Jumping to building solutions is a nearly universal reaction, which often leads to building something—perhaps something even great—that fails to solve the problem at hand. However, responding and returning to the problem, and iterating quickly in feedback cycles centered around your customer, can lead to a better solution, faster. This deck shares techniques you can start employing today to help you more quickly understand your customers' problem and arrive at a solution that supports their goals. Presented at the Lean UX SF Meetup 9/3/13: http://www.meetup.com/Lean-UX-San-Francisco/events/134797112/

1. From Problem to Solution
Faster
Using Interviews to Improve your Process
& Accelerate Delivery
@m
@melissadoerken

2. Build the right thing.
Build it right.

3. Understand. The. Problem.

4. Improve
Understand
Validate
goals

5. The Problem Interview
The Solution Interview

6. Mingle Plus
WYSIWYG

7. Lead Time
12
5.5

8. The Problem Interview
A technique for problem discovery
and understanding

9. If I had an hour to save the world I
would spend 59 minutes defining the
problem and 1 minute finding solutions
“
”

10. It’s all about the how
6 tips for a successful problem interview

11. Do your homework
Capture assumptions & identify the riskiest

12. Limit the number of
assumptions
(and know when to move on)

13. One person at a time

14. Start with an
open-ended question

15. Listen more
than you speak

16. Separate product
feedback from behavior

17. HOMEWORK:
CAPTURE
ASSUMPTIONS
LISTEN
MORE THAN
YOU SPEAK
FEEDBACK
VS.
BEHAVIOR
OPEN
ENDED
QUESTION
LIMIT
YOUR
ASSUMPTIONS
ONE
PERSON
AT A TIME

18. Worth solving ?
Solvable ?
Problem context & activity?

19. Product Principles

20. Fully Explore
Possible Solutions

23. Collaborative Sketching

24. The Solution Interview
A technique for early
and continuous feedback

25. Usability Testing

26. Solution Interview
Problem Interview

27. It’s all about the how
6 tips for a successful solution interview

28. Do your homework
Define scenarios and
success criteria beforehand

29. Start as early as possible
(and know when to move on)

30. Make sure they’re
comfortable

31. Provide a quiet,
distraction-free space

32. Record

33. Exit chat
(it’s not an interrogation)

34. HOMEWORK:
SCENARIOS &
CRITERIA
RECORD
EXIT CHAT
(DON’T
INTERROGATE)
QUIET,
DISTRACTION
FREE SPACE
START AS
SOON AS
POSSIBLE
MAKE SURE
THEY’RE
COMFORTABLE

35. Final Thoughts

36. Improve
Understand
Validate
goals

37. Tip Deck

38. Thank you
mdoerken@thoughtworks.com
@melissadoerken