Chris Bernard
User Experience Evangelist
chris.bernard@microsoft.com
312.925.4095
www.designthinkingdigest.com
DESIGN THINKING
DOORS TO MEANINGFUL INNOVATION
All photos are for educational purposes

Why?

hard to use

unintuitive

confusing

ugly

designed by engineers

Who am I?

Why should you care?

Why do I care?

Why are we here?

What is design thinking?

Why do we all need to start
thinking about it right now?

Trouble is here.

So is opportunity.

Some History
Unmet
Feature Distinct
Upgrade Value
Articulated Unarticulated
Commodity Taken-For
Granted
Met

“Because the purpose of business is to
create a customer, the business
enterprise has two, and only two, basic
functions: marketing and innovation”
Peter Drucker

Three trends

Technology

Business

You!

Technology tries to answer…
“What is possible?”
Source: Larry Keeley, Doblin

Business tries to answer…
“What is viable in the market
place?”
Source: Larry Keeley, Doblin

Experience / Design tries to
answer… “What is desirable to
users?”
Source: Larry Keeley, Doblin

Consumers try to answer…
“Where can I be part of the conversation?
How can I control my participation?
My voice?”

Communities try to answer…
“What is sustainable?”

Let‟s take a trip

The good old days.

Process
Source: Gregg Berryman

Software

Process
Source: Gregg Berryman

Process

Process
Source: Gregg Berryman

Two Things Happened

Design is back baby! Yeah!

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Concept: Courtesy of Jon Harris, a Microsoft buddy

Our methods for designing software
and for the Web are broken.

The economic models for software
are changing.

How?

Let‟s take another trip.

Radio

Print

Television

but then…

Our disciplines and what is required
of us is changing.

Design and advertising are
converging, createding disruption in
how software and Web sites are
designed and how we create them.

It impacts how we work together
Source: International Design Magazine

It impacts how our customers and audience
interact with content and technology

It impacts our workspaces

It impacts how we need to think
Source: Hasso Plattner Institute of Design

It impacts everyone

Great design thinking is
expected…

…all the time.

Silverlight Airlines

What is design thinking?

It‟s not…

User interfaces that are applied
after an application and Web
site are architected are like
pushing icing around on a cake.
They can make something look
nice but not fix fundamental
problems, they merely hide them.

Icing on a cake

Doesn‟t matter…

What does?

Innovation

design is important

But design is a table stake…

…icing on the cake, when we only
use it for styling

interface

user interface only scratches the surface

…and gives designers a bad rap when
it‟s all we do

experience

user experience is important

user experience is what makes…

innovation

…happen.

We all need to be in the innovation business...

...because merely making things that „work‟
(badly) isn‟t enough…

...and if you can‟t do it right there are other
people all over the world who can—and want to.

Design Thinking gets you in the
experience business.

Creating great experiences gets
you in the innovation business.

How will you be different?

Establishing a common vocabulary around design thinking

Design Thinking

Design Thinking
User Research Design Planning
User Interface Design
Information Design Usability Testing

What roles does a designer play?

User Experience Roles
Researcher
Visual Planner
Designer
Interaction Information
Designer Designer

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an
invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a
sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the
dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve
equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a
computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
Robert Heinlein, Author

User Research Design Planning Information Design User Interface Design Usability Testing

User Research Design Planning Information Design User Interface Design Usability Testing

User Research Design Planning Information Design User Interface Design Usability Testing

User Research Design Planning Information Design User Interface Design Usability Testing

User Research Design Planning Information Design User Interface Design Usability Testing
Good interaction
designers are
more than just
graphic or visual
designers

Ok, enough about roles.

What can design thinkers do?

Designers can think about „what‟ to
design and also about „how‟

User Experience Phases (Little d design)
Planning
High Level
Sensing Design
Deployment Detailed
Design
Production

User Experience Phases (Big D design)
Identify Intent
Conceptualize Conduct
Research
Conduct Conduct
Synthesis Analysis

Why does it add value?

But who should drive this?

How do we implement it?

User Experience Capability
People
Business Value
Awareness and Understanding
Execution
• No design limited UX as a
Sole focus skills may
UX thoughts about be
• There is a on \"functional\" • UX professional involved in
• Recognizes that UX exists as
• Sees no value in UX design
Some rudimentary • Plan to build UX into process
Application development
There is a continuous during
• Measures UX quality future • Regards research make-or-
• Interested in asfunctions
Primary UX measuring
Dedicated UX a and a
process within application
understanding of the not a
leveraged, but applications,
capabilities of this is a separate development for
application of user discipline
assessment process.
in definition design needs at products ofUX project and
of phases
team includes internal
all assessing a throughout across UX investments
break element of life cycle
ROI of application
rigorous design research
core for for
developmentany team
needskill positive UX
making processes and • limitedis a input;of to build
within application theare
the conception they project
There UI desire • Existingresourcesaction for in
design initial investments
takes corrective or external
definition, design, and agile project efforts.
application development
including Useris used
methodology
• UX is poorapplication of
infrastructure default
members; by work. UX, but of the prioritized
development team.
externalit ispoorly collected
and use to not UX with positive results
agencies
poor UX. closely integrated
development, deployment • for points of contact to the
Effectiveness, User
All competitive
consistently.
• Does not think thatmetrics to
• these skills is adof UX
No application hoc and and validated late to make
and comes too datain the • Develops repeatable team.
and aligned of a project.
and runtime with the criteria • differentiation and with
Satisfaction and Quality of
customermetrics
Internal are aligned
often not productivity
measure their
applies tovalidated. or process. at various stages.
decisions • forleast one functional role
At assessing user needs and the UX vision through
Decisions. for UX are
assessments
company/industry
satisfaction with the • Poor UX found afterwork
• Reactive UX design release within the benchmarks
constantly team dedicated • Uses UXevaluating teams,
used in internal
effectiveextensively during
application. may in response to poor
only not be addressed against it. in a leadership
to UX design the definition phase of
organizational
incentives.
• UX not considered user feedback. role. • efforts to frame solution
management.
Actively developing
proactively at requirements • space orleaders are
Thought opportunity
applications using a
definition. strategically aligned to use
process, tools and platform
UX capabilities to drive
with integrated UX
disruptive innovation.
capabilities.

So, what do organizations focus on
for success?

4 Concepts

1

Function

It Works Great!

2

Aesthetic

It Looks Great!

3

Interaction

It Relates to You!

4

Process

Generates Memories

Emotional Connection

What will experiences of the future look like?

Design Thinking Goals

Design Goals
Make getting what you need

Design Goals
Make getting what you need
efficient & easy

Design Goals
Makegetting whatresultsneed
getting theeasy you
Make efficient & you
want more…

Design Goals
visual
getting & direct you
theeasy
Makegetting whatresultsneed
Make efficient & you
want more…

Design Goals
Makegetting whattheir experience…
getting abouteasy need
Make efficient & you the results you
Make peoplevisual & direct
feel great
want more…

Design Goals
Makegetting whattheirexperience
gettingemotional experience…
theeasy need
Make peoplevisual about you
Make efficient& direct
creating a feel great &
positive
want more…
results you

If you take away 4 things:
Design thinking is critical for our software, our profession, our
stakeholder and users and the future of the software industry.
Delivering a great User Experience requires significant commitment on
our part to apply design thinking principles.
Microsoft is committed to being a great partner and supporting the
design community by creating the platforms, tools, and interoperability
needed to make a great User Experiences.
You are leaders in the community. Internalize the message, make it
your mission too.

Where to learn more

Where to learn more
www.microsoft.com/expression
www.microsoft.com/design

New platforms to advance design

Thank You!
Chris Bernard
chris.bernard@microsoft.com
312.925.4095
www.designthinkingdigest.com
Find me on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin