Although this is my second design thinking bootcamp, there were several important observations I made throughout my experience this time.
Discussion is research.
- While asking questions of my partner, David, I remembered to ask about stories. I remembered to ask about “fit.” I remembered to ask about lifestyle. However, this time I paid close attention to responses that pinpointed an exact feeling. Sometimes feelings are tossed aside as non-descriptive or unhelpful with prevailing sentiments resembling something like, “a phone’s job is not to make you ‘happy,’ but to function well as a internet-using communication device.” But what many marketers may miss is the idea that products enable powerful emotions. There are times when products make consumers happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and more. Creative innovations enable consumers to overcome these obstacles and enhance their ultimate wellbeing. These insights are invaluable to innovation, and can be found through well-conducted qualitative research.
Listening is key.
- When conducting a conversation with someone, I found myself often slipping into habits of projection and interruption. Not meaning to be rude, I felt the urge to agree and affirm the statements of my partner during the Discover mode. But doing so often changes the direction of the speaker’s statement, and inhibits the process of gaining honest insight.
Define the problem.
- When I first experienced the bootcamp, I felt that I must create the perfect definition of the problem within one or two iterations. This time, I attempted to continuously gain feedback on the problem statement. Once a story is communicated, it needs interpretation. That process is perhaps the most difficult, as it defines the scope in which I must focus my effort for innovating. Therefore, continuous conversation with my partner surrounding how he felt exactly during a particular time helped to narrow the scope of the solution, and allow for greater creative efficiency.
Iterate, iterate, iterate.
- Creating and evaluating a solution was just honestly thrilling. Similar to last time, I felt empowered to push my ideas to a tangible solution in order for the user to experience them. During the Create mode, I fashioned a bracelet for the user. While constructing it, I began to create a sleek, aesthetically appealing strip of paper to simulate the appearance of a bracelet. But I caught myself. The point of creating this prototype is not for the user to simply have a tangible object to see, but to actually bring the user as close to the intended experience as possible. I stapled the ends together and fashioned it into a wearable wristband. Although it was an extremely subtle change, I realized that this change will allow me to gain far more sophisticated feedback on the experience of wearing the wristband rather than simply observing it from a distance.
Overall, the bootcamp was a powerful design thinking experience. I learned how to navigate the design thinking process, while picking up on subtle changes I can make to be a better listener, researcher, and thinker.