Design Thinking for Innovation

Peer review Assignment

VISUALISATION

Challenge

I work in the Digital team for a global banking organisation. Our function is to provide digital  solutions for our customers across both mobile and web based banking services. Our challenge is  creating digital journeys and solutions to replace or complement the physical and/or manual  services and solutions that we provide to customers through our branch network and telephony  services.

Digital banking products cover a wide spectrum of offerings including onboarding, account  opening/closing, upgrading, new product acquisition, savings, investing, credit and even facilitating  programs to move to paperless banking.

Inherent to all of this is the provision of sleek, efficient, secure and simple digital solutions, which  allow our customers to access their accounts and securely perform their banking transactions.

As with many global organisations, we have offshore development teams. In our case, some of these  resources are based in India. This presents a number of challenges when designing and developing  products in the digital world. Not the least of which is the explanation of concepts or solutions  across video or telephone while navigating language barriers and ethnographic considerations.  Additionally, working across time zones affects timelines and limits the amount of ‘face to face’ time  we have with our developers.

Selection

I have selected Visualisation as my tool for this assignment. Visualisation is a very broad tool that  allows me to provide storyboards, wireframes and process flows to convey ideas, concepts and  explain how we want solutions to work for customers.

If you think back to the video presented in Week 1 of this course, Anna Meyer explains how  visualisation helps us to communicate with pictures and allows us to convey our thinking and ideas  to our colleagues through a non-verbal exchange, using simple shapes, colours, arrows etc.

Application

So how do we apply visualisation tools in our work?  Consider how you might access your own online  banking solution to view a statement on your current account. In a physical world, you would need  to go to the branch, normally wait in a queue and eventually speak to a consultant. You would be  required to provide a form of identity and your account details. The consultant would input this into  a program, which would return your statement, which they would print out for you.

In the background, that activity spans a number of back end systems in the banking world. We would  be accessing your Customer information file, a security system to validate your identity and a

transactional system to access the account activity. In other scenarios’s even more services would be  accessed such as credit vetting, fraud, risk and compliance systems.

In the digital world, recreating this transaction between customer and bank requires us to map out  the customer journey and the system journey. Defining and understanding these journeys is  effectively handled through visualisation.

I can map out the customer journey, step by step, showing the as-is process to produce the  transaction history and which systems we access. I can then replicate that journey as a digital  experience. In both cases, I would use a wireframe, which would incorporate shapes, arrows and  colours showing the links between systems and the flow of information back and forth through the  completion of the transaction.

This has many benefits, as we are able to express our requirement to our developers in a way that  they can understand the systems involved and the output required. The visual representation of the  journey means that we are able to navigate language and time barriers.

On the flip side, our developers are able to respond with similar visual artefacts to convey missing  elements of journeys or even to suggest alternative journey options. The visual representation  allows us to easily compare journeys and alternatives.

Insight

Using visualisation has been an incredibly effective way for me to express ideas, explain processes  and consider alternative solutions. Wireframes and storyboards have helped us to highlight where  we may be missing systems in a journey or adding complexity to a process where we could be more  efficient.

Additionally, the use of visualisation has helped us to bring colleagues up to speed far quicker when  involving them in development sprints or design discussions. They get a full view of our processes  and can see where their system fits into the broader solution.

I actually can’t imagine how difficult our work would be if we were only able to explain these  concepts and systems verbally, never mind how much more time it would take to get any work  done.

Approach

In comparison to the other options we have covered in the course, visualisation is the only option  that effectively meets our challenge. Storytelling would not effectively describe process flows and  systems links. Mind mapping would offer everyone’s individual perspectives, which would offer  singular views of processes, visualisation is in effect, a collection of many mindmaps from colleagues  across the team.  Obviously a learning launch is just not a suitable option in this scenario.


Design Thinking for Innovation Peer review Assignment VISUALISATION Challenge I work in the Digital team for a global banking organisation . Our function is to provide digital solutions for our customers across both mobile and web based banking services . Our challenge is creating digital journeys and solutions to replace or complement the physical and/or manual services and solutions that we provide to customers through our branch network and telephony services . Digital banking products cover a wide spectrum of offerings including onboarding , account opening / closing , upgrading , new product acquisition , savings , investing , credit and even facilitating programs to move to paperless banking . Inherent to all of this is the provision of sleek , efficient , secure and simple digital solutions , which allow our customers to access their accounts and securely perform their banking transactions . As with many global organisations , we have offshore development teams . In our case , some of these resources are based in India . This presents a number of challenges when designing and developing products in the digital world . Not the least of which is the explanation of concepts or solutions across video or telephone while navigating language barriers and ethnographic considerations . Additionally , working across time zones affects timelines and limits the amount of ‘ face to face ’ time we have with our developers . Selection I have selected Visualisation as my tool for this assignment . Visualisation is a very broad tool that allows me to provide storyboards , wireframes and process flows to convey ideas , concepts and explain how we want solutions to work for customers . If you think back to the video presented in Week 1 of this course , Anna Meyer explains how visualisation helps us to communicate with pictures and allows us to convey our thinking and ideas to our colleagues through a non - verbal exchange , using simple shapes , colours , arrows etc . Application So how do we apply visualisation tools in our work ? Consider how you might access your own online banking solution to view a statement on your current account . In a physical world , you would need to go to the branch , normally wait in a queue and eventually speak to a consultant . You would be required to provide a form of identity and your account details . The consultant would input this into a program , which would return your statement , which they would print out for you . In the background , that activity spans a number of back end systems in the banking world . We would be accessing your Customer information file , a security system to validate your identity and a transactional system to access the account activity . In other scenarios ’s even more services would be accessed such as credit vetting , fraud , risk and compliance systems . In the digital world , recreating this transaction between customer and bank requires us to map out the customer journey and the system journey . Defining and understanding these journeys is effectively handled through visualisation . I can map out the customer journey , step by step , showing the as - is process to produce the transaction history and which systems we access . I can then replicate that journey as a digital experience . In both cases , I would use a wireframe , which would incorporate shapes , arrows and colours showing the links between systems and the flow of information back and forth through the completion of the transaction . This has many benefits , as we are able to express our requirement to our developers in a way that they can understand the systems involved and the output required . The visual representation of the journey means that we are able to navigate language and time barriers . On the flip side , our developers are able to respond with similar visual artefacts to convey missing elements of journeys or even to suggest alternative journey options . The visual representation allows us to easily compare journeys and alternatives . Insight Using visualisation has been an incredibly effective way for me to express ideas , explain processes and consider alternative solutions . Wireframes and storyboards have helped us to highlight where we may be missing systems in a journey or adding complexity to a process where we could be more efficient . Additionally , the use of visualisation has helped us to bring colleagues up to speed far quicker when involving them in development sprints or design discussions . They get a full view of our processes and can see where their system fits into the broader solution . I actually ca n’t imagine how difficult our work would be if we were only able to explain these concepts and systems verbally , never mind how much more time it would take to get any work done . Approach In comparison to the other options we have covered in the course , visualisation is the only option that effectively meets our challenge . Storytelling would not effectively describe process flows and systems links . Mind mapping would offer everyone ’s individual perspectives , which would offer singular views of processes , visualisation is in effect , a collection of many mindmaps from colleagues across the team . Obviously a learning launch is just not a suitable option in this scenario .