Presentation by Andrea Ames (@aames) from CMS/DITA North America 2017 (#cmsconference): https://cm-strategies.com/2017-cms-conference/agenda-day-3-2/ames/ Before you DITA, know your users, their goals, and the content that they need. Then design an experience that delivers the right content at the right time, and leverage the capabilities of DITA to implement that experience. Easy to say…not always easy to do. Enter Design Thinking! The Design Thinking approach provides a collaborative framework for thinking about a problem space and gives you the methods to take action. And it’s FUN! This presentation describes the basics of the Design Thinking problem-solving framework, how to apply it to a content challenge, and how it can be used to generate ideas and requirements.

1. Design: Prereq to tech!
Delivertherightcontentusingdesignthinking
Andrea Ames (@aames)
Enterprise Content Experience Strategist
IBM
© 2017 IBM Corporation.

2. About
Andrea
Technical communicator since 1983
Areas of expertise:
Content experience design: strategy, architecture, and
interaction design
Architecture, design, and development of product-
embedded assistance
Information and product usability
User-centered process for content development and
experience design
Senior Technical Staff Member and chief content strategist
for Integrated Content (IC) Center of Excellence (CoE),
IBM Digital Business Group
University of CA Extension program chair and instructor
STC Fellow, past president, former member of Board of
Directors
ACM Distinguished Engineer
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3. Workshop
agenda
DesignThinking
Exercise context
Empathize-Define (aka
“Understand”)
Ideate
Prototype
Wrap-up/Q&A
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4. DesignThinking
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5. 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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6. Notjust
for
“design”
Lamoine Comprehensive
Planning Committee
community meeting
Maine Master Gardener
Volunteers “Impact Measures”
workshop
IBM integrated content
UCSC Extension in Silicon
Valley curriculum & course
projects
The list goes on…
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7. What
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As-is experience
Empathy map
As-is scenario map
Brainstorm
Prioritize
To-be experience
To-be scenario map
Low-fi prototype
Requirements
Roadmapping
User test
Stanford’s process depiction
Some of the methods you can use – the ones I’ve found
to be most useful

8. Who
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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Cross-functional
Ideally, PM, Marketing, Design, Content, Dev, Support

9. Tools
Room with clear, flat walls
Flip charts (preferably sticky)
Sticky notes
Colored dots (at least 2 colors)
Virtual?
Document camera (e.g., Ziggi)
Mural.ly
Post-it Plus (iOS)
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10. 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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15. Ideate
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16. Ideation
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17. Ideation
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Brainstorming
Ideas – broad, conceptual,
focused on user needs
NOT features – discreet, tactical
BIG ideas, not small ones

18. Prioritize
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19. Prioritize
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Which BIG idea is most
important and feasible for
the given time frame and
project scope?

20. Prototype
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21. To-be
scenario
map
Imagefromibm.com
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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)
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23. Story-
boardfromibm.com
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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. Why DesignThinking
forContent?
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26. Design
first!
Tech doesn’t solve
problems, people (you!) do
You need a fast, agile,
effective problem-solving
approach
DesignThinking IS that
approach…for any kind of
problem.
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27. Resources
IBM DesignThinking
Stanford University
Institute of Design
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28. Questions
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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29. Follow/
contact
Andrea
@aames
aames@pobox.com
ImagebyStockUnlimited
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