Example Reflection – Mind Mapping    Challenge   I am working in a company where we regularly hold creative UX workshops with  steakholders or customers who in turn are customer service providers. The purpose of these  workshops is to find digital innovations and to analyze future steps and options to steer  companies in such future-oriented directions. We additioanally want our customers to  better reach and support their target group.   It often happens that customers come to this workshop appointment without even any small  idea of innovation. Now it is time to encourage the creativity of each individual with  numerous different approaches and tools. Together, we can collect the main goal from a  huge idea pool.  The challenge is to integrate every person involved and to pick them all up equally. In  addition, every idea must be equally recognized and considered. No one should be a mute  performer but an integrated member of the idea generation process.    Selection  Within such workshops we use many different tools and techniques to analyse the current  state und to come up with solutions and “what if”- options. One prominent technique in  such workshops is the mind mapping technique.   Mind Mapping should not only be a method for individual work in the classical sense. We  want to extend the approach of Mind Mapping and use it for individual and group analysis.  Furthermore, we deviate a little from the classical presentation of Mind Mapping.   For visualization we use sticky Post its. One great thing about Post its is that one can be  moved easily. Everybody has its own workspace, but during the idea generation process the  stickys can be put to a different place.    Application  After analysing the current state and the target group of our customers, we together focus  on the question “how might we”. With this idea method we want to find out how we can  support and reach the target group with our customer's product at many different points.  For example, how can we enable the customer to reach us faster with support requests?  How can we improve the waiting time in waiting loop hotlines? And much more. For this  process, everyone involved in the workshop group gets their own work board and colour of  Post Its. The time is limited to 5 minutes. During these 5 minutes, everyone will be able to  Brain Storm and write down as many ideas as possible on different Post Its for the “How  Might we” ideas collection.   After the expired time the whole group comes together and discusses the different mind  maps and ideas. From this pool of ideas the best method of how to support the user is  picked out. We are now one step closer to the target goal of innovation. Again, each  participant goes back to his board. We want to focus in much more detail on this common  idea how to support the target group. With the next creative method of “Crazy-8” we go into  the idea collection. Everybody uses the "crazy 8" method within 4 minutes (30 seconds per  idea) to think about how the "How might we" could be implemented as a use case. For  example, a first idea for "How can I improve the waiting time in the hotline?" could be that  FAQs can be automated, so that the customer's request is already clarified.   The time is stopped by the workshop leader and every 30 seconds the participant has to  move on to the next idea. These ideas will again be posted on a creative board in the

participant's own mind map with stickys. Through the "pressure" of measuring time, the  most creative and unusual ideas are created. Now again, the team decides together which  idea was the best to devote itself to the exact Use Case. This is an example of the goal- oriented ideas process. There are separate mind map boards for individual participants as  well as large boards to collect and visualize the best ideas and final decisions.    Insights   During the Method of “How might we” involved people came to situations and solutions in  which it was not clear in the beginning that the target group might need support. A broader  view on a situation from different individual points expands the possibilities and ideas as if  you were working alone on an innovation process. Brainstorming and Mind Mapping as  individual as well as a whole group analysis task expands the possibilities of idea generation.  People often feel stuck when trying to think about innovations by themselves. But within a  more creative place and a group project, people feel more motivated and inspired.     Approach  For future workshops it would be nice to combine some even more methods. Doing  visualization and storytelling within such a woskhop might even expand the idea generation  process even more. Still, all these other features and approaches can be realized with post  its. The creativity of the individual as well as of an entire group must be addressed  holistically in all areas of perception. Even first prototypes can be implemented graphically  with sketches or building blocks in order to not only analyze thoughts but also to test  practical elements for feasibility.

