Reflection on Visualization

Challenge & Selection

During a building and growth phase at work, I took on the challenge of designing from scratch a new  piece of software to replace a suite of mismatched and aging tools that no longer supported the needs of  the users.  Although the total number of users of the software is small (10-20), the software supports  several high-impact business processes and integrates together a large number of laboratory hardware  components.  For redundancy, we built two identical systems on different continents, which meant that  the user base was highly diverse.

This project required a deep understanding of current processes, the details of the new hardware  infrastructure, and a vision for the future that was not limited by existing constraints and assumptions. To  begin with, I chose a Visualization approach to learn how the users functioned today.  The exercise I  conducted was very similar to the Journey Mapping exercise discussed in the MeYou Health story from  week 3. Although I had access to detailed Visio diagrams and process maps that captured minutiae of the  process in excruciating detail, these diagrams did not capture the Human Element.  To design a system  that users actually want to engage with, I decided that I needed to understand the bigger picture for the  user – in short, I wanted them to help me visualize their workday.

Application

To accomplish this, I took a two-step approach.  First, I sat down with all of the users at each location. I  would have preferred to have all users in one room, but this was cost prohibitive. In each meeting, I gave  everyone a large, blank piece of paper, and instructed them (by presenting an example diagram that I had  drawn) to create a cartoon diagram of their day. This cartoon looked very similar to the drawings shared  in the MeYou Health story from Week 3. I asked my colleagues to include key points from the moment  they arrived at the office, to the end of the day, to non-working hours (if they engaged in work after  hours). The environment was curious, collegial, and relaxed – in short, it was very human. After we drew  our cartoons, we shared them and walked each other through the day. I collected the cartoons for  detailed comparison and review as well as preparation for step two of my process.

After I had a chance to study the diagrams and share them with other colleagues on the project, I spent a  day with each user with their diagram in hand, and walked with them through their day.  This helped me  answer the question “What is?” and introduced “What if?” to the users.

Insight

The visualization approach produced some astonishing and unexpected insights that changed the  direction of the software design. For example, despite completing a very similar set of actions on a day- to-day basis, each user had an almost completely different workflow and rhythm to their day – this pointed  to redundant processes we could identify and harmonize, as well as a need for flexibility to support the  users’ different workstyles. Additionally, management demonstrated a clear frustration that originated  from a lack of top-level insight to the workload of their team, which meant that a high-level “dashboard”  view would be a high-value addition to the software.

An unintended and positive consequence of the group exercise was that users learned from each other –  tools they did not know existed, or troubles their colleagues experienced. Following in the footsteps of the  users provided truly deep insights, as it is easy to observe and probe subtle assumptions, frustrations,  and unarticulated needs.

More broadly, I found this exercise extremely helpful in eliminating my own assumptions and blind spots,  which allowed me to be more flexible in my thinking about what we needed to build. In the longer term, I

will at least know how powerful my own assumptions can be, which can only help me in settling in to the  flexible mindset needed for effective design thinking.

Approach

If I were to take on a challenge like this again, I would definitely make use of this type of exercise. One  area that continues to be a challenge today is harmonization and communication between users across  continents.  In the future, I would push harder to have key users together in one physical space or at least  on a video conference together.  Additionally, I would further diversify the user community to include  people who support the software. Supporters must be able to easily retrace the steps of a user and dive  deep into complex data, and I think we could learn a lot from how our supporters manage their work.

