Brynn Marie Evans

Last week I spoke at BayCHI on the topic of “design thinking” — specifically how design thinking can be used for innovation in businesses. I co-presented the talk with my good friend and fellow interaction designer, Krista Sanders. Our talk was followed by an awesome presentation on “structured ideation” by Gayle Curtis.

Our Abstract: In this session we will talk about design thinking and how it relates to software product development in general, and to HCI design in particular. We will also explore the values and methods of strategic ideation and see how they can be applied in various real life/real work situations.

Working in a product development environment we often find ourselves grappling with tricky, squirrelly problems. Requirements are often vaguely defined and frequently change as new information emerges about the market, our competitors, etc. How do we design for the right solution when objectives are unclear and requirements are shifting? Moreover, how do we get all the stakeholders to agree on the same outcomes?

A traditional business approach might dictate the use of logic and a clearly defined process such as a SWOT analysis to build parity, while a design thinking approach might consider the end user’s goals and seek out an innovative solution that aptly fulfills their needs. This presentation will show that the two solutions become more effective when combined, and offer an optimal solution that adheres to both user and business requirements.