Andrea's half-day LavaCon 2017, Portland, OR, workshop You’ve likely heard of Design Thinking, but did you know that it’s not specifically and only about “design” as we typically think of design — industrial, interaction, or visual design of products? Design Thinking is a methodology for problem solving, and we’ve all got challenges and issues we need to address every day! In fact, Design Thinking is becoming more and more common as a general business practice. And it’s great for working through content challenges! Join Andrea for a half-day, experiential tour of several techniques used in Design Thinking. Using one or more sample problems, workshop participants will work together to develop solutions following a Design Thinking framework. Because we’ll be face-to-face, we’ll go low-tech and focus on the framework and techniques using flip-chart paper and stickie notes. Andrea will also discuss how to get the most from the process across geographically distributed teams using online tools.

1. Design Thinking for Content
A Half-Day Workshop
Andrea L. Ames
@aames
CEO/Founder & Content Experience Strategist, Idyll Point™ Group
LavaCon Portland, Nov 8, 2017
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2. Workshop
agenda
Design Thinking
Exercise context
Let’s do this!
Wrap-up/Q&A
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Design Thinking
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4. 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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5. The secret
sauce (IMO)
Diversity
Cross-functional participation and
input; customer input
Divergence
to ensure that many solutions are
initially explored
Convergence
to narrow down to a single solution
“Design thinking encourages divergent thinking
toideatemanysolutions(possibleorimpossible)
and then uses convergent thinking
to prefer and realize the best resolution.”
– wikipedia
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6. Not just for
“design”
Lamoine Comprehensive Planning
Committee community meeting
IBM integrated content
UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley
IA & Design course projects
Maine Master Gardener metrics
framework
The list goes on…
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7. What
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As-is scenario map
Brainstorm/
ideate
Prioritize
To-be scenario map
Low-fi prototype/
storyboard
Requirements
Roadmapping
User test
Stanford’s process depiction
Some of the methods you can use – the ones I’ve
found to be most useful
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Empathy map

8. Who
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Cross-functional
Ideally, PM, Marketing, Design, Content, Dev, Support
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9. Tools
Room with clear, flat walls
Flip charts (preferably sticky or use
painter’s tape)
Sticky notes
Markers
Colored dots (at least 2 colors)
Virtual?
Document camera (e.g., Ziggi)
Mural.ly
Post-it Plus (iOS)
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Empathize-Define
Aka “Understand”
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11. Empathy map
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12. Empathy map
Quick
Multiple user dimensions (more
than role)
Leverage your advocacy role
Consider hopes, fears, and
challenges
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13. As-is scenario
map
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14. 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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Ideate (aka “brainstorm”)
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16. Ideation
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17. Ideation
Brainstorming
Ideas – broad, conceptual, focused
on user needs
NOT features – discreet, tactical
BIG ideas, not small ones
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18. Prioritize
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19. Prioritize
Which BIG idea is most important
and feasible for the given time
frame and project scope?
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Prototype
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21. To-be scenario
map
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22. 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)
@aames | © Idyll Point™ LLC 22
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23. Story-boardf
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24. 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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25. Resources
IBM Design Thinking
Stanford University Institute of
Design
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27. Questions
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28. Andrea L. Ames
Keynote speaker, author
CEO/Founder & Content Experience Strategist
Idyll Point™ Group
Program Chair & Instructor, Technical Writing & Communication
UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley
2016 MindTouch Top 25 Content Strategy Influencer
STC Fellow & past president
ACM Distinguished Engineer
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