Challenge:

Objective of my team was to design and introduce new Test Data Management capabilities for a big  financial services organisation. This project was a part of a large transformation programme to  replace set of legacy IT systems with new ones that are serving one of the organization’s business  line. To design test data management and provisioning capabilities (IT solution and processes) in the  most efficient and usable for testers way was critical for the overall programme success.

Selection:

We used visualisation tool to design functions and processes for the new service with a focus on  customer experience.  Diagrams for customer journeys and sketched of user’s interface portal  helped to design and present things in a more consumable way for diverse groups of stakeholders.

Application:

Our team conducted 22 interviews, sketched out personas and user journeys based on the  interviews – looking closely at drop-out points. During the idealization workshops participants from  different testing streams used flipcharts to sketch how ideal user experience should look like. Straw  man and structure of the process elements were outlines prior the workshops, that helped to gather  ideas and synthesise ideas in the same framework. Visualization tools for new service design helps to  align ideas from differed into one solution and build empathy.

Once the design of the new service has been created, the team tested and iterated the journeys with  stakeholders. Through this approach the team co-created user-centric processes that included  future tester journeys and helped customer to move away from their previously process-driven  approach.

Insight:

The key insight – is to be as visual as possible

▪  To be as visual as possible – so when writing, you also include accompanying images

▪  Draw on the board with marker pens to illustrate the need to be visual – such as writing in a  stylised text, smiley faces, logos etc.

▪  We can bring together different stakeholders from different disciplines under a common  language that can be understood by all

▪  Visualisation works for visual and audio type of person creating universal a language of  explanation

Overall Design thinking insights:

▪  Defer Judgement – no idea is a bad idea, think out of the box and unconstrained as possible  (do not think yet of whether it is technically feasible or there is business viability)

▪  Build on ideas – think how you can extend some of the ideas of your team-mates

▪  Focus – focus on the persona and opportunity you are building on

▪  Quantity – at this point you are diverging with as many thoughts as possible to get them out  (volume), we will later refine them

Approach:

Our team also used Crazy 8s tool to boost ideas generation. It is quite rare when ideas are born  overnight. And for an idea to become a great idea, it takes considerable work and effort to develop.  Part of the reason we end up with under-developed ideas is that we stick with the first good idea we

have — rather than taking the time to explore complementary approaches. Crazy 8s is designed to  combat this pattern by forcing us to generate lots of ideas in a short period of time.

Outcome: Several sets of iterations on a theme, this is more focused on trying different resolutions  to the problem statement in question rather than generating myriad features. In the second or third  round of Crazy 8s it can get tough to come up with new ideas, but often this is where the most  interesting and original ideas come from.

Everybody folds a blank sheet of paper in half four times, then unfolds it, so they get eight panels.  Then you have five minutes total to draw eight sketches, one in each panel.

Crazy Eights will also help loosen up your creative muscles and make you more productive in  subsequent sketching exercises. If you get stuck, try repeating an earlier sketch with a small  variation– this type of exploration is useful and it keeps us moving forward.

