IDEO’s Human-Centered Design & The Fun Theory
1.0 Inspiration
Bottom line: When finished with this step, your team will have identified a behavior that could be improved to make a better world and will understand the goal/wish/challenge for which it will seek a solution.
Explore behaviors that you would like to improve. Due to the nature of the online environment, and to ensure everyone on the team has the best chance of fully participating, focus on behaviors of family, friends, co-workers, or other similar groups vs. working with the general public.
For example: Changing the behavior of library patrons or children on a playground may not be accessible for everyone on the team. However, changing someone’s behavior related to doing the laundry is likely something that most people could work with.
Diverge
Brainstorm ideas of behaviors that could be improved to make a better world. A variety of idea-generation ("creativity") techniques can be used. Ideas are freely proposed without criticism or evaluation, for each of the problem definitions accepted in the second stage.
SCAMPER
Lotus blossom
Organized random search
Picture stimulation
Superheroes (aka Napoleon Technique)
Personal analogies
Assumption reversal
Examine it with the senses
Experience kit
* Refer to the PDF in Blackboard titled “Divergent Thinking Techniques IDEO HCD Project” for descriptions and step-by-step instructions for each of these techniques.
Converge
Review and sort through your list of ideas in the table above and select the one most promising/intriguing behavior that could be improved. Use the discussion space to decide. It will expand to accommodate all your notes.
What is the behavior your team is trying to improve?
Caution: Don’t make it too broad, nor too narrow.
It should allow for a variety of solutions. That is, the answer should not be immediately obvious or evident.
What is the impact you want to have by improving this behavior? How will it make a better world?
Diverge
Quickly generate at least 5 possible solutions in a few minutes using the table below. If you generate more than 5, click “Tab” from the last cell to create a new cell.
You do not have to keep or use any ideas generated at this stage. This is a “test” to ensure your challenge statement is not too narrow nor too broad. If you cannot come up with at least 5 ideas quickly, that is a good indication you need to reframe your challenge.
Quickly generate at least 5 possible constraints, or barriers, in a few minutes using the table below. If you generate more than 5, click “Tab” from the last cell to create a new cell.
After considering possible solutions and constraints, reevaluate your challenge question. Write your team’s revised (or same if no changes) impact statement in the space below. (It will expand to create as much space as you need.)
1.1 Inspiration
Research and learn about your challenge. Don’t assume you know what people are actually doing (or not doing) and why. Decide who will do what kind of research.
Conduct observations and take notes of people doing/not doing the behavior.
Talk to people who do/don’t do the behavior and ask why. Always be sensitive to their feelings and get permission to ask them questions.
Prepare questions in advance so no matter who asks, you will always be asking the same things. Be prepared though to ask follow-up questions (“What did you mean when you said . . ? “).
Just like with brainstorming, don’t edit what people say. Report it as it is said.
Ask them what would be a fun way to get the better behavior out of them.
Ask them what sure-fire way would prevent them from doing the better behavior.
Research the Internet and traditional publications to learn about the behavior and the benefits of changing it.
Note: You will each report your findings in the Ideation step.
Use the Michael Michalko strategy of “thinking like a genius” by forming relationships by making connections between dissimilar subjects.
Think of at least 5 ways your team’s challenge is related to something else.
For example, in the Fun Theory “Bottle Bank” video, the idea of putting something into a bin could be seen as being related to inserting money into a bank, entering a haunted house, or hitting a goal like basketball or a bullseye.
What new insights does this generate for your challenge?
Therefore, our final Challenge Question & Impact Statements are . . .
They may very well have evolved and changed by now. If so, write your new statements here. If not, repeat the existing ones here.
2.0 Ideation
Digest your research. Generate ideas. Create rough prototypes. Get feedback. Refine. Repeat as necessary.
Bottom line: When finished with this step, you will have tested and tried out a solution and refined it until you have a version that will work.
You will put your research findings in one of the cells in the table. The cells will expand to accommodate everything you have to report.
Diverge
The divergent-thinking, brainstorming stage. This is where a variety of idea-generation ("creativity") techniques can be used. Ideas are freely proposed without criticism or evaluation.
generate as many ideas as you can for solving the challenge. Remember that quantity yields quality. Create at least 15 ideas, and then push for at least 5 more! Tools you can use*:
SCAMPER
Lotus blossom
Organized random search
Picture stimulation
Superheroes (aka Napoleon Technique)
Personal analogies
Assumption reversal
Examine it with the senses
Experience kit
* Refer to the “Divergent Thinking Techniques IDEO HCD Project” for descriptions and step-by-step instructions for each of these techniques.
Converge
list your top 5 ideas. It’s important that you truly list your favorite top 5.
Use the box below to organize this step. What themes are emerging? What do you see coming up repeatedly? The box will expand to accommodate all the notes.
Review the themes and write insight statements for them. Add or delete rows as needed.
For example, if a theme is “convenience” an insight statement might be, “Hikers feel trash cans are few and far between on the trails.”
Use these “H2” prompts and the suggested “shorthand” to reframe the insight statements into challenge questions:
How to . . . ? (H2 . . . )
How might we . . . ? (HMW . . . )
In what ways might we . . . ? (IWWMW . . . )
What might be all the . . . ? (WMBAT . . . )
Complete the table below using these prompts. (It will expand to create as much space as you need.)
Diverge
Brainstorm to answer the question: What’s a FUN way to address these insights (stated above)?
Brainstorming Rules:
Defer judgement.
Encourage wild ideas.
Build on the ideas of others. (Think “Yes, and . . .”)
Generate quantity! Quantity yields quality!
Create at least 15 ideas, and then push for at least 5 more! Tools you can use*:
SCAMPER
Lotus blossom
Organized random search
Picture stimulation
Superheroes (aka Napoleon Technique)
Personal analogies
Assumption reversal
Examine it with the senses
Or just “popcorn” ideas (add whatever pops into your head).
* Refer to the “Divergent Thinking Techniques IDEO HCD Project” for descriptions and step-by-step instructions for each of these techniques.
TIP: Having trouble explaining an idea? Share drawings or pictures with your team! You don’t have to be an artist, even a simple sketch can create a “lightbulb” moment.
Converge
Restate your challenge question and impact statement here to ensure your team stays on track:
Now review the list of ideas in the table above. Don’t worry about details yet!
If you get stuck you can use the:
Evaluation matrix
SWOT matrix
PMI table
Refer to the templates for these tools in Blackboard in the folder named “Convergent Thinking Templates.”
2.1 Deciding on the Prototype/Trial Run
The purpose of the prototype/trial run stage is to LEARN, not to get it “right.” As they say at IDEO, “Fail often to succeed sooner.” Discover the mistakes, errors, misconceptions, etc. and get them out of the way quickly, so you can refine and move on to what will work and work well!
Work together to describe, draw, or both, how you will do a trial run/create a prototype of your possible solution. Use the space below, or if it helps, add a folder to your existing Google Drive folder titled “Prototype Ideas” and add shared files there. Remember that all files created by the team must be shared with the instructor.
NOTE: Whatever you come up with, it must be something each team member can do from their location.
2.2 Conduct a Trial Run/Test the Prototype
Each team member needs to be able to conduct a trial run or test the prototype where they live. Depending on your challenge, you may be able to complete this within a matter of hours, or it may take a day or two. Keep in mind the time constraints of the class.
Try it out!
Does it work?
Do people exhibit the improved behavior?
Are they doing so and having fun?
Could it be more fun?
Could it be easier?
What do the users have to say about it?
What do you need to fix/modify/enhance, or??
Share your feedback here.
