We will practice seeing how different kinds of data might inform design and learn from each other how to see design implications. The key hurdle for a design team, after it has collected customer data, is to see what to do next-using the data to develop insight into the customer, to see overarching issues which the team might address, to invent features and product directions which respond to the issues, and to tailor the design of the resulting system to fit the detailed work structure of their customers. Though this process is seldom taught explicitly, it does have structure which can be revealed and discussed. The session uses some presentation to frame the issue, but moves quickly to interactive group discussion and practice. We provide customer data and an example design problem as the stimulus for the session.
Participants respond to the data by sharing their insights, ideas, and design inventions.
We discuss the different directions participants chose to take the data, showing how different perspectives emphasized different aspects of the data and resulted in different designs. We test the resulting ideas against the customer data and discuss how the data also tests designs for relevance and fit with what the customers really want. This session is appropriate for anyone who has tried to bring customer data into a design team. Participants should expect a lot of discussion around the data and design, and around the process of seeing designs in data.