More Than Words

I've spent the last few days looking at the returned data from my cultural probes and I've realized a couple of things... 1. the answers I needed weren't actually IN the data and 2. I got some great problem definition from all of it.

There were two reoccurring themes in the data that every format of probe pointed to. Interestingly, both themes are deeply ingrained (or maybe, but hopefully not) taught misconceptions about collaboration (and/or design collaboration). They are:

• The best way to make a decision is by voting and letting the majority rule (design by committee, even though that is the quickest route to the lowest common denominator).
• "Compromise" and "accommodate" are synonymous with "collaborate." As can be seen with the TKI conflict profile, they are very different actions/attitudes/perspectives and can, in fact, be counterproductive to collaboration.

As I was reading into/out of my probe data, I was also juggling my thoughts about the last exercise in which I explored what my tool might be. Lee kept really pushing this whole exercise in which I explore the various permutations of possibilities before I make a decision. This was supposed to serve the function of helping visually organize my thoughts and also communicating my decision making process (tee hee, pun) to my committee.

While I understood what he was saying, in theory, every attempt to put it into practice felt like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. I couldn't for the life of me, figure out why I was having such a hard time doing what he suggested.

As I was analyzing my probes today, I realized that all of the processes/exercised I'm going through right now are PRELIMINARY RESEARCH. I've been calling it that, but not knowing what I mean by that.

*All of this has been for the purpose of refining my problem space to make it actionable!

In the Simplex process, a clearly defined problem will point you immediately to the first steps of solution ideating. I started talking to Adrienne about what I'm finding in the data and everything I said to her reinforced this (remember how I talk to think? yeah, apply here). I needed to converge on so many little factors about what the tool is addressing. The cultural probes essentially served as reinforcement (validation?) for the decisions I had already made.

So.

The relationship is designers with each other on design teams.

The problem/conflict/decision type is variable and relatively arbitrary, although defining it must be considered as an early step in the process.

The mediation style of the tool is equal parts facilitative and transformational, not evaluative.

The board of post-its I worked on is a big ol' bundle of things that combined decisions I needed to make in order to move into prototyping and things I needed to explore at various iterations within prototyping. If the cultural probes did nothing else, they've helped me to uncouple this bundle, articulate the decisions I needed to make immediately that were holding me back, and validate the decisions I made.

I had some really great breakthroughs yesterday. They're all just the beginning jumbles of ideas, frameworks, and iterations of prototyping, so for now I'll leave this post off here so I can turn my attention to it.

What I need to do:

• Articulate prototyping iterations
• Articulate variables for iteration 2
• Create clear gantt for prototyping phase
• Do some visual sensemaking of what I understand for prototyping iterations
• Develop materials for my next committee meeting
• Develop materials for 1st prototyping iteration
• Conduct 1st prototyping iteration
• Fuse adamantium to my spine