How to understand the problem?

How to understand the problem?

1. Wicked Problem: Tangled Webs of Casualty

   • Solved Via
     • Finding Opportunities
     • Adjusting
     • Nudge & Tweak

2. According to Herb Simon

   • Problem
     • Not all problems are undesirable to everyone
       • Problems are specific to group of people who wished their situation was different
         • What to inherit from above?
           • Be specific while addressing anyone's problem and naming a situation as problem
     • Undesirable Situation for a person

3. Essence of Understanding a Problem

   • Communicate
     • Involve in Conversation
     • Involve in watching them Work
     • Involve talking to a Group/Community
     • Eg of Failed Communication
       • Tommy not being able to find Headphone Jack at ATM
         • Problem Above
           • Big Label for Audio Jack which wasn't useful for blind people.
             • Finding1: Wrong Understanding of accessibility of ATM for blind people
             • Finding2: They failed at the basic task of understanding Design problems.

4. Problems are not simple.

   • Everyone's problems are personal & have different consequences or causes
     • No such thing as: Average User
       • Every Solution will
         • Pass someone's need
           • Sometimes it meets needs in different degrees
             • Solutions requires customization
               • Diversity of Needs
                 • Best/Optimum Solution
                   • Come up with Spectrum of needs
                     • Decide: for whom to optimize solution for
         • Fail to meet someone's need

5. How to communicate to people for making them understand your problem

   • surveys
   • Observations
   • Secondary Resesrch
   • Interviews
     • You ask Questions, you get open-ended answers
       • Avoid all these in your Questions:
         • Leading Questions
         • Loaded Questions
         • Double Negatives
     • To prep for an interview
       • Focus: Choose a theme based on which interviewer shall ask you questions
       • Brainstorm
       • Review the Questions for issues brainstormed
       • Connect to people
         • Take insights about problem you want to understand
           • Schedule mock interviews with Peers
             • Scrutinize the interviews
               • Refine Qs, time and Order until it matches your goal
             • Schedule as many mock interviews you can
               • Record and Learn from your mistakes
     • Downside of Interviews:
       • Sometimes it becomes out of context
       • People have to memorize things
       • Does not solve soul purpose of understanding problem
         • Understanding could be biased
         • Flaws based on fabricated memories, lies & misinterpretations
       • Participant Response Bias
         • Particpants change response to please interviewers
   • Contextual Inquiry
     • Opposite of Interview
     • Based on Observations
     • Tries to make sense out of nature and dynamics of their work or life
     • Part of larger design approach called "Contextual Design"
     • Prepare
       • Define Focus/Theme
       • Decide on what to pay attention to
       • Perform an inquiry in real context
       • Master-apprentice relationship
       • Think and generate questions without rushing
       • Focus on questions in regards to work
       • Record sessions to use it later for better interpretation
     • Cons
       • Time Consuming and not much of the work in design project can be done

6. Conclusion

   • No right method to understand a problem
     • Every design has its own constraints
       • Every dsign requires a careful account of context
         • Effective designers know their options and chose wisely based upon the situation