Observe * Reflect * Make
For 2-3 hours investment, there is a lot to be gained from the badge. Even for experienced Agile practitioners. The common language and practical application of agile practices would benefit all.
https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/
My top 5 takeaways:
1. WHY, iteratively
Asking why three or more times evolves the answer with each iteration. The test example worked brilliantly. After five WHYs the final answer answered the original WHY the best of all. It served as a good reminder for both the power of iteration and asking WHY more than once.
2. Hills
Who, What, Wow! Consistently breaking down complex problems and user requirements into hills is a great practice. If the whole team adopts this approach it’s an excellent way to translate, discuss, and record complexities.
https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/page/framework/keys/hills
3. The four types of Playback
Reflecting as a team on:
- Market Playback, Outside-in market point of view, what else is there?
- Hills Playback, review and commit to hills
- Playback Zero, finalise hills
- Delivery Playback, keep focused/regain focus as your implementation advances
4. LowFi and HiFi
Endeavouring to make things perfect is all too easy, including the wrong things. The idea of LowFi and HighFi, choosing when to put the time in, and being honest with deliverables that can be less invested in sounds obvious. However, until seeing this approach it wasn’t to me. The terminology allows you to make an informed choice and communicate that within your team, stakeholders and users. LowFi isn’t an excuse, it’s an efficient use of time to establish what’s important and free more time for that. What needs to be HiFi? Would it be better to go LowFi and spend effort elsewhere?
5. Alignment
Making decisions as a group enables moving forward. Yet another reason all members of a team/everyone should undertake the design thinking practitioner badge.
“It is not about pleasing everyone and getting them all to agree for the sake of agreement.”
https://www.ibm.com/design/thinking/
Looking forward to putting the badge’s training into action. What are your takeaways?
Olly Brand 