Visualization

Challange & Selection

On my experience as Junior Programmer at one of the startup company I’m required to

always innovate. I think with proficient in design thinking can make it easier to create an  innovation. The first tool I used was Visualization to achieve an innovation on the new  transformation digital era. I use this approach to understand what costumer want and achieved  costumer goals. I have used the technique of using a straw man visualization of a costumer  problem with a set of question or prompt for discussion to allow a diverse thinking on develop  program.

Application

I start the process from asking the costumer problem to identify what costumer want.

Then I create a straw man graphic of the problem domain from any existing material available  to understand the environment. The existing material may be a new technology, new function,  or existing competitor from costumer problem. If materials are not available, then I conduct  informal interviews on the field who relate with costumer problem to get more information to  understand what costumer want.

If appropriate to the situation, I will borrow the concept to “front-stage/back-stage”

from previous research, and discussed in David Gray’s book, “The Connected Company”. The  front-stage/back-stage approach helps to reinforce the notion that every service – even an  internal service – has customers with whom the service provider interacts and internal  processes that enable the organization to provide the service. The straw man graphic is simple,  using simple shapes and icons available in Visio or on the Internet. If the front-stage/back- stage view doesn’t work, then I will create a different type of visual, either based on a high- level process flow with swim lanes for different costumer, or another format.

For the activity, I will collect the costumer problem and divide it into 3 level (low

intensity, medium intensity, and high intensity). Then I get discussion about costumer problem  with my team and give them 6 question about 5W1H (what, who, when, where, and how) on  project. I give them 20 minutes to discuss the question and mark up the graphic model. After  the session, I create a view that combines the shared and new insights from the group  discussion, and then create a revised graphic that incorporates their feedback and proposed  changes that they agreed to as a group.

Insight and Approach

What I have learned from conducting this exercise with several groups is that while the

graphic – especially the revised graphic that incorporates their feedback – is important for  reinforcing their understanding of the problem they are working to solve, the more valuable  aspect of the activity is the shared insights and shared learning that occurs while they are  working to define their problem space. Since I discovered that the most valuable aspect is the  shared insights and learning, next time I would use the visualization activity as a starting point  for a series of design thinking activities. Then the revised graphic that incorporates their  combined feedback can serve as a reference tool throughout the remainder of their work.

