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2.4. THE WHITEBOARD

On the third wall we hung a whiteboard. The whiteboard, in my mind, is a tangible symbol of the creative aspects of design. In this section, then, I will discuss some of the techniques I have used to generate design ideas.

Unlike the definition and categorization of user objects discussed in the previous section, the creative processes the whiteboard represents are not so firmly rooted in the physical location and timing of the war room itself. The ideas that go up on the whiteboard may have come from other sources than the task analysis alone. They may also have originated a long while ago, coming to life from a shelved product, a previous release cycle, or a walk through the park some sunny afternoon.

There are a number of methods we used within the war room to maintain creativity. The tools we used — yellow stickies, markers, big pieces of paper — are all conducive to a playful and creative way of thinking. The room itself, with ideas on the walls and plenty of space, helped further in maintaining a creative mindset. We also tried using common objects (e.g., pipes, conveyor belts, baskets) as temporary metaphors for users’ conceptual models. Most importantly, we tried to get ideas from as many people and places as possible (e.g., team members, users, other software, the user’s physical work environment).

We generally prototyped ideas first that had been given high priority on the User Request Wall. This, however, held more closely for detailed design. In the earlier stages, we followed an unwritten rule of pursuing any idea, right then and there, when it came to mind.

2.4.1 Too Few Cooks’ll Spoil the Broth

I am of the opinion that the more people whose ideas we can get flowing, the better. If only one or two people are generating ideas, the ideas can all too quickly dry up. Even if the ideas keep coming, they are likely to become stagnant, and begin to follow a particular pattern. It is important to get fresh perspective on prototyping ideas — whether this is in the form of criticism, an entirely new direction, or an unexpected new suggestion. Respecting and valuing the ideas cultivated from users and from other team members also helps in gaining support for the final product and in increasing feelings of team cohesion.

One day in the UI war room a fellow team member was looking over the prototypes we had developed and began to ask me some questions about them. The conversation gradually turned to the current implementation of a piece of our tool. He was not fond of the way it worked and had some ideas about how it might function more effectively. He was, however, having some trouble getting the ideas across to me in words. As this was the case, I quickly persuaded him to draw them. He ended up — after some poking and prodding — illustrating what he meant on a piece of paper, which was then placed on the wall for general discussion... and to trigger our memories when the time came to further develop that feature. This “poking and prodding” I have playfully labeled the Spanish Inquisition Method and it becomes another tool for gathering ideas from people-sources.

2.4.2. User Involvement in Design

Some interface components that are developed in the war room may have come directly from suggestions or drawings made by users. These may include graphical, navigation, and layout ideas. It should come as no surprise that some of the most lucid design solutions are offered by users.

One strategy we used to elicit design ideas from users, during the task analysis interviews, was to ask them for drawings that they had made in the course of their work (or we copied down what was currently drawn on their own whiteboards). In many ways, these drawings give a good picture of how users visualize and understand information.

We also involved users throughout the task analysis process itself (of course), and in usability evaluations of prototypes at various stages. We did not, however, explore any truly participatory design work with users.

2.4.3. Existing Interfaces as a Source of Ideas

Existing interfaces are a valuable source of information and ideas that should not be overlooked. Interface solutions may come from other tools within your product, from tools outside (related or unrelated), from old ideas “on the shelf”, and from past designs (“don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”).

Studying other applications that users currently employ in their day-to-day work is also important in ensuring that your own tool will fit within their work environment.


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