Snippets
Introduction
This project was initiated due to feedback from users regarding the ‘rigid’ and ‘inflexible’ nature of Cutover runbooks.
This was resulting in logging work in other tools.
Empathising with the users was the first step in this project.
Research
Contextual inquiry enabled me to put myself in the users shoes.
I conducted open ended interviews, segmenting the users into groups enabled me to ensure I provided a solution that met the needs of all.
Based on the users I spoke to, I carefully crafted two personas to capture the average user.
Problem identification exercises enabled me to uncover pain points with unplanned work and lack of standardisation.
Undertaking ‘How Might We’ enabled me to walk through problems from a user perspective.
For the most popular HMW statements, I undertook brainstorming to produce some solutions.
Mind mapping help me to come up with as many ideas as I could.
Use case mapping enabled me to plan out existing journeys as well as plan for new ones.
Workflow analysis was undertaken to step through the different personas and understand how snippets would be used.
I looked at an example use case and 4 user personas.
Design
Low fidelity wireframes were constructed to develop the various ideas and pin point strengths and weaknesses in each.
Once pivotal decisions were taken regarding the features direction, I progressed to high fidelity.
Prototype
Reflection
Communication is Key
As this project was undertaken using an iterative approach, where each step informed the next and all customer and internal feedback was used to inform the designs, strong communication was fundamental. As designs were updated, it was key to ensure the team was kept abreast of the changes. Keeping notes for future reference, it would be important not only to communicate all changes verbally but also to share notes and documents to ensure troubleshooting and prioritisation were made easier.
Don’t Be Led By Assumptions
It was easy to get led astray by the clients and their feedback on the features presented, but it was more important to take a step back and confirm the ‘why’ behind their thoughts and feelings. Now, I make sure to speak up when I see this happening on other projects during feedback sessions, providing alternative interpretations and suggesting research activities that could be implemented to uncover the motivations behind the user requests. I have learned that ensuring designs addresses the heart of a problem is key, rather than simply addressing needs and wants; that’s the easy solution!