Rob Gleasure R.Gleasure@ucc.ie www.robgleasure.com IS6117 Electronic Business Development Project Lecture 5: Value curves and brainstorming Rob Gleasure R.Gleasure@ucc.ie www.robgleasure.com

IS6117 Today’s session Value curves Mind mapping

The next impossible problem Having laid out multiple user-types with varying emotional drivers and interaction journeys, we must now narrow back into something that is both specific enough to address and broad enough to balance all that complexity We need to distil our understanding of users into specific objectives

What is a value curve? A value curve is a tool to help you understand the options available to your user when pursuing their stated goals, i.e. _____ wants a better way to ______ because ______ A value curve lets you lays out the features and qualities of existing systems and critically analyse the value of each of those features and qualities Really important to avoid thinking in terms of a specific solution at this stage

Why value curves Value curves synthesise the findings of different journey maps and bring us back to a product/market-view of our design This completes our first major cycle of zooming in and zooming out We zoom in to examine every interesting detail of our user’s needs and experiences We zoom out so we can make the problem actionable and begin moving a specific holistic direction

Often used for ‘blue ocean’ thinking Red Ocean Strategy Blue Ocean Strategy Compete in existing market space Create uncontested market space Beat the competition Make the competition irrelevant Exploit existing demand Create and capture new demand Make the value‐cost trade‐off Break the value‐cost trade‐off Align the whole system of a company’s activities with its strategic choice of differentiation or low cost Align the whole system of a company’s activities in pursuit of differentiation and low cost From Kim & Mauborgne @ http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/downloads/bos_web.pdf

How to create value curves The basic idea is very simple We list out each competitive factor in our industry We gauge each of these ideas according to customer needs and the capacity of existing competitors to meet those needs Then we ask ourselves four questions…

How to create value curves What competitive factors can we reduce? What competitive factors can we eliminate? What competitive factors can we raise? What competitive factors can we create?

Problem-Abstraction: The Case of Radical Low-Cost Incubators in India Image from http://leadershiplearning.org/blog/natalia-castaneda/2010-11-30/learning-and-having-fun-design-thinking

Example of India/Nepal Incubators Reduce Increase Precision Adjustability Affordability Ease of use Eliminate Create Air control Ease to maintain Ease to store Ease to transport

Our incubators example High Low Precision Ease to maintain Ease to store Adjustability Air control Affordability Ease of use Ease to transport Reduce Reduce Eliminate Increase Create

Example of a value curve for the Nintendo Wii Reduce Increase Graphics Narrative Immersion Accessibility Fun Social ‘living room’ gaming Eliminate Create Sophisticated input Extensive gated game progression Gesture-based input

The Nintendo Wii continued High Wii Mobile games Games consoles and PCs Low Graphics Living room gaming Narrative Immersion Sophisticated input Gated game progression Accessibility Fun Gesture based control

Example of a value curve for WhatsApp Reduce Increase Connectivity Visibility Multimedia Intimacy Ease of browsing Eliminate Create Profiles Personal pages Network compartmentalization

WhatsApp continued High WhatsApp Facebook Twitter Low Connectivity Visibility Multimedia Intimacy Profiles Personal pages Ease of browsing Network compartmentalization

A template for value curves

When to use value curves? Value curves are typically used during the defining stage, as they break a larger problem down into specific design-level objectives They are also used to help position the new interaction against alternatives during the testing stage, as users can give feedback The extent to which the new interaction design actually creates the target value curve The extent to which that new value curve adequately represents their needs

Where to use value curves Value curves are a way for the design team to bring all of their findings and ideas together and begin to agree on a high-level direction for the design They also allow personas to be re-visited and trade-offs to be considered Which personas are most likely to find the new value curve appealing? Which personas are we trying to satisfice on reduced or eliminated qualities?

The next next impossible problem We expanded our understanding of different users and journeys as far as possible. We then distilled it down to specific issues and opportunities We must now expand again into imaginary future worlds using the content of our minds and what we’ve learned We need to take a specific need and unpack it in as many directions as possible

How does creativity even work? Creativity is the act of forming new things as hypotheticals or counterfactuals to current systems Lots of views how this happens but there is a general consensus it involves two things New associations are created Old associations are destroyed The outcome is a new blend and configuration of conceptual or material components

Structure vs. open-mindedness The example of jazz Images from https://hyperallergic.com/50568/want-to-be-more-creative-science-suggests-stop-fretting-over-mistakes/

Converging and diverging Roughly two parts to creative thinking Converging, i.e. unpacking a idea into a more detailed solution Relies on linear thinking and logical forming of connections from one thing to another Heavily reliant on working memory and concentration Diverging, i.e. breaking from the current way of thinking in favour of some other framing Relies on stepping back out of a flow of logical and allowing alternative connections to emerge Reliant on ability to let go of current frames or forget train of thought

Feeling of Knowing So how do we figure out whether we should be in converging or diverging mode? Feeling of knowing refers to the sense we have an answer somewhere in our mind, we just need to find it This is usually cue-dependent We feel like the different parts of the problem are familiar, i.e. we don’t need to think about it differently, we just need to think it through

Power through or take a walk? The presence or absence of feeling of knowing can direct creative strategies Where feeling of knowing is high, concentration and perseverance is required to unpack the solution No new contextual or creative cues are required Where feeling of knowing is low, we need to let go of specific ideas so we can keep the flow of new ideas coming We keep gathering contextual or creative cues Beware the notebook of ideas!

What are mind maps Mind maps are a technique used to generate and visualise multiple possible creative directions for a particular design problem Individual trains of thought are expanded and unpacked in different directions Images, keywords, and other memory cues are used to heighten associations and lower cognitive burden while maintaining creative momentum Invested by Tony Buzan, who trademarked the term on behalf of the Buzan Organization

What is a mind map? Image from https://mindmapsunleashed.com/10-really-cool-mind-mapping-examples-you-will-learn-from

Why mind maps Mind maps help us to alternate between converging and diverging creative thinking for some key topic A visual map is used to combine different elements on a single page, meaning associations are free to form between as many concepts as possible This approach encourages the designer(s) to capture and develop sequential thinking, as well as tangents and passing insights

How to create mind maps (pt. 1) Create a central idea around which to base your map, e.g. a new requirement from your value curve, or a persona you feel is at the heart of the new design Create or find an image to mark that idea and place the image in the centre of a page This should be something striking that demands attention and triggers associations Ideally, you want something that represents the first thing that comes to your mind Take your time to get the image right

How to create mind maps (pt. 2) Add branches for different associations that come to mind You don’t need to worry about how many – you can add more later – you just want to capture the first things that come to mind A useful addition here is to colour each branch differently, e.g. use a blue pen, then switch to a green, then a red, etc. This helps you focus on different ideas by keeping them visually consistent Label each branch, using a single word or term that captures the essence of the idea

How to create mind maps (pt. 3) Divide each branch into sub-branches for each new association they trigger These don’t need to be hierarchical or symmetrical (though they can be, if it helps), they just need to represent associations that spring to mind Don’t be afraid to hop between branches. You’re trying to capture what’s in your mind, not fight or control it

How to create mind maps (pt. 4) Add an image for each branch and sub-branch This should be something that jumps out and brings that idea crashing into your mind This will be easier for some ideas than others but push yourself to come up with something You may find yourself doodling a little here This is fine, sometimes the white noise can create the mental silence necessary to let other ideas bubble to the surface

An example of a mind map Image from https://imindmap.com/how-to-mind-map/

Another example of a mind map Image from https://imindmap.com/how-to-mind-map/

And another example of a mind map Image from https://imindmap.com/gallery/

When to use mind maps? Mind maps are used during ideating to transform goals into more detailed and actionable approaches Mind maps are also often revisited during prototyping and testing, as they help to clarify how emerging insights in those stages relate to previous ideas

Where to use mind maps Mind maps are used for individual thinking as well as collective ideation Whiteboards are amazing for trying to get all of your initial ideas together in one place Remember the four basic rules of brainstorming Quantity, quantity, quantity No criticism Encourage wild ideas Combine and extend ideas

Reading Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. A. (2014). Blue ocean strategy, expanded edition: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Harvard Business Review Press. Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449): 1367–1378. Interaction Design Foundation: The Basics of User Experience Design (https://www.interaction-design.org/) More details on the incubator example http://extreme.stanford.edu/projects/embrace Ted Talk by Tony Buzan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMZCghZ1hB4 Ted Talk by Charles Limb https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv