Agile Design Methods
  • Blog
  • Methods
  • Resources
    • Online Course
    • Mobile App
    • Public Course
  • Contact Chuck
  • Search

The Greatest Book on Design Ever Written

4/29/2018

3 Comments

 
I've heard it said, "To learn a new truth read an old book." Today I want to tell you about a conversational skill that I learned from an out-of-print book that I absorbed many years ago. What I learned positively impacts my design leadership work to this day.

The skill described in this book is a proven game-changer for me as I face the predictable challenges that occur in leading groups of people on the journey of product and solution design. It also measurably improves my ability to connect with people in my personal life.

Anyone can learn this skill. Mastering it is a lifelong and worthy pursuit. It provides a clearer understanding of issues and what to do about them. As a result, design conversations stay on track when issues occur. They get identified with greater understanding...and they get resolved.

If you want more confidence in how to handle issues when they occur, the life skill taught in an out-of-print book, and that I introduce in this video, will absolutely help you in your work and throughout your life.
The big takeaways
  • A proven technique for handling issues that surface in conversations and in life
  • The five things to be aware of when identifying and resolving any issue
  • How to develop trust and connection when working with people
  • Techniques for moving the conversation towards designing the resolution

Resources
  • Straight Talk - Interpersonal communication book (out of print, but still available)
  • The I-Skills Zone - Business communication learning resources (currently available)
3 Comments

What's the Problem? Exactly.

10/13/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A problem statement depicts the moment of opportunity when a transformational solution would make all the difference in a particular person's quality of life.
As a solution designer or marketer, tuning into the context and experience of a person in a predicament is fundamental. There is no side-stepping these questions:

  • Who is experiencing the problem?
  • What problem are they experiencing?
  • When and under what circumstances does the problem happen?
  • How would they describe it in their own words?     (super important)
  • How does it make them feel?     (also super important)
  • How does it affect their quality of life?

​A cogent, well-crafted problem statement answers these questions and provides clarity of context to solution designers and product marketers.

Why a Problem Statement Is Important

A problem involves a person in the context of a specific predicament. The problem is the raison d'être for any solution under consideration, and by extension, the gold for which the solution designer is mining.

A person experiencing a problem expresses it through emotion. Describing the circumstances that are causing that emotion, in words a user would use however strong or subtle, provides a foundation of empathy through which to envision an ideal solution. It is important to not overlook the emotion because it creates personal resonance with the problem and with the solution being marketed. A problem statement depicts the moment of opportunity when a transformational solution would make all the difference in a person's quality of life.

Problems Lead to Solutions

From a marketing perspective, borrowing a concept from Pragmatic Marketing, a “market” is a group of people who share the same problem. Therefore, understanding and clearly defining the problem is the cornerstone of any solution to be created and/or marketed. This makes a highly refined problem statement or set of statements all the more valuable.

Who needs or uses problem statements?
  • Solution designers and architects
    They need to understand the context under which a problem occurs. The more empathy the designer or architect has for the person experiencing the problem the better.
  • A product manager 
    They need to identify which ones are urgent and pervasive. That particular subset of problem statements represents the high-potential candidate problems to research, assess, verify and build a business case for solving.

How To Create a Problem Statement

Here is an effective way to create a statement that expresses an understanding of the context and the problem so that it informs and influences solution designers and architects. 
A problem statement is a sentence or a small set of sentences that includes these descriptive elements:
  1. A description of the person 
    Name or describe the business role or life role of the person.
  2. When or under what conditions the problem occurs
    Describe what goal they are trying to achieve or when does it happen?
  3. An emotion they experience
    Describe this in language that they would use or that you have observed so that an empathetic sense of connection to the person experiencing the problem is established.
  4. A description of the effect the problem has on their quality of life
    Use language that the person would use in their business or life context.​​
​
​Actual Statements and Mad-Lib Styled Templates
You may be fortunate and have the ability to describe the problem statement by simply transcribing what you have actually observed people say in the context of experiencing a problem. That's a preferable way in which to produce a problem statement.

But, if you don't have that form of recall handy, or if you need some help constructing a statement that can be easily understood, then some fill-in-the-blank templates might prove helpful to help demonstrate what this looks like.

To that end, here are some Mad-Lib styled templates:
​
  • As a       (1)      , when       (2)      , I am       (3)        because       (4)      .

  • As a       (1)      , I am       (2)      , when       (3)        because       (4)      .

​Examples
Here are two examples of problems statements based on conversations I've had and observations I've had in just the past day:
  • As an iPhone user, when I can't find my AirPods case I panic and scramble looking all over the place retracing my steps because the darned thing is so easy to lose and would cost me a fortune for me to have to replace.
  • As a coach, in a live practice or game setting when tensions are already high to begin with, someone lets something denigrating fly out of their mouth to one of the players. At that moment, I’m flustered because I’m supposed to lead here and I draw a blank on what to say or do. I’m unsure of what to do in response because I’m not experienced in how to handle something like this. Over the long-haul, letting this kind of communication go unchallenged affects the team, our institution, our relationships, and our friendships.

Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid
  • Do use the first person
  • Do use descriptive statements that you have actually observed people saying
  • Do create multiple statements rather than trying to blend multiple problems into one
  • Don't describe the solution or use solution jargon
  • Don't embellish using false emotion or projection (do keep your BS detector on)

How To Create an Ideal Solution Statement

An ideal solution statement is a sentence or two that:
  • Begins with the phrase, "The ideal solution would..."
  • May contains the phrase "so that" or "the ability to"

​Examples
Here are ideal solution statements based on the aforementioned problem statements:
  • The ideal solution would provide me the ability to know where my AirPod case is located right now so that I can find it easily.
  • The ideal solution would give me the know-how and confidence to respond appropriately in the moment and over the long-haul so that values of personal respect and dignity are established and reinforced in our team and in our institution.

​Best Practices to Use and Pitfalls to Avoid
  • Do use the first person
  • Do describe the business or quality-of-life improvement delivered
  • Do write the first draft of the statement soon after producing the problem statement because it so naturally flows afterward
  • Do create one ideal solution statement per problem statement
  • Don't describe components of the solution or use solution jargon

Practical Application

​An ideal solution statement can easily feed into agile development practices in the form of a user story. User stories are used in agile application development solutions as a means of creating a backlog for product development.

The user story that is widely practiced in agile communities reads like this:

  • As a              I want              so that             .

Here is how our example statements can be transformed into a user story that can be used by an agile development team:

  • As an AirPods user, I want the ability to know where my AirPods case is located right now so that I can find it easily.
  • As a sports coach, I want the know-how and confidence to respond appropriately in the moment and over the long-haul so that values of personal respect and dignity are established and reinforced in our team and in our institution.

In addition to user stories, the problem statement described herein offers a richer contextual insight for solution designers to understand how the problem is experienced by an envisioned solution user.

The combination of a problem statement and an ideal solution statement increases the potential for designers and architects to empathize with the problem. This insight improves their ability to design a solution that resonates with the intended user. It also improves the ability for a product manager to strategically position the solution in the market, communicating with resonance through marketing channels and sales efforts.

Want More?

​Subscribe to my free blog updates to receive content that vividly describes the techniques and leadership skills that embody the practice of agile design methods. The blog contains not only my ideas on the topic but the insight of others who actively work and thrive wholeheartedly in the realms of collaborative creativity and solution design.
0 Comments

The Open-Ended Question That Opens People Up

7/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
When asked authentically, this three-syllable question creates connectedness, trust and understanding with anyone, even a person you have just met.

This matters because empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is an essential ingredient in the process of designing solutions for people.

How can we understand how others are feeling unless we ask? Asking the question unlocks the potential to observe problems that would otherwise go unobserved. This is a gold mine of understanding for solutions designers.


"How's Your Day?"

So, I routinely ask this question of people because:
  • It comes from a place inside of me that truly cares about people
  • It informs my understanding of how people in the world around me are experiencing the world around me

​So often, our daily existence and interactions are framed by disconnectedness and distrust. Asking this question to someone else is so counter-cultural. Consequently, it produces a measurable shift in the environment and it creates a sense of trust and connectedness.

One of my favorite contexts to ask the question is while getting things done on the phone, standing in line or chatting online.
In the past week I can recall asking the question of people in the following contexts:
  • while waiting for a seat at a restaurant
  • while interacting with a benefits coordinator for my health care company
  • while chatting with a tech support staff member online
  • while going through the check-out line at the grocery store
  • while talking with relatives who live far away from me
  • while transacting business over the phone
We exist in a world characterized by disconnectedness and distrust.

Consequently, introducing a countercultural question produces a measurable shift in the environment and it builds trust and connectedness.

Try It and See

Understanding how people in the world are feeling is easy. Just ask them. They'll tell you. Listen to them and learn what problems they are experiencing. It will inform your design decisions.

When the woman you are talking with senses that you care enough about her to ask how her day is going, it breathes fresh life into the conversation, even if she is having a bad day. Somehow when you care enough to ask, it reaffirms her humanity and causes her to reflect on how she's feeling.

If we, as solutions designers, practice this kind of authentic caring, listening and learning on an ongoing basis, we tap into a limitless supply of priceless insight for free by simply exercising a common courtesy towards another person.

Your empathy for people and willingness to be vulnerable enough to go there immensely affect your solution design.

- Chuck


Subscribe to my free blog updates that contain not only my ideas on the topic, but the insight of others who actively work and thrive wholeheartedly in the realms of collaborative creativity.

I hope you'll get a lot of benefit from it.
Learn the Secrets of Successful Agile Designers
0 Comments

    Learn the Art of
    ​Successful Agile Design

    Picture

    About Chuck Boudreau

    (boo'-dro) - I help people design solutions collaboratively using agile design methods. I have 30+ years of experience in designing software solutions and business processes, leading cross-functional process improvement teams as a business analyst, and helping product managers define and position products using Pragmatic Marketing. I am passionate about user experience design, dog training, beating drums in musical ensembles and collaboratively creating solutions with people.

    Chuck's Resume
    File Size: 67 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File



    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Agile Design
    Boredom
    Collaboration
    Connecteness
    Conversational Framework
    Design Insights
    Design Specification
    Design The "What"
    Documentation
    Empathy
    Environment
    Facilitation
    Feature Lists
    Future State Design
    Glossary
    Ideal Solution Statement
    Leadership
    Learning And Discovery
    Marketing
    Meetings
    Observation
    Pitfalls
    Problem Statement
    Requirements
    Scribe
    Solution Design
    Solution Designers
    Solution Development
    Solution Marketers
    Success Criteria
    Tips And Techniques
    Trust
    Use Cases
    Users
    User Stories
    Velocity

    RSS Feed

© 2016-2023 Chuck Boudreau | Privacy Policy

Photo used under Creative Commons from Sasquatch I
  • Blog
  • Methods
  • Resources
    • Online Course
    • Mobile App
    • Public Course
  • Contact Chuck
  • Search