that whole design cycle.

 

Final conclusion: does it work? Is it a failure that has taught us something and next time, focusing on the things that do work. Eventually there’s the epic win for the production stage. If it doesn’t work you’ve only lost five days.

 

Feedback – Speaking app, asking if its an appointment or an emergency; description of illness; direction on where to go (around the hospital), if you want to create a profile you have different selections and there’s a similar thing for doctors; provides translation there; use of codewords to convert to speech and text; opportunity to give feedback

Doing the design sprint was great, it was a good way to get used to working in groups whilst under a bit of pressure. Now knowing the process behind a design sprint, I think I would want to give it a go again for my own projects in future as I think it would help me keep a better structure during the initial design stages.

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