🐛 Process, a test in patience.

Forward

I love prototyping. A prototype can and should be introduced at any part of a process. When they say a prototype is worth 1,000 meetings, they aren't kidding. I've never walked out of a room without the next steps after talking through a prototype.

Process

When I get asked, “What do we do next?” I respond with: "What are you trying to accomplish, and why?." It's a simple set of questions that allows a team to discuss an idea or context and build toward a shared understanding of what we are building as a team. Every question demands a slightly tailored process to find its appropriate solution. It's nothing new, just old-fashioned curiosity and the willingness to get out and talk to other people. I believe when the end customer is served first, the rest of the business puzzle pieces fall together.

Below is a chart and concept from Roger Martin. To me, any problem can first be put into one of three buckets: Mystery, Heuristic, and Algorithm. From there, a process can be drawn up and executed.

A project or idea doesn't have to start at mystery. You may have something so strong that you can jump right into building. While there is an articles worth of reasons why this is risky, it's a great way to hack on a solution to prove it right or wrong with consumers.

Once you're in one of the three stages, there are a multitude of exercises a team can run in order to further clarify and define strategy of a project.

10k foot view

Mystery

1. Kickoff & Program OKRs
2. Research & Empathize
3. Define Project OKRs & Strategy

Heuristic

1. Sprint 0 - Design Discoveries, Design Sprints, Grooming(D&A) Session, etc...

Algorithm

1. Sprint Plan 1...N
2. Sprint Iteration - Standups, Planning, & Grooming(D&A)

Every project gets extremely messy, and at times unweildly, but taking the entire team through these three stages of the knowledge funnel will help build the group's shared understanding.

Following this 10k foot view process takes a well synced team, and should never hesitate at any point to go back to any stage to better understand the problem at hand. Once a potential solution has been identified, the team might need to run a design sprint. To do this you might conduct a workstream like:

One size definitely doesn't fit all

When you are designing for digital it's a good idea to bring your toolbox. You never know what tool will be the right one for the job, and it's okay to adapt or scrap work. The main point is to always be learning and looking into insights to guide your project. I hope you got some insight to how my brain works, if you have any questions dont hesitate to reach out to me over on twitter. @resman

Process in action

Working at Sprint HQ

One of the first projects I helped tackle at VML was the Sprint Digital Tranformation. Here's a talk I put together to talk through our process.

Zeplin Summit talk

I recently 'got up on stage' with Adam Jones from VMLY&R for Zeplin's innaugral conference, Summit, to chat about how we blend design and engineering teams together to work effectively.

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