Reflection – Visualization

Challenge

I practice teaching, and work in an education-eLearning organization. As part of  the product development-and-enhancement team, I wanted to evaluate, add,  enhance new features to our existing educational product composition. My prime  focus was to gain insights of the existing product, know its strengths-&- weaknesses and then understand my customers’ requirements to serve them  astute. The major challenge was to know the perspectives of various stakeholders  in-and-out, the product features and whether they serve the purposes, the  operational success and accuracy, the products usage, the issues resolving  system and its success, the feedback mechanism which eventually leads to the  product enhancements, and products’ competitive analysis and its feasibility in  the market.

Selection

Visualization is the tool I selected to tackle all my requirements. I believed in this  tool as it allowed to bridge the ideas, facts with visuals; eventually the tasks  completion became easy and faster. I felt the success of our product depended  upon systematically linking all the various functions together as one unit and  allowing each sub-unit to loud-out its voice. All the possibilities, we could have  explored by putting thoughts, ideas into visuals and making a coherent diagram.

We then felt, this diagram could serve the entire organisation and every member  of it can make best use of it.

Using this tool, we planned to interact with various stakeholders, make visuals,  maps, flow-diagrams, charts, presentations, videos and thus, making tangible  and concrete solutions to the relevant problems.

Application

Product success was totally dependent on whether we were serving the needs of  our customers. We made a simple flowchart including inside-outside key  stakeholders’ inputs (input), technical resources, production-delivery plans  (processes) and deliverables expectations and plans (output). Further, we made a  list of all the tasks to be executed.

We made the questionnaires and interviewed external stakeholders and captured  their needs. Each of their needs was a product feature for us. Also, we conducted  surveys to get the feedback on our existing product. With all these inputs, we  explored the product features, developed few samples of contents, products  components to be served, tested those with real users to get their acceptance  and whether they served the purposes.

We studied our customer perspectives by synthesizing the patterns, we observed  customers while they consumed our products components. Visual depictions  made of the requirements which added clarity to all our stakeholders and thus,  our tasks became lot easier. The operational success and accuracy, product  usage, issue resolving mechanism improved after sharing inputs to relevant  internal stakeholders as it gave them valuable insights of how customer were  consuming products.

Insight:

Visualization helped us in providing utmost inputs to the key internal stakeholders  which wasn’t possible otherwise. All functions’ tasks became easy as a broad  organizational level diagram was made with product in focus and every  requirement to serve customer was pictorially depicted.

I now strongly believe that visualization is extremely handy when  things/requirements are complex and there are lot of stakeholders taking part in  the success of any product or service. Visualization is the solution to any tedious  issues.

Approach:

Being a content design and operational practitioner, I feel product design is the  core of the product. But visualization gave us 360 degrees view of system and  thus, is the right tool. Going further, we would like to improvise system by using  the same tool as I feel there is much more yet to complete to cover a holistic  scope. That would reflect insight gained, enhancements made, and deliver a  competitive solution.


Reflection – Visualization Challenge I practice teaching , and work in an education - eLearning organization . As part of the product development - and - enhancement team , I wanted to evaluate , add , enhance new features to our existing educational product composition . My prime focus was to gain insights of the existing product , know its strengths-&- weaknesses and then understand my customers ’ requirements to serve them astute . The major challenge was to know the perspectives of various stakeholders in - and - out , the product features and whether they serve the purposes , the operational success and accuracy , the products usage , the issues resolving system and its success , the feedback mechanism which eventually leads to the product enhancements , and products ’ competitive analysis and its feasibility in the market . Selection Visualization is the tool I selected to tackle all my requirements . I believed in this tool as it allowed to bridge the ideas , facts with visuals ; eventually the tasks completion became easy and faster . I felt the success of our product depended upon systematically linking all the various functions together as one unit and allowing each sub - unit to loud - out its voice . All the possibilities , we could have explored by putting thoughts , ideas into visuals and making a coherent diagram . We then felt , this diagram could serve the entire organisation and every member of it can make best use of it . Using this tool , we planned to interact with various stakeholders , make visuals , maps , flow - diagrams , charts , presentations , videos and thus , making tangible and concrete solutions to the relevant problems . Application Product success was totally dependent on whether we were serving the needs of our customers . We made a simple flowchart including inside - outside key stakeholders ’ inputs ( input ) , technical resources , production - delivery plans ( processes ) and deliverables expectations and plans ( output ) . Further , we made a list of all the tasks to be executed . We made the questionnaires and interviewed external stakeholders and captured their needs . Each of their needs was a product feature for us . Also , we conducted surveys to get the feedback on our existing product . With all these inputs , we explored the product features , developed few samples of contents , products components to be served , tested those with real users to get their acceptance and whether they served the purposes . We studied our customer perspectives by synthesizing the patterns , we observed customers while they consumed our products components . Visual depictions made of the requirements which added clarity to all our stakeholders and thus , our tasks became lot easier . The operational success and accuracy , product usage , issue resolving mechanism improved after sharing inputs to relevant internal stakeholders as it gave them valuable insights of how customer were consuming products . Insight : Visualization helped us in providing utmost inputs to the key internal stakeholders which was n’t possible otherwise . All functions ’ tasks became easy as a broad organizational level diagram was made with product in focus and every requirement to serve customer was pictorially depicted . I now strongly believe that visualization is extremely handy when things / requirements are complex and there are lot of stakeholders taking part in the success of any product or service . Visualization is the solution to any tedious issues . Approach : Being a content design and operational practitioner , I feel product design is the core of the product . But visualization gave us 360 degrees view of system and thus , is the right tool . Going further , we would like to improvise system by using the same tool as I feel there is much more yet to complete to cover a holistic scope . That would reflect insight gained , enhancements made , and deliver a competitive solution .