Skill Building For Design Innovators

Skill Building For Design Innovators,[object Object],@steveportigal,[object Object]

Portigal Consulting is a bite-sized California firm that helps companies discover and act on new insights about their customers and themselves,[object Object]

The Promise of Mastery,[object Object]

Methods vs. Muscles,[object Object]

Today’s Session,[object Object],I’ll review some of the muscles I think are important,[object Object],Noticing,[object Object],Listening,[object Object],Understanding cultural context,[object Object],Synthesizing,[object Object],Wordsmithing,[object Object],Drawing,[object Object],Embracing pop culture,[object Object],These muscles drive how we understand users, collaborate with each other, and create design solutions,[object Object],For each, at varying levels of detail,[object Object],What are we talking about,[object Object],Why does it matter,[object Object],How to build these muscles,[object Object],I’ll talk steadily for the first 40 min. or so, then we’ll have Q & A at the end ,[object Object]

1. Noticing,[object Object],Noticing the noticing sensation,[object Object],Things that make you go “Hmm”,[object Object],Your attention is grabbed,[object Object],You stop what you are doing,[object Object],Laugh/point/cringe,[object Object],Furrow brow in confusion,[object Object],Whuttha…?,[object Object]

Noticing Our Users,[object Object],Gaps between self-reported and actual behavior,[object Object],Workarounds, hacks and kludges,[object Object],Process breakdowns,[object Object],Artifacts or details to ask about,[object Object],Not only what people say, but how they say it,[object Object]

Noticing helps you to notice later,[object Object]

Building Noticing Muscles,[object Object],Carry a camera/notepad and use it,[object Object],Thinkaloud protocol – say what you’re seeing,[object Object],To a friend,[object Object],To your device,[object Object],Get out of your regular/comfort zone,[object Object]

Building Noticing Muscles,[object Object]

2. Listening,[object Object],Interpersonally, we’re trained to hear the breath signals that it’s our turn to talk. This is not really listening.,[object Object],FI,[object Object],NISHED,[object Object]

Listening Body Language,[object Object],Yes!,[object Object],Not so much.,[object Object]

You can demonstrate that you are listening by asking questions!,[object Object],[object Object]

“Earlier, you told us that…”

“I want to go back to something else you said…”Signal your transitions: “Great, now I’d like to move onto a totally different topic”,[object Object],This level of listening is not how we normally talk to each other,[object Object],[object Object],This is really hard,[object Object],Expert Listening in User Research,[object Object]

Building Listening Muscles,[object Object],Use serendipitous encounters with loquacious taxi drivers, airplane neighbors, or social-cue-missing party chatters,[object Object],Even if we can’t repair society’s listening inequity, we can use it to provide endless practice space ,[object Object],Are you talking to me?,[object Object]

3. Understanding Cultural Context,[object Object]

What is Culture?,[object Object]

Culture Defined,[object Object],How a group of people make sense of the world,[object Object],Common,[object Object],Experiences,[object Object],Beliefs,[object Object],Knowledge,[object Object],Values,[object Object],Attitudes,[object Object],Behaviors,[object Object],Meanings,[object Object],Patterns,[object Object],Symbols,[object Object]

But First: Cultural Norms,[object Object],Articulates what is normal,[object Object],Seen in artifacts,[object Object],Media,[object Object],Products,[object Object],Advertisements,[object Object],Street culture,[object Object],Trends and fads,[object Object],Normal isn’t “right or wrong” – it’s the set of background rules that define much of what people choose or ignore,[object Object]

What is Normal?,[object Object]

Skill Building For Design Innovators

Cultural Context Experiences,[object Object],With these examples, think about your own experiences with culture,[object Object],Is this outside your norm?,[object Object],Is this something you have an analog for in your own culture?,[object Object],Is it your own culture?,[object Object],Have you observed this? Or something similar?,[object Object]

Cultural Context Muscles: Collect Your Stories,[object Object]

Cultural Context Muscles: Observe Observers,[object Object]

4. Synthesizing,[object Object],Synthesis is essential if we want to use customer information to do more than solve “point needs”, i.e., to innovate ,[object Object]

Idealized Synthesis Process,[object Object],4,[object Object],5,[object Object],2,[object Object],3,[object Object],1,[object Object],6,[object Object],Objectives,[object Object],Findings,[object Object],User Experience Brief,[object Object],IdeationQuestions,[object Object],Possible Strategies,[object Object],Possible Solutions,[object Object],DetailedSolutions,[object Object],7,[object Object]

Building Synthesis Muscles,[object Object]

Expert Synthesis Process,[object Object],4,[object Object],5,[object Object],2,[object Object],3,[object Object],1,[object Object],6,[object Object],Objectives,[object Object],Findings,[object Object],User Experience Brief,[object Object],IdeationQuestions,[object Object],Possible Strategies,[object Object],Possible Solutions,[object Object],DetailedSolutions,[object Object],7,[object Object]

5. Wordsmithing,[object Object],Different than writing prose,[object Object],We draw on this when,[object Object],Writing PowerPoint,[object Object],Creating effective hyperlink labels,[object Object],Naming UI or product functionality,[object Object],Articulate findings about customer mental models (i.e., difference between automatic and smart),[object Object]

Building Wordsmithing Muscles,[object Object]

Why Drawing?,[object Object],The more ways you have to work out ideas (alone or with others), the more impactful you will be,[object Object],Moving a pen on paper will to engage your brain (and your audience’s brain) in a different way than moving a mouse or typing on a keyboard,[object Object]

Sketching and Beyond,[object Object]

1,000,000 Giraffes,[object Object]

Building Drawing Muscles,[object Object],Draw,[object Object],It doesn’t matter that you “can’t draw”,[object Object],Kate Rutter calls it putting marks on paper to take the fear out of it,[object Object],Get other people to draw,[object Object]

7. Pop Culture,[object Object],“Pop culture is a rich source of information that can often be crucial for our work. When the public begins to compare and contrast the voting for American Idol with voting for the American president, that’s something we want to pay attention to. Dismissing this cultural data by sniffing ‘I don’t watch American Idol’isn’t a relevant response.”,[object Object],Steve Portigal,[object Object],Living In the Overlap,[object Object],interactions, Sep+Oct 2008,[object Object]

To Know (About) Him Is Not To Love Him,[object Object]

Building Pop Culture Muscles,[object Object],Read/watch broadly yet shallowly,[object Object],Go outside your interests,[object Object],Not about being complete, but about expanding your base,[object Object],Skim, surf, flip – TV, RSS, headlines, publications, etc.,[object Object]

Building Pop Culture Muscles,[object Object],Consume the meatConsume the meta,[object Object]

Muscles and Where We’ll Use ‘Em,[object Object]

Skill Building For Design Innovators

Skill Building For Design Innovators

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Skill Building For Design Innovators