Approach
Over the years I've found that just about any problem can be solved by utilizing the design thinking framework. By following this framework, it ensures that the work is focused on data (a blend of qualitative and quantitative) to define the true opportunity to be solved. From there, it's easy to ideate and prototype solutions to test and validate against the original opportunity.
The modifications that I've introduced and learned through the years only helps ensure that the business partners have a solid voice upfront and that the teams can create a scaled roadmap to deliver upon.
00
Empahty / Voice of the business
I've found that it is critical for the success of the effort to include all potential stakeholder groups in the effort upfront. It's important to gather their insights, opportunities and ideas on how to solve the problem. Using this information can help evolve and broaden the thinking of the entire team.
01
Empahty / Voice of the customer
It is important to take the time to understand people (your user/customer), the way they do things and why, their physical surroundings and emotional needs, and what is important to them.
02
Define /Detail the problems to be solved
The affinitization and synthesis of the information you've gathered to determine a meaningful, actionable problem statement or point of view. This alignment should serve as the guide post for the team as they begin to solution for the challenge.
03
Ideate / Co-create designs that solve the defined opportunities
Getting a broad team to generate as many as ideas as possible. The team will diverge and converge back together to align on what ideas best solve the defined problem - this is a prioritized source material for the next phase of building prototypes.
04
Prototype / Find was to bring your ideas and solutions to life
Building out a form of a tangible representation of an idea or possible solution. This can be crude or low-fidelity at the beginning and will grow over time/input, but high enough that will communicate the idea to someone and allow them to interact with it.
05
Test / Put your ideas and prototypes in front of customer
After the team has defined the opportunity and designed/built prototypes on how to solve, we test to get feedback from customers/users. This is where you will have another opportunity to gain empathy and understanding of the group that you're designing for. With their feedback, you are able to further refine (and iterate on) a prototype before moving into production level design.
06
Translate / Plan an implementation roadmap for your solutions
This has become an important and critical step to ensure the good ideas and great solutions don't sit on a shelf. By taking an idea and backcasting it with key business partners, you're able to plot a path and roadmap to delivery.