Challenge and selection

The first tool used is visualization because it is easy to understand the problem and  stakeholders will not be assuming a triangle when I’m explaining them the square  which will be useful in providing solution.

I have used a straw man graphic which will help the stakeholders to give necessary  suggestions based on the straw man graphic and it will help us to find out the  opportunities and solutions for the improvement of the process.

Application

I start the process by creating a straw man graphic of the problem domain. To  develop the video, I’ll be using the material available to understand the  environment.     For more information is needed then informal interviews can be taken with one or  three of the stakeholders who will be serving as my main points of contact on the  initiative.    For the activity, I will divide the stakeholders into groups of 5-6 participants each  representing a different organization or area of interest. Each group receives a  poster-size copy of the straw man graphic that they can write on directly, or use  sticky notes to make comments. I give them two-three questions to answer, such  as:

1.  What key elements are missing from the graphic?   2. What would you change about the graphic to make it more accurately reflect

your problem space?

3. What key insights do you have about the relationships between the entities

in your problem space?

I give them approximately 20 minutes to discuss the questions and mark up the  graphic. Then I have each group report out on their answers to those three  questions while pointing to the mark-ups on their poster. As each group reports  out, I record commonalities in the insights of each group, and then additional  insights that come from the group discussion on an additional copy of the graphic.  After the session, I digitize each group’s poster as an artifact, 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 & 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. The  graphic gives the diverse group of stakeholders a focal point for discussion that  allows them to share their perspectives and develop insights into potential root  causes of their problems.     While they could create the graphic from a blank slate in a collaborative manner,  starting with a straw man jump starts the conversation for them. They can quickly  identify where they are in the graphic – or if they are missing – and can more  quickly gain new insights about relationships between key entities instead of taking  time to identify them. They can also identify variables in the problem space – that  is, it helps them to identify what they don’t know, in what areas they need to obtain  information or data to provide the values for the variables.     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.

