The document discusses IBM's adoption of design thinking. It outlines key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes at IBM, including sponsoring clients and users, release hills, playbacks, and design thinking metrics. Design thinking defines IBM's approach to creating compelling experiences. The methodology focuses on continuous engagement with users and relentless focus on user value throughout development.

1. IBM Design Thinking
A New Era at IBM. Lean UX leading the way.
Ariadna Font Llitjós, PhD
UX Lead and Management Developer, Big Data

2. Creating a Consistent Culture of Design

3. Good design is good business.
—Thomas Watson Jr.
Chief Executive Officer, 1973

4. IBM DESIGN THINKING
Defines our approach to creating
compelling personal value propositions and
engaging user experiences

5. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
©2013 IBM Corporation

6. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
Sponsor Clients/Users
Continuous engagement with
people in target roles and industry
domains
©2013 IBM Corporation

7. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
Sponsor Clients/Users
Continuous engagement with
people in target roles and industry
domains
Release Hills
Focused investment, empowered
teams
©2013 IBM Corporation

8. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
Sponsor Clients/Users Playbacks
Continuous engagement with Relentless focus on user value and
people in target roles and industry experience throughout the development
domains process
• Story-driven milestones led by users
• Playback Zero: Align on product vision before
coding
• Interim Playbacks: Demo stories in executable
code
Release Hills
Focused investment, empowered
teams
©2013 IBM Corporation

9. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
Sponsor Clients/Users Playbacks
Continuous engagement with Relentless focus on user value and
people in target roles and industry experience throughout the development
domains process
• Story-driven milestones led by users
• Playback Zero: Align on product vision before
coding
• Interim Playbacks: Demo stories in executable
code
Release Hills Wiki-based Release Documents
Focused investment, empowered
Efficient cross-functional collaboration
teams
around peer-reviewed artifacts
Engineerin
Product g
Management Design
©2013 IBM Corporation

10. IBM Design Thinking: Scaling great design
Key building blocks for consistently great design outcomes
Sponsor Clients/Users Playbacks IBM Design
Continuous engagement with Relentless focus on user value and Thinking
people in target roles and industry experience throughout the development Metrics
domains process Visibility into
objective
operational
data
• Story-driven milestones led by users
Organization
• Playback Zero: Align on product vision before
data
coding
• Interim Playbacks: Demo stories in executable
Skills ratios
code
Release Hills
Focused investment, empowered
Wiki-based Release Documents
Efficient cross-functional collaboration
1:9
teams Design team
around peer-reviewed artifacts
skills data
Release
Blueprint URL
Release Hills
Lead Users
Engineerin
Product g Dependencies
Management Design
©2013 IBM Corporation

11. CAN’T
DICTATE
GREAT OUTCOMES

12. PROCESS

13. PROCESS
Not a new way of acting, a new way of thinking

14. Clear Conceptual Models
Decisions, not Process
Peer-Reviewed Artifacts

15. Clear Conceptual Models
Decisions, not Process
Peer-Reviewed Artifacts

16. Clear Conceptual Models
Decisions, not Process
Peer-Reviewed Artifacts

17. COMMANDER’S INTENT

18. COMMANDER’S INTENT
“a framework for freedom to act”

19. CAN’T
DICTATE
GREAT OUTCOMES

20. PREPARE FOR
GREAT OUTCOMES

21. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
Product
management
Sponsor
client/user
Design
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

22. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
Product How do I engage with Design and Engineering to drive
management business results?
Sponsor
client/user
Design
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

23. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
Product How do I engage with Design and Engineering to drive
management business results?
Sponsor
client/user What’s in it for me?
Design
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

24. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
Product How do I engage with Design and Engineering to drive
management business results?
Sponsor
client/user What’s in it for me?
How do I create a great product/solution design with
Design
limited time?
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

25. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
Product How do I engage with Design and Engineering to drive
management business results?
Sponsor
client/user What’s in it for me?
How do I create a great product/solution design with
Design
limited time?
Engineering
How do I deliver great technology to market, with
minimum waste?
©2013 IBM Corporation

26. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Understand users, stories, requirements (PM, Design)
• Rapidly explore and converge the design (Design, PM, Engineering)
• Align on containable scope (Engineering, PM, Design)
Kick-Off
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

27. personas

28. personas
user stories &
interactions

29. personas
user stories &
interactions
sketches

30. personas
user stories &
interactions
visual
prototypes
sketches

31. personas
user stories &
interactions
visual & working
prototypes
sketches

32. personas
user stories &
interactions
field testing
visual & working
prototypes
sketches

33. field testing release
blueprint

34. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Design played back by Sponsor User (PM, Design and Engineering attend)
• Alignment across team on what is to be delivered to market
• Robust Release Blueprint and Design Artifacts shared in the wiki (PM,
Design)
Kick-Off Playback Zero
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

35. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Code and test stories in small iterations/sprints (Engineering)
• Refine and finalize designs ahead of coding (Design)
• Evaluate end-of-iteration builds with users (Design)
Kick-Off Playback Zero
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Build and Refine
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

36. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Sponsor User plays back major stories (epics) as implemented (PM, D, and E
attend)
• Example: Playback 1 = “Happy Path” demo
• Playback of major stories drives integration test ahead of unit test
(Engineering) Kick-Off Playback Zero
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Build and Refine
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

37. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Sponsor User plays back major stories (epics) as implemented (PM, D, and E
attend)
• Example: Playback 1 = “Happy Path” demo
• Playback of major stories drives integration test ahead of unit test
(Engineering) Kick-Off Playback Zero Interim Playbacks
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Build and Refine
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

38. Deep engagement with Sponsor Clients/Users
Grounds project in the needs and domain knowledge of real users
‣ Product Management signs up Sponsor
Clients/Users for each Release Hill
• E.g., Client = Ford; User = Steve Smith
‣ Sponsor Users make themselves available
for user research purposes, and attend and
(where practical) run Playbacks
• Significant time commitment in return for ability
to strongly influence product/solution outcomes
Who to recruit ‣ Sponsor Clients are not the only option:
✓ Actual customers (clients) in target roles Typically the team does other discovery and
✓ Services (preferably GBS, or lab services)
evaluation work to reach a larger population
of target users
✓ Partners (delivery and sales partners)
✓ Technical sales (pre-/post-sales)
©2013 IBM Corporation

39. IBM Design Thinking Collaboration Model
• Sponsor user plays back full user experience starting with install/sign up
(PM, Design and Engineering attend)
Kick-Off Playback Zero Interim Playbacks Final Playback
Product Define the
management mission
Sponsor
client/user
Discover and
Envision
Design
Build and Refine
Engineering
©2013 IBM Corporation

40. IBM Designcamp
©2013 IBM Corporation

41. IBM Designcamp
Universal and transformative curriculum
Learn a common mindset, language, and tools
Culture Leadership Collaboration
IBM Design Thinking
Core Design Skills
©2013 IBM Corporation

42. IBM Designcamp
Immersive, high-energy environment
Universal and transformative curriculum
Collaboration and leadership lessons built
Learn a common mindset, language, and tools
in
Culture Leadership Collaboration
Product Managers
IBM Design Thinking
Engineers
Core Design Skills Designers
©2013 IBM Corporation

43. IBM Designcamp
Immersive, high-energy environment
Universal and transformative curriculum
Collaboration and leadership lessons built
Learn a common mindset, language, and tools
in
Culture Leadership Collaboration
Product Managers
IBM Design Thinking
Engineers
Core Design Skills Designers
Experiential learning approach
• Experiential hands-on activities
• Collaborative cross-functional workshops
• Immersive social experiences
©2013 IBM Corporation

44. IBM Designcamp
Immersive, high-energy environment
Universal and transformative curriculum
Collaboration and leadership lessons built
Learn a common mindset, language, and tools
in
Culture Leadership Collaboration
Product Managers
IBM Design Thinking
Engineers
Core Design Skills Designers
Experiential learning approach
Available for all audiences
• 1 week all IBMers
• 2 weeks professional hires
• 3 months college hires
• Experiential hands-on activities
• Collaborative cross-functional workshops
• Immersive social experiences
©2013 IBM Corporation

45. IBM Designcamp
Immersive, high-energy environment
Universal and transformative curriculum
Collaboration and leadership lessons built
Learn a common mindset, language, and tools
in
Culture Leadership Collaboration
Product Managers
IBM Design Thinking
Engineers
Core Design Skills Designers
Experiential learning approach
Available for all audiences
• 1 week all IBMers
• 2 weeks professional hires
• 3 months college hires
• Experiential hands-on activities
I nte n se, f u n . . .
• Collaborative cross-functional workshops !
• Immersive social experiences e f fe cti ve
©2013 IBM Corporation

50. Envisioning the IBM Portfolio
The IBM Portfolio
Tight integration across core technologies
WORKS TOGETHER Maps Interoperability with complementary technologies
Common look and feel
WORKS THE SAME Language Enables easy skills transfer
Focuses on the user and the user’s story
WORKS FOR ME Personas Spans product lifecycle (learn, buy, adopt,
maintain)
Enterprise scale and security

51. 1

52. 1
430,000

53. CULTURE

55. A strict observance of the written laws is
doubtless one of the high duties of a good
citizen, but it is not the highest.

56. A strict observance of the written laws is
doubtless one of the high duties of a good
citizen, but it is not the highest.
The laws of necessity, of self-preservation,
of saving our country when in danger, are of
higher obligation. To lose our country by a
scrupulous adherence to written law, would
be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty,
property and all those who are enjoying
them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the
end to the means.
— Thomas Jefferson

58. IBM DESIGN THINKING