Problems

Problems

1. Understanding a problem will help in solving it

   • Most of the problems are unsolvable
     • Problems are wicked with tangled webs
       • Wicked Problems can be solved by finding solutions to adjust them.
         • Solutions only change parts of these problems which result in major improvements.
           • Problems are undesirable circumstances to various sets of people. Gambling is an example.
             • Problem is defined by whose set of problems we chose to explicitly solve.
               • Main aspect of a problem is communicating with people who has that problem.
                 • Failure of ATM banks to not have instructions/symbol for using a audio jack for blind people is a perfect example for misinterpretation.
                   • Ways of Communication
                     • Survey
                     • Interview
                       • Definfing focus and brainstorming on the problem statement
                       • Never ask leading questions
                       • Avoid double negatives
                       • Don't ask loaded questions
                         • All of these are time consuming processes.
                           • There is no correct method for understanding problems as every design method as its own constraints and drawbacks.
                     • Observations
                     • Secondary Research
                     • Contextual Inquiry
                       • Define a focus
                       • Perform an enquiry in real context
                       • Create a partnership between you and informant
                       • Think of the questions as you observe
                       • Focus on questions with context in mind
                       • Record raw data like videos,audio,photos and notes.

2. Defining a problem will help in interpreting and making a sense of it.

   • Identify the patterns
   • Know the cause of the problems
   • Look out for consequences
   • Think on what can be changed
     • These will help in finding out ideas that would be effective in defining problems.
       • Derive goals and clues from your data
         • Different designs solve different goals.
           • Understanding the space of goals is very very important.
       • Define personas- to whom you are designing for.
         • It includes demographics like education, income, job description, goals,desires,likes,dislikes,stc.
           • Details used for persona should be accurate and should fit in someone's reality, else it's just a fantasy.
       • Define Scenarios
         • A good scenario should be more specific on the goals leaving out the interaction details.
           • We define scenarios before design to capture the context of the problem.
             • After all these forms, finally we must be able to explain the problem statement to other people.
               • Impossible to convince a real investor or boss if we can't explain the problem statement.
                 • With all the knowledge we must write a simple argument that convinces people to solve the problem.