ASIS&T INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE SUMMIT 2017
RAPID CROSS-CHANNEL PROTOTYPING
Andreas @Resmini
Vancouver, March 23 2017
WELCOME!
we’ll work on a case and go step-by-step throughthe ins and outs of cross-channel experiences
here’s a little breakdown of our activities for today
STAGE #0 (40mins)
welcome, cross-channel and all that jazz
a quick introduction to the idea ofunbounded experiences and to our case
STAGE #1: PROBLEM SPACE (90mins)
identifying actors and actor groups,actor goals, activities, mapping individual paths
check, verify, discuss
STAGE #2: ECOSYSTEM DRAFT (90mins)
mapping the ecosystem: how-to, initial draft, iterationsLUNCH!
check, verify, discuss
STAGE #3: MORE DIVERGENCE (30mins)
round-robin draft ecosystem critique
groups get to ask questions, comment, and critiquewhat the other group have been doing
STAGE #4: ASSESSMENT (60mins)
the ecosystem map is refined, challenges and opportunities are evaluated, a strategic plan laid out to respond to the initial goals
and to the actors’ experience
a specific touchpoint / artifact is singled out for intervention
STAGE #5: INTERVENTION (90mins)
from ecosystem to artifact. Groups formulate the design or redesign of the touchpoint / artifact and evaluate how it will
affect the ecosystem and the actors’ choices
presentations, reflections, discussion, wrap-up
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
TAKE-AWAYS #1
understand the logic and nature of cross-channel ecosystems
acquire an actor-centered view of experiences
TAKE-AWAYS #2
learn to identify and map actors, paths, touchpoints, and the seams between them into ecosystems
TAKE-AWAYS #3
learn how to create and use channels for systemic insights
TAKE-AWAYS #4
transform system-level information architecture into context- and touchpoint-specific insights for better user experience
TRADITIONALLY, DESIGN IMPLIES MAKING “THINGS”
the design tradition of “making” has its roots in the craft
making has been associated with “things” for a long time
THE DESIGN OF SOFTWARE INTERFACES
an initial challenge to the idea of “making things” comes along with software interfaces between the ‘70s and the ‘80s
interaction design produces “objects” that are not tangible
A SHIFT TOWARDS THE INTANGIBLE
through the years, intangibles have become the norm
design thinking and service design are an example of this shift, fields of practice and research that approach organizational
processes and services via a design mindset
STILL MAKING “THINGS”
regardless of (in)tangibility, all of these practices are still “traditional design” in the sense that they focus on producing an
“object””: it might be a UI, a service, a process for managing patients in a hospital, a chair. Still, it’s a clearly bounded “thing”
CROSS-CHANNEL ECOSYSTEMS IMPLY A NEW FOCUS
the design process here gets centered on “an experience”
this shift brings in emergence, complexity, uncertainty,and the necessity to move to a bird’s-eye, strategic view
it also brings whomever is having “an experience” center stage
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE
Uber is a service. Sure. But:
in the context of cross-channel design, Uber is a part of a larger ecosystem that is centered on personal transportation
to me, Uber is a piece of “going somewhere for some purpose”
THAT’S THE EXPERIENCE
unless you are plain interested in just riding Uber cars, that is
(hobbies are hobbies. Who am I to judge, right?)
THAT MEANS UBER DOES NOT OWN IT ALL
the experience itself is not owned nor it is fully managed or controlled by any single company or organization
NEITHER PRODUCT- NOR SERVICE-BOUNDED
the experience does not stop where “Uber the service” stops
Uber’s role also changes from completely marginalto absolutely central depending on my own ongoing experience
NEITHER DIGITAL NOR PHYSICAL, BUT BLENDED
a cross-channel ecosystem creates a blended actionable space that straddles across digital and physical environments
THAT BLENDED SPACE
is the ecosystem inside which a specific experience takes place
OK, BUT WHAT DO YOU MEAN, “AN EXPERIENCE”?
think “paying my taxes”. Or “going to the movies”. Or again “having the hamster vaccinated”. These are experiences
the way they happen, actors will go through them moving freely between locations, devices, products, and services
SMS
BUSKIOSK
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE: GOING TO THE MOVIES
GREEN LINE AND CIRCLES: AN ACTOR’S PATH DESCRIBING AN EXPERIENCE
IMDB
MOVIE
WAIT AGAIN, “ACTORS”?
yes, actors. The people formerly known as the users.
a cross-channel ecosystem is an actor-driven construct, both in terms of its structure and its content
SO AN “ACTOR” GOES THROUGH “AN EXPERIENCE”
yes, and the systems of actors, tasks, touchpoints, seams, and channels in which this experience takes place is the
cross-channel ecosystem
the actual path that an actor walks is one of the many possible trajectories through that specific ecosystem
actors, agents within the ecosystem
youtube.com
all sorts of agents
actors pursue a future desired state
alphasys.com.au
tasks, any activity these agents perform
touchpoints, individual points
of interaction in a channel
seams, thresholds between touchpoints
and across channels
channels, pervasive ecosystem-level
information layers
and their relationships
ACTORS, TASKS, TOUCHPOINTS, SEAMS, AND CHANNELS?
these are the basic building blocks of any ecosystem
their precise nature is specific to an ecosystem and is defined pragmatically based on context and goals
OK. ACTORS FIRST
we know actors very well. If we consider human actors, they are the people formerly known as the users (TPFKATU)
the name change underlines their agency: they are the ones who effectively shape and create the ecosystem
software agents are or can be actors as well, of course
VERY WELL. TASKS THEN
tasks are all the activities actors perform in their pursuingany desired future state
buying a ticket to go see a movie, for example, or logging in to an online system to pay their taxes
tasks are usually coupled with progression through touchpoints
MH. TOUCHPOINTS?
touchpoints are individual points-of-interaction that become part of the ecosystem as actors connect them freely to move on
towards their desired future state
touchpoints are medium-specific (digital, physical, biological)
WAIT. IS MY PHONE A TOUCHPOINT THEN? OR THE APP?
both. Working with ecosystems implies adopting an architectural, systemic mindset and a zoom in/out approach
granularity cannot be discussed or set in abstract, but has to reflect the project’s needs and scope at that moment
SEAMS
seams are thresholds and connections
if you can move from touchpoint A to touchpoint X, those two are permeable and share a seam
seams allow the transmission and use ofcontent and information circulating in the ecosystem
SEAMS HAVE INTERESTING PROPERTIES
seams convey information, which is medium-aspecific,so they can connect touchpoints residing in different channels
and living in different mediums
seams can also of course connect touchpoints residing in totally different physical locations
OK, CHANNELS. NOW.
channels are a design construct. They do not really exist
the best way to imagine them is to think of pipescarrying information around the ecosystem
wherever you have a tap, you have a touchpointas much as taps live on pipes, touchpoints live on channels
PIPES? TAPS?
channels are pervasive layers that carry informationaround the ecosystem, like pipes carry water around
the way they are created is a design decision. They could reflect the formal sectioning of an EA model, be the result of the
designers’ own biases and interpretation, or anything in between
CHANNELS CONTAIN INFORMATION. AND?
that’s the catch. Channels are containers for specific “types” of information. These types can be compared to loose categories
for example, a going-to-the-movie ecosystem could have a “movie-related” channel. In there you would find IMDB, a kiosk
selling tickets, the website for the cinema, and staff
YES, BUT WHY ARE CHANNELS IMPORTANT?
because we are working with informationand our goal is to support better experiences
if staff at the movie theater doesn’t know about tickets or a kiosk malfunction (that is, they do not live on the same channel and have no seams between them), we can be pretty sure that
lack of connection will result in a bad experience
UH. AND THE ECOSYSTEM?
the ecosystem is the product of the ontology, the conceptual boundaries used to organize the experience itself
the ecosystem is a spatial structure in blended space, straddling non-continuous digital and physical environments
its boundaries are arbitrary and depend on goals and context
NON-LINEAR ECOSYSTEMS VS LINEAR EXPERIENCE
while the ecosystem itself is a non-linear network, actors trying to achieve a future desired state consider themselves moving along a personal, linear path of subsequent steps
even more importantly, their experience is a linear narrative
12
3 45 6
7
A PATH THROUGH THE ECOSYSTEM
GREEN LINE: ACTOR’S PATH THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM COMPRISING 3 DIFFERENT SYSTEMS
THE ECOSYSTEM’S BACKBONE IS INFORMATION
actors constantly create, remediate, and use information
this information is transferred along the actor’s path and through the ecosystem, increasing its complexity
designing a successful cross-channel experience means optimizing the information flows and increasing resilience
STAGE #1: PROBLEM SPACE (90mins)
identifying actors and actor groups,actor goals, activities, mapping individual paths
check, verify, discuss
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
OK, SO WHERE DO YOU START FROM?
pragmatically, from the formulation of an individual, organizational, or social need or pain
conceptually, from an actor’s experience
THE PRAGMATIC STARTING POINT
is an organizational pain.“We need to increase the rate of paid to free subscriptions”
“We need to improve our <x>”“We need to enter market <y>”
THE CONCEPTUAL STARTING POINT
is what the actors do, *their* experience.There is no ecosystem if there is no actor experiencing it
WAIT A SECOND, THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER
it is. While a certain project will be initiated because ofa social, organizational, or individual need or pain, that need or
pain is not what generates the ecosystem
that need or pain is a problem space within an ecosystemthat is usually, at project start, largely unknown
HERE YOU GO AGAIN. NEEDS AND PAINS?
yes. Needs or pains are usually the reason an investigation starts
examples of organizational pain are “not intercepting the actor’s path because they go to competitors”, “increase our paid-for vs
free customer ratio”, or “enter the online grocery market”
a social pain could be reduce traffic, or promote equality
NOT FOLLOWING. ONE MORE EXAMPLE? PLEASE?
sure. That’s what our case for today is for
suppose the chairs want to “make the summit great again”
this need or desire to improve the summit experience is the organizational pain that acts as the catalyst for design
WE HAVE AN INITIAL PROBLEM SPACE
what we need to know is who the actors are and what do they do and think
so let’s start stage #1 and have everyoneget on paper two different artifacts
INDIVIDUAL ARTIFACT #1
what is the summit for you?
(that is, what is your goal or goals?)
INDIVIDUAL ARTIFACT #2
describe your summit experience
(if this is your first time, describe what you’ve seen sofar or describe your experience at another conference)
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
STATE YOUR GOALSDESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY
D. Willis, Intent Paths (2011) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uxcrank/albums/72157626618631035
D. Willis, Intent Paths (2011) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uxcrank/albums/72157626618631035
D. Willis, Intent Paths (2011) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uxcrank/albums/72157626618631035
D. Willis, Intent Paths (2011) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uxcrank/albums/72157626618631035
D. Willis, Intent Paths (2011) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/uxcrank/albums/72157626618631035
PRIMARY
SECONDARYTERTIARY
PRIMARY
SECONDARYTERTIARY
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+
PERSONAL
LOCALREMOTE
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+
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+
GMaps
actor
phone
phoneinfo
actor
phone
AR
actor
phone
Accessing GMaps through phone Accessing local phone info Accessing AR through phone
Waiting for the bus at the bus stop: when does the bus arrive?
actor
bus stop
person
phoneFacebook
Waiting for the bus at the bus stop: when does the bus arrive?
actor
bus stop
person
phone
actor
bus app
phone
Waiting for the bus at the bus stop: when does the bus arrive?
actor
bus driver
person
actor
person
bus stop
phoneFacebook
actor
bus app
phone
GROUP ARTIFACT #1
we have hexagons, markers, stickers
let’s transform your goals and descriptions into paths
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
STATE YOUR GOALSDESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEYMAKE PATHS
STAGE #2: ECOSYSTEM DRAFT (90mins)
mapping the ecosystem: how-to, initial draft, iterationsLUNCH!
check, verify, discuss
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
WE HAVE OUR INDIVIDUAL PATHS
now we need to merge them somehow andcreate an initial view of our current ecosystem
WE USE A SIMPLE VISUAL VOCABULARY
we turn each and every touchpoint in a circle andevery existing seam in a line, and give the seam a direction
SMS
BUSKIOSK
IMDB
MOVIE
HOME
A NOTE ABOUT SEAMS
only attribute a direction you verified existsand is used in your descriptions
GROUP ARTIFACT #2
there’s more we can add to the mapbut let’s give this thing a go and learn while we do
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
ECOSYSTEM DRAFTCHANNELS DRAFT
GROUP ARTIFACT #3
let’s make the ecosystem map better
GROUP ARTIFACT #4
now the hard part: the channels
REMEMBER WHAT WE SAID
channels are a design construct. They do not really exist
the best way to imagine them is to think of pipescarrying information around the ecosystem
THEY ARE A DESIGN ARTIFACT
the way they are created is a design decision. They could reflect the formal sectioning of an EA model, be the result of the
designers’ own biases and interpretation, or anything in between
EXAMPLES
a going-to-the-movie ecosystem could have a “movie-related” channel containing IMDB, ticket kiosks, the website for the
cinema, and possibly staff
a conference experience could have an “official comm” channel
most times it’s possible to identify physical, biological, and digital primary channels. They are also not usually very useful
REMEMBER: CHANNELS ARE IMPORTANT
they allow us to visualize continuity or gaps in the information flows that actors totally miss or do not care about because they
do not possess an ecosystem-level view
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
ECOSYSTEM DRAFTCHANNELS DRAFT
ECOSYSTEM REFINEMENTCHANNELS REFINEMENT
STAGE #3: MORE DIVERGENCE (30mins)
round-robin draft ecosystem critique
groups get to ask questions, comment, and critiquewhat the other group have been doing
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
CRITIQUE
TAKE A LOOK, GIVE FEEDBACK
one group member remains to discuss, take notes, and explain
the other members move to another table to give feedback
we proceed until we complete a full rotation
USE THAT FEEDBACK TO REFINE YOUR MAP
iterate your map once more
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
CRITIQUEREFINEMENT
STAGE #4: ASSESSMENT (60mins)
the ecosystem map is refined, challenges and opportunities are evaluated, a strategic plan laid out to respond to the initial goals
and to the actors’ experience
a specific touchpoint / artifact is singled out for intervention
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
STAGE #5: INTERVENTION (90mins)
from ecosystem to artifact. Groups formulate the design or redesign of the touchpoint / artifact and evaluate how it will
affect the ecosystem and the actors’ choices
presentations, reflections, discussion, wrap-up
LUNCHSTASTAGE #1 GE #2 STAGE #3 STAGE #4
STAGE #5
STAGE #0
OVERVIEW
THANK YOU SO MUCH
please remember to fill in the evaluation forms and do get in touch if you have questions, doubts, or want to share your own
investigations. Ping me @resmini anytime
have a great summit!