In the movie “The Galactic Hitchhiker Guide”, aliens of superior intellect design and create a supermachine that helps them understand the mystery of life. After building this supercomputer, they approach it with the following question: “Oh, great computer: What is the big response to life, to the universe, to everything? “. The machine asked them to return within a few million years when they have been able to process this question.
After a while, these living beings become expectant to know what was the ‘great response’ of the supermachine. But it turns out it was stupid trying to calculate the solution, without first defining well the question. (The scene is worth seeing! You can do it here.)
Before devising anything or looking for a solution, we must define the problem well. To this effect, we must research, observe the competence, ask the user, etc., that is, collect relevant information in the form of Insights. But, how can we synthesize all that information into something simple and operative that allows us to start thinking?
Here are the big questions: what is the question to solve? what problem do we want to solve?
and most importantly, how do I synthesize all the research?
The Design Challenge is a key tool, as it reflects the need and pain of our user in the form of a challenge, and the gain or benefit derived from its achievement:
With these three elements we must define our challenge. Our ‘big question’ must collect all these ingredients so that the ideation phase is optimal and the solutions obtained really add value to our user.
In addition to synthesizing the research, the Design Challenge helps us to guide the team and focus on devising solutions on something concrete, since the question defines what we must solve, for whom and why.
Therefore, before getting to look for the great solution, think about the big question. If you succeed with it, the solution will come alone.
Published at 27/03/2018
How has our way of working evolved? Before March 2020,...
The Thinkers team keeps growing! We are proud to...
The necessary tips to enhance work sessions. I want you...
Design Thinking
It is a method for generating innovative ideas that focuses its effectiveness on understanding and providing solutions to the real needs of users. It comes from the way product designers work. Hence its name, which literally translates as "Design Thinking", although we prefer to translate it as "The way designers think". It is, in short, a change of perspective from designing FOR people to designing WITH people.
Lean Startup
It is a working method that aims to increase the chances of success when a project comes out of the paper and begins to be realized, eliminating everything useless and inadequate. The idea is to adapt the product to what the market demands and not to our own vision, which is the best way to launch something new. To do this, we must focus on the customer's needs, relying on their feedback to modify the product until the final version is developed.
Agile UX
It is a set of methodologies for developing projects that require speed and flexibility to adapt to changing industry or market conditions, leveraging those changes to provide a competitive advantage. The main characteristic of the principles and values underlying agile methodologies is to be able to deliver quickly and continuously. In other words, the project is "sliced" into small chunks to be completed and delivered in a few weeks. In this way, if a change is needed, it is made only in the part involved and in a short period of time.
