Design Thinking for Client Engagement

Presented through CASCADE SF at Runway SF on September 4, 2013.

"Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success."
—Tim Brown, president and CEO of IDEO

In this talk, we will explore how to apply a design thinking mindset to your discovery and design process. You will walk away with new strategies for:

* Building client trust
* Facilitating client communication and collaboration
* Establishing a common design language
* Reducing time and controlling scope
* Guiding clients to solutions you know will work

We will look at how using physical tools and time-bound workshops can encourage client creativity and engagement, and how setting a tone of openness, compassion, and play can transform your client’s experience in your next project. You'll walk away with a deeper understanding of the design thinking mindset, and tips and tricks for crafting your own arsenal of physical artifacts to aid you in your design process.

Video of this talk available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tPXgFBzLRs

Transcript

1. Design Thinking for Client Engagement SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 • CASCADE SF Megan Erin Miller @meganerinmiller
2. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO “ ”
3. LET’S INNOVATE
4. Traditional design process discovery   wireframes   design   comps  
5. Artifacts of design process User Personas Task Flows Site Maps Wireframes Style Tiles Design Comps
6. Clients don’t understand wireframes
8. Lost in translation Clients don’t speak “designer” Our artifacts are not self-apparent
9. What we’re really a"er Their priorities Their goals Their aesthetic preferences Editorial direction Decision making
10. It’s a problem of communication We are balancing technical and design considerations They don’t know how to give us the information we need
11. There’s a better way Apply design thinking to the way we work with our clients
12. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO “ ”
13. “ ” Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO
14. “ ” Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO
15. “ ” Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO
16. “ ” Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO
17. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Tim Brown, President and CEO of IDEO “ ”
18. Design an experience for our clients
19. Our goals go beyond design Build trust Establish common language Collaborate Inspire ownership Reduce time, control scope
20. Create a structure for conversation
21. Create an environment for play Photo  from  h5p://flickr.com/photos/stria;c/470233447/  
22. LET’S PLAY
23. Why do we want to play? Build trust Establish common language Collaborate Inspire ownership Reduce time, control scope
24. Structured limitations Photo  from  h5p://flickr.com/photos/19565307@N00/86557617/  
25. Game mechanics: “Quests”
26. Celebrate milestones and successes Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/23864499@N00/2621532544/  
27. Game mechanics: “Progression”
28. Clear goals and roadmap to success
29. Game mechanics: “Appointment Dynamics”
30. Time-bound Workshops and activities Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/43917849@N08/8086959997/  
31. For each goal, create a tool Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/24183489@N00/132914327  
32. MAKE IT PHYSICAL
33. Physical interaction builds fundamental concepts
34. Fundamental corporeal concepts such as near and far, hard and so", jagged and pointed, weak and strong, open and closed, and so on are rooted in animate movement. Dr. Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, Movement as a way of knowing “ ”
35. We naturally speak the language of the physical Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/40645538@N00/4269396864/  
36. Physical artifacts can act as translators
37. How can we harness the power of physical experiences?
38. We do this already Sketching Diagrams
39. Drawing your idea helps you address its structure with a different part of your brain, and see it from a new angle. Joe Ringenberg, How Diagrams Solve Problems “ ”
40. Give them something to react to Photo  from  h5p://flickr.com/photos/7471115@N08/4766284256/  
41. Facilitate communication and collaboration
42. Externalizing ideas allows for closer collaboration, earlier input, and deeper thought partnership. Stefan Klocek Better together; the practice of successful creative collaboration “ ”
43. Build trust
44. Sharing the journey with the client and being transparent is key to establishing trust. By involving the client from the early stages they become more invested. Anthony Lui, Live Wireframing “ ”
45. Just enough space for creativity Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/34016005@N04/3484003209  
46. Inspire ownership
47. Guide them to solutions you know will work Photo  from  h5p://www.games-­‐sun.com/files/file/The-­‐Dinosaur_coloring_by_numbers_pictures_for_kids_girls_boys_children5.jpg  
48. Photo  from  h5p://www.games-­‐sun.com/files/file/The-­‐Dinosaur_coloring_by_numbers_pictures_for_kids_girls_boys_children5.jpg  
49. A NEW DESIGN TOOLKIT
50. Design artifacts User Personas Task Flows Site Maps Wireframes Style Tiles Design Comps
51. What we’re really a"er Their priorities Their goals Their aesthetic preferences Editorial direction Decision making
52. A Tactile Design Kit http://www.TactileDesignKit.com
53. A Tactile Design Kit Persona template Website design review worksheet Site descriptors worksheet Visual vocabulary reference Navigation worksheets Wireframe toolkit Idea cards
54. A SAMPLE PROCESS
55. 1. Kickoff meeting Introduce project process roadmap High-level discovery with the client Establish governance and roles
57. 2. Define user personas Summarize user research (if available) Create user personas Prioritize personas
61. 2. Determine aesthetic preferences Review example sites Establish shared aesthetic vocabulary Narrow in on client’s aesthetic
66. 3. Navigation and layout Define primary and footer navigation Cra" three ideas for wireframes
73. Managing scope creep
75. Get what you need to make: User Personas Task Flows Site Maps Wireframes Style Tiles Design Comps
76. Other workshops you might need to run: Card sorting Client interviews and focus groups
77. RULES FOR GOOD TOOLS
78. Cra" the right structure to get the right input
85. Your technology can drive the structure of your tools
90. A layout library
91. A Drupal features library
94. Facilitate discussion through thoughtfully cra"ed tools
95. “Yes, and…”
97. Sometimes one tool isn’t enough
98. Complimentary tools nav layout
99. Give an example
100. Labeling matters
101. But don’t over-label
103. Test your assumptions
106. Set expectations and mindset
107. Set a tone of compassion and fun Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/97831130@N00/1066368855  
108. Prepare the environment
109. Set rules for collaboration Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/8411599@N05/8899378827  
110. Be agile
111. Iterate, test, get feedback, iterate…
112. IMAGINE
113. Photo  from  h5p://flickr.com/photos/19565307@N00/86557617/   Reduce time, control scope
114. Let your tools work for you
115. Create a repeatable process
116. Forge meaningful relationships Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/92694860@N00/4164759025  
117. Design is about relationships. Josh Brewer, Principal Designer at Twitter “ ”
118. Empathy is the key to success Photo  from  h5p://www.flickr.com/photos/52798669@N00/3277839203  
119. LINKS & RESOURCES
120. Gamestorming (website and book) http://www.gogamestorm.com Introduction to Design Studio Methodology http://uxmag.com/articles/introduction-to-design- studio-methodology Design is a Job, by Mike Monteiro http://abookapart.com/products/design-is-a-job
121. Tactile Design Kit http://www.TactileDesignKit.com Slides are online http://www.MeganErinMiller.com Connect with me on Twitter @meganerinmiller
122. Megan Erin Miller @meganerinmiller THANK YOU!