For this assignments post we were asked to talk about an information design process. One of the readings we looked at was Signage and Wayfinding Design: A Complete Guide to Creating Environmental Graphic Design Systems. Authors Calori and Venden-Eynden describe design activity as a problem-solving process and breakdown the design process into a series of steps:
- Assess the client's problem
- Apply creative skills
- Synthesize a solution
- Communicate the solution to the producer
- Oversee production of the solution
- Evaluate effectiveness of the finished product
They go on to to say that while design process is evolutionary and steps may overlap or need to be repeated the goal is to move from the beginning to the end more or less in order (Calori and Vanden-Eynden, pg. 21).
While each step has its own significance, this post is going to focus on the first step - Assess the client's problem, or as we will say Ask (I really wish I could get that light in the picture to come on when you read that:).
Asking the right questions before initiating any other part of the process is easily the most important thing we can do in a project. It's foundational, and not just in the information design sphere. In project management the first step in selecting projects is to identify the firms objectives (Meredith, Shafer, Mantel, pg. 56). If you were to go through Googles Data Analytics Professional Certificate you would spend an entire module of the program learning to ask the correct questions. One of the first things you attempt to find in lean management is the "Voice of the Customer."
If you want a quick example try using ChatGPT (Gasp!! Did I just talk about it in a school project!?). It is a conversational AI and you find out quickly that the better your questions are the better your outcomes are.
So, what makes a good question? A good question is one that improves clarity and defines the goal of the project. Google uses the acronym SMART as a basis for determining the strength of a question. A good question should be:
- Specific - Does the question reveal a significant amount of information in the context of the project?
- Measurable - Can you track the answers you get?
- Action Oriented - Does the question help create a plan?
- Relevant - Does the question relate to the project?
- Time Bound - Can the answer be achieved on our time frame?
The Smart criteria is also used in the Six Sigma process, though the A stands for achievable. We wouldn't want our engineers thinking about the impossible now would we?
We've looked at the why and the how of asking good questions, but what can we do to ask better questions? Dan Roam highlights ways to approach problems when we have a question already in The Back of the Napkin, but how do we get there?
Many of the tools we have looked at can be used as aids to guide us to good questions. Some of my class mates have written great posts about some of the processes that can help:
They talk about wireframes and site mapping, both great tools to visualize our projects. They are also great tools to look at the problems. The Back of the Napkin prizes the use of sketching to outline as problem. We can use the same idea to find our questions. By putting our project, problem, goal, or opportunities into a visual media we can help ourselves to see the places where we can formulate our questions.
 |
DanielPenfield, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
In manufacturing, we often use a value stream map. We gather information on the process we are interested in focusing on and lay it out on a board. It's then easier to see where in our process is best to focus our time on. The visual representation of our project helps formulate our questions.
At the end of the day, which tool to use is about what helps you to grasp the project better. That is what helps you ask the best questions. In a way, that illustrates the second step of the design process from Calori and Vanden-Eynden, apply creative skills. When you can wrap your head around the problem and understand it you can formulate the steps needed to achieve a solution and communicate those steps easier, and that makes the rest of the project go much smoother.
Calori, C., Vanden-Eynden, D., Geismar, T. H., &
Chermayeff, I. (2015). Signage and wayfinding design: A complete guide to
creating Environmental Graphic Design Systems. Wiley.
Meredith, J. R., & Shafer, S. M. (2022). Project
management a strategic managerial approach. Wiley.
Online courses & credentials from top educators. join for free. Coursera. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.coursera.org/learn/ask-questions-make-decisions/supplement/nULlj/more-about-smart-questions
Roam, D. (2010). The back of the Napkin (expanded edition): Solving problems and selling ideas with pictures. Portfolio.
Comments
Post a Comment