A Long and Winding Road
That is what the start of my project has turned out to be, and the reason for that is the need of making contacts to obtain input for the project. It has taken me longer to complete the Empathize phase but, along the way, the definition of the project has shifted for the better. Journey-mapping has been of great help to appreciate how the standpoints of the people I have interviewed so far contrast among one another (Warman, 2015). Asking myself the key questions mentioned by the same authors served to frame the necessity I wanted to address. Two questions in one come first in order to identify the user and what is the objective of the project. Then, the second question deals with the reason for carrying on the project which sustains its objective, helps broaden the scope but… the last question brings it back into perspective by reflecting on things that prevent me from achieving the goal. Thus it becomes an iteration between the second and third questions so that the effort is “right-sized” for the allotted time frame (Warman, 2015).
Additionally, the core of the project should remain people-centered and anchored on the point of view (POV) which either remains as initially set, or is adjusted as the process goes on (d.school, 2016). Sharing the POV with the interviewees enables multiple benefits among which are: Validating the POV, creating possibilities by asking how might we (HMW) questions, and guiding the innovation effort within what is feasible.
References
Stanford University Institute of Design. (2016). Bootcamp Bootleg. Retrieved from http://dschool-old.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/METHODCARDS-v3-slim.pdf
Warman, G. (2015). Using design thinking in higher education. EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/1/using-design-thinking-in-higher-education
