mental models: how do we solve business problems from a customer-centric approach ?

How do we solve business problems from a customer-centric approach ?

?Mental models


Using Design Tools


You need to understand your customer,

more importantly understand the tasks that

they do, feel and think – that’s right its that

empathy thing again…


Ok, here's the deal…


Standard market segmentation techniques typically produce misleading results when trying solve a consumer problem that is unarticulated


Knowing more about customer preferences may help you

sell to customers initially, but it doesn't really help you

design innovative and intuitive business solutions for the

long term


However, a task-based segmentation can help you create a more effective consumer study because you are getting behind the intentions of peoples actions


I have 4 top Design Tools that I use over a 10 step Design Process to identify, analysis and design a customer centric solution…


These are simply...


These are simply...

1. Persona


These are simply...

1. Persona

2. Task/ Mental Model

3. Concept Design Scenario


These are simply...

1. Persona




These are simply...

1. Persona


…and my good friend



These are simply...

1. Persona


4. Prototype


Lets quickly review this process & the tools


?

Define Problem

1


Understan

d your segment

?

Define Problem

21


List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment

Taking the train• Buy ticket at

station• Read

timetable • Park car at

station • Walk to

station

3

?

Define Problem

21

List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3

#Group1 Buy ticket at station

#Group2 Walk to trainCheck weather

#Group3

Read

timetable

Time

Analysis & group tasks

?

Define Problem

21 4



List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

?

Define Problem

21 4 5


List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

Create task

Model

6

?

Define Problem

21 4 5


List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

Create task

Model

6 7

?

Define Problem

21 4 5

Run Task-base Personas modelling


List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

Create task

Model

6 7 8

?

Define Problem


21 4 5

Concept Design

Scenario


Prototype until DVF

9

List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

Create task

Model

6 8

?

Define Problem

21 4 5


7

Concept Design

Scenario

Prototype until DVF

9

List all segment

tasks

Understan

d your segment


station• Read


station • Walk to

station

3



#Group3

Read

timetable

Time


Create task-base

personas

Create task

Model

6 7

Concept Design

Scenario

8

Documentrequirement

s

10

?

Define Problem


21 4 5



Lets look at them in more detail...

?

1. Define business problem or opportunity –to understand root problem or opportunity?

2. Review Stakeholders - ensure agreement and capture feedback and understanding of problem/opportunity.

3. Define & agree scope – to ensure everyone understand what will be delivered and what will not

4. Conduct market and competitive analysis - gain insight to what the market and competitive are going, if any

1. Define Problem

Focusing problemHow can City Rail effectively manage ‘overcrowding’ on its rail system

1. Task-analysis: Here we identify all the tasks and sub tasks and that your target segment.

2. Group tasks and name group by Affinity diagram: Sort and track tasks

3. Patterns emerging and we start to identify “Task-Base audience” segment best suited to business problem.

4. We NOW go out to interview this segment

3. List all segment

tasks

1. Conduct a task brainstorm (or t-storm). Based on your target segment and business problem, what are the task's) people do-think or feel before, during and after the event.

2. Once a task-list is created, we start to analysis the task and discover patterns, themes and common groups.

4. Analysis & group

tasks

5. Create task-base personas

Possible audience segments

“ Concerned for safety and access“

people

“Travelling with load – kids, pram,

luggage, wheelchair, pets” people

“Need to be on time (Work)” people

“Try to avoid it” people etc

1. Conducting contextual enquire - Using Step 2 segment definition PLUS the new task-based segment discovered in Step 4

2. We go out into THEIR WORLD and interview these people to discover their specific beliefs, philosophies, daily routines and actions. How they THINK, FEEL and DO

3. These contextual enquires allows us to create insight, empathy and our Personas

1. Define & understand your target audience or segment - who are are we engaging and why? What characterises do this segment have? What is the opportunity? What are the key pain points? What location to they reside?

2. Focus on your

segment

• Buy ticket at station

• Read timetable

• Park car at station

• Walk to station

• Buy ticket at station

• Read timetable

• Times

• Walk to train station

How do we solve business problems from a customer-centric approach ?E

xam

ple

Pro

cess

ste

p

For NSW City Rail

their “target Segment”

are essentially:

“NSW Train passenger s”

Wh

at d

oe

s th

is m

ean

For NSW City RailWhat do people do before,during and after a train

journey? We brainstormedALL the tasks thatpeople perform.

7. Task Modelling

1. In Task modelling we apply our Persona through the Tasks Model to test whether we are missing anything.

2. Again under each “Tower” we ask yourself what ways can we as a business support each task that our Persona is doing or thinking or feeling along the pathway.

8. Concept Scenario Design

How do we solve business problems from a customer-centric approach ?E

xam

ple

Wh

at d

oe

s th

is m

ean

Pro

cess

ste

p

9. Prototype until DVF

10. Documentrequirements

6. Create task Model

1. We review the business priority and scope and narrow down our Personas

2. In creating the Mental Model/Task model we arrange the tasks in Step 4, and map each task out across the page.

3. Under each “Tower” or “Mental Space” we determine what ways we can support this users task.

Priority segments

“ Concerned Traveller”

“Travel challenged”

“Need to Be On time’ Worker”

1. This is where magic happens

2. Prototype allows us to explore and test our ideas within a specific step of the Concept Scenario.

3. The aim is to discover innovative ways to meet our Persona activity and determine whether they are DVF:

• Desirable - will the Persona use it?

• Viable - does it make commercial sense?

• Feasible - do we have the technology/process, people? to run with this idea?

1. We select business priority ‘Tower’ and explore in more detail possible solutions by creating a design ‘Concept Scenario‘.

2. A Concept Scenario is simply a storytelling tool allows us to visually see how our Persona will likely perform each activity in a new ‘improved’ world.

3. This document is the start of our business requirements

4. It is also used as stakeholder communication tool

Prototype 5.2

1. After the prototype is done and we have learnt, we start to clearly understand and document the solution..

2. A business requirement document is a communication tool that allows us tell stakeholders what is required, the scope, when it would be done, why and how.

3. It is also used to estimate cost or used as a blueprint for functional requirements.

City Rail Task Modelling

Taking 1 persona, “Nee to Be On

time’ Worker” we run through

ask Model to determine Task

missing and identify ways to

support Alan with his goal

City Rail Concept Scenario Design

Focusing on Alan’s one specific

Mental Space, we discover a

possible solution: pre-purchase

ticket and scenario play how this would be done

Here we prototype and mock up

screen of how the pre-purchase

ticketing solution would work. We

test this and refine.

WE determine Whether its:

Desirable, Viable or Feasible to run with the idea

This traditional method of documentation

requirements post prototype results. The

solution is further refined and cost and

implementation implications (e.g. system,

process, behaviour mapped) as well as

stakeholder review and sign off


What more?

Here is a Mental Model I did of NSW City Rail to get behind the business problem of ‘overcrowding’. Mapping the model allows me to understand the context of which the business problem exist and indentify gaps, set priorities and discover amazing innovation concepts to prototype

Detail list of persona ‘Tasks’(i.e. do, think,

feel)

Detail list of persona ‘Tasks’(i.e. do, think,

feel)

Possible business ways to support it

Possible business ways to support it

Page 2 of 11

Mental spaceMental space

Persona phase/step

Persona phase/step

Persona& Business

Legend

Persona& Business

Legend

Affinity Brainstorm Contextual enquires

Looking at a specific mental space and listing possible ways we can support this task, starts to uncover potential solutions not visible before. By only focusing on a couple of mental spaces reveals some interesting insight and innovative solutions that where not easily visible before. These can be prototyped ASAP to determine desirability, viability and feasility.

To help with ‘Prepare for departure’

for example,Providing ‘on-time’

announcements can help remove

passenger concern

over wether the train is running

late

To help with ‘Prepare for departure’

for example,Providing ‘on-time’

announcements can help remove

passenger concern

over wether the train is running

late

Dive into a Mental Space of a Task Model

Idea # 1: What if we introduced an ‘e-ticket’ system allowing passengers to pre-purchase their ticket online and visit their station to print it? How would this look like?

Recap on personaRecap on personaKey goal of taskKey goal of task

Design principles Design principles

High level taskHigh level task

Mock up screen or process

Mock up screen or processDescription of how

the persona would perform the task

Description of how the persona would perform the task

How the business will support it and changes required

How the business will support it and changes required

How do you create this?Taking the single or group of mental space(s), we narrow in and explore the way further and detail next level of task and determine possible idea to support this persona task.

Key inputs:Task Model, Persona.

How do you create this?Taking the single or group of mental space(s), we narrow in and explore the way further and detail next level of task and determine possible idea to support this persona task.

Key inputs:Task Model, Persona.

Task Model

Concept Scenario

Explore single Mental space

further

Prototype allows us to explore possible ideas by looking at a specific step within a Concept Scenario. The idea is to discover innovative ideas and determine whether they are DVF: Desirable (will the Persona use it?), Viable (does it make commercial sense?) and Feasible (do we have the technology/process, people?) to run with this idea?

Explore a single action step in more detail

Explore a single action step in more detail

Prototype solution evaluated against DVF

Prototype solution evaluated against DVF

How do you create this?Prototyping is a great way to communicate the intent of a design both clearly and effectively. Prototypes help you to flesh out design ideas, test assumptions, and gather real-time feedback from users.

Key inputs:Concept Scenario, Task Model, Persona

How do you create this?Prototyping is a great way to communicate the intent of a design both clearly and effectively. Prototypes help you to flesh out design ideas, test assumptions, and gather real-time feedback from users.

Key inputs:Concept Scenario, Task Model, Persona

Desirable

VisibleFeasible

Prototype possible solutions

Explore rapid prototype designs

Explore rapid prototype designs

Looking at a

specific

Step of the

Concept

Design

Idea # 2: What if we introduced a system that displays capacity allowing passengers to determine next best service before or during train arrival similar to major shopping centre car parking assistance

Display allows passengers to spread across the platform

to freer carriages

Display allows passengers to spread across the platform

to freer carriages

Display same information BEFORE

enter into station

Display same information BEFORE

enter into station

Provide information for next train services and capacity via web and mobile BEFORE enter into station

Provide information for next train services and capacity via web and mobile BEFORE enter into station

Shopping centre carpark assist

Once we have finished our prototype and learnt, we can be confident about the documentation of the enablers. Here we go into more detail as to what are the system, process, marketing and behavioural changes that are needed by the business to implement this solution? The documentation is also used to confirm the scope, get stakeholder agreement and used for cost estimation and implementation

How do you create this?Business requirement is typical preformed by a business analysis .

Key inputs:Concept Scenario, Output/learning of prototype

How do you create this?Business requirement is typical preformed by a business analysis .

Key inputs:Concept Scenario, Output/learning of prototype

Thank you.

What more information or copies of templates?

Feel free to contact mewww.Frankichamaki.com

http://www.frankichamaki.com/

mental models: how do we solve business problems from a customer-centric approach ?

Design

station3group1

train buy

make commercial

solve business

task mental

stationgroup2

base personas

concept design