“What do you do?” has become the standard opening line for getting to know someone. But if you were asked, “Why do you do what you do?” how would you answer? We are too narrowly focused on developing solutions for problems that we don’t understand, don’t care about, or worst of all, don’t actually exist. Life is too short to waste our time expertly creating something that matters to no one. Learn to find your “why.” Discover interviewing techniques to build greater empathy with your users, synthesizing techniques to uncover their underlying inefficiencies and frustrations, and tips to continually draw inspiration and long-term product vision from their lives.

1. What’s Your
Problem?
Putting Purpose
Back into Your
Projects
❦
@whitneyhess
http://whitneyhess.com
whitney@whitneyhess.com
Whitney Hess

3. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/genesis/multimedia/gen_team_15278.html

4. http://www.thoughtfarmer.com/clients/intranet-case-studies/continuum/

5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonlooks/5563391691/

6. http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

7. http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

8. http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/07/18/time-to-swif-swif-with-the-swiffer-wet-jet/

9. Design is the
problem
(not just the solution)

10. Principles of Problem Solving
Process Define the problem
before trying to solve it
People Ask questions
to root out the truth
Purpose Be obsessed with the
problem, not the solution

11. Process
Define the problem
before trying to
solve it

12. “If I had one hour to save
the world, I would spend
55 minutes defining the
problem and 5 minutes
finding the solution.”
Albert Einstein

14. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/25945866/Carbon-Footprint-Calculation-Detail

15. Problem Setting > Solving

16. What is a Problem?
Gap between Problem owner
current and wants to do
&
desired something
state about it

17. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ljmcallister/1012818172/

18. http://www.flickr.com/photos/boiselighting/3604789822/

19. http://mommyblogstoronto.typepad.com/bloghers_act_canada/2007/09/unwrapped.html

20. Who is your
target audience?

21. People
Ask questions
to root out the truth

22. ﬔe problem is out there,
not at your desk.

23. User Research
✦ Interviews
✦ Observations
✦ Surveys
✦ Card sorts
✦ Diary studies
✦ Etc.

24. Market User
vs.
Research Research
What people like What people do

25. User Research
✦ Interviews
✦ Observations
✦ Surveys
✦ Card sorts
✦ Diary studies
✦ Etc.

26. To determine the user’s real problem:
1. Find representative users
2. Ask questions
3. Listen closely
4. Write it all down
5. Paraphrase to confirm
understanding

27. User Interviews
Lifestyle Questions
Tell me a bit about yourself. Where
do you live? Where are you from?
What do you do?
What kind of home do you live in?
What do you use for transportation?
Special diet?

28. User Interviews
Context Questions
How did you become eco-conscious?
How long has it been?
How do you conserve? Since when?
What are the obstacles in your life that
prevent you from conserving more?
What is the value of being eco-conscious?

29. User Interviews
Influence Questions
Where do you get your information on
environmental issues/conserving?
What eco-conscious or environmental
sites/blogs/publications do you read?
What environmental organizations do
you belong to? Why those? How did
you hear about them?

30. User Interviews
Social Questions
With whom do you share environmental
info that you find? How?
Tell me about a recent conversation
you’ve had with a friend or family member
about the environment or “going green”
What do you think is preventing your
friends or family from doing more?

31. User Interviews
Familiarity Questions
What do you know about carbon
offsets? Have you purchased them?
Have you calculated your carbon
footprint? Where? How?

32. User Interviews
Web Use Questions
What other websites do you frequent?
What social networking sites do you use?
Why these?
How oen? How many friends/followers?
What do you do most oen on each site?
What was the last thing you did on <site>?

33. User Interviews
Tech Use Questions
What kind of computer do you own?
When did you buy it? Who else uses it?
How do you connect to the Internet?
What kind of mobile phone do you
have? When did you buy it? What do
you use it for?
What other devices do you own?

35. Personas

36. Impractical advice
http://www.mymothermode.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/diapers.jpg

37. Guilt trips
http://cdn.babble.com/famecrawler/files/2011/05/playdate.jpg

38. One-handed browsing

39. ﬔe Real Problem
✦ Impractical advice
✦ Guilt trips
✦ One-handed browsing

40. But I can’t talk with users...
http://garryregier.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/chained-to-desk-computer-grey.jpg

41. Empathy Map
Created by Dave Gray of XPLANE – Gamestorming pg. 65

42. Empathy Map
http://www.cccc.org/blogs/john/2012/02/10/empathy-maps-a-way-to-understand-your-donors-and-beneficiaries/

43. 5 Whys Problem
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Created by Sakichi Toyoda – Gamestorming pg. 141-143

44. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?

45. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why? ﬔey aren’t logging in
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?

46. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why? ﬔey aren’t logging in
ﬔey can’t remember
Why? their credentials
Why?
Why?
Why?

47. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why? ﬔey aren’t logging in
ﬔey can’t remember
Why? their credentials
ﬔey aren’t using it
Why? enough
Why?
Why?

48. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why? ﬔey aren’t logging in
ﬔey can’t remember
Why? their credentials
ﬔey aren’t using it
Why? enough
It’s intimidating and
Why? unclear
Why?

49. Teacher
5 Whys Management
usage is low
Why? ﬔey aren’t logging in
ﬔey can’t remember
Why? their credentials
ﬔey aren’t using it
Why? enough
It’s intimidating and
Why? unclear
System terminology
Why? doesn’t match theirs

50. Fishbone Diagram
Cause Cause
Effect
Cause Cause
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

51. Fishbone Diagram
Cause Cause
Cause Cause
Cause
Effect
Cause
Cause Cause
Cause Cause
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

52. Fishbone Diagram
Low %
manual
adjustments
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

53. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
he
rs
ar
en
’t
lo
ggi
ng
in
Low %
manual
adjustments
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

54. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
he
rs
ar
en
’t
lo
ggi
ng
in
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
ki t
a n
’ t mtme
en jus
ar d
rs al a
henu
ac a
Te m
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

55. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
rs
ar
en
’t
Don’t have time lo
ggi
ng
in
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
ki t
a n
’ t mtme
en jus
ar d
rs al a
henu
ac a
Te m
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

56. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
rs
ar
en
’t
Don’t have time lo
ggi
ng
in
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
Don’t know they should be ki t
a n
’ t mtme
en jus
Don’t know how ar d
rs al a
henu
ac a
Te m
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

57. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
Ha
rs
ve ar
n’ en
tu
se ’t
d Don’t have time lo
it
fo Li
m Ta ggi
ra it
timed
ke
lo s ng
wh ng to in
e lab
ile o
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
Don’t know they should be ki t
a n
’ t mtme
en jus
Don’t know how ar d
rs al a
henu
ac a
Te m
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

58. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
Ha
rs
ve ar
n’ en
tu
se ’t
d Don’t have time lo
it
fo Li
m Ta ggi
ra it
timed
ke
lo s ng
wh ng to in
e lab
ile o
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
Don’t know they should be ki t
a n
t mtme
l g
ua ni
n
’
an ai
m tr en jus
r e ad e ive Don’t know how ar d
n’t re
c
rs al a
henu
id t
D n’ er to
ac a
d b
Di e m rd out
r
’t i
m ing
e n
o
ha e
o ur Te m
n tra T fig
Ca
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

59. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
Ha
rs
ve ar
n’ en
tu
se ’t
d Don’t have time lo
it
fo Li
m Ta ggi
ra it
timed
ke
lo s ng
wh ng to in
e lab
ile o
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
Don’t know they should be ki t
a n
t mtme
l g
ua ni
n
’
an ai
m tr en jus
r e ad e ive Don’t know how ar d
n’t re
c
rs al a
henu
id t
D n’ er to
ac a
d b
Di e m rd out
r
’t i
m ing
e n
o
ha e
o ur Te m
n tra T fig
Ca
Setting is buried
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

60. Fishbone Diagram
Te
ac
Can’t remember credentials he
Ha
rs
ve ar
n’ en
tu
se ’t
d Don’t have time lo
it
fo Li
m Ta ggi
ra it
timed
ke
lo s ng
wh ng to in
e lab
ile o
Low %
manual
ng
adjustments
Don’t know they should be ki t
a n
t mtme
l g
ua ni
n
’
an ai
m tr en jus
r e ad e ive Don’t know how ar d
n’t re
c
rs al a
henu
id t
D n’ er to
ac a
d b
Di e m rd out
r
’t i
m ing
e n
o
ha e
o ur Te m
n tra T fig
Ca
Setting is buried
http://pri-network.org/training/fishbone.html

61. Purpose
Be obsessed
with the problem,
not the solution

62. Question assumptions

63. Be more ambitious
http://www.slideshare.net/bokardo/metricsdriven-design-4317168

64. Cra a Problem Statement
✦ Concise
✦ Specific
✦ Measurable

65. Problem Statement Format
Who needs what
because why .

66. Casual environmentalists need
creative ways to conserve
without the guilt trip because
they have constraints on
adapting their lifestyle.

67. Teachers in non-sales
regions need an in-depth
onboarding process
because they aren’t
using critical settings.

68. 5Ws Technique
✦ Who?
✦ What?
✦ Where?
✦ When?
✦ Why?

69. So Skills:
✦ Listening
✦ Empathy
✦ Connection
✦ Facilitation
✦ Persuasion
✦ Patience

74. “How can I help you be
more successful?”

75. ﬔe persistence
of the problem
is purpose

76. Principles of Problem Solving
Process Define the problem
before trying to solve it
People Ask questions
to root out the truth
Purpose Be obsessed with the
problem, not the solution

77. Life is too short
to waste it solving
the wrong problems

78. ﬔank you.
Whitney Hess
@whitneyhess
http://whitneyhess.com
whitney@whitneyhess.com

79. Further Reading
Building Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems
http://www.cognexus.org/Rotman-interview_SharedUnderstanding.pdf
You Are Solving ﬔe Wrong Problem
http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/the-wrong-problem/
A New Make Mantra: A Statement of Design Intent
http://www.markboulton.co.uk/journal/comments/a-new-make-mantra-a-statement-of-design-intent
17 Types of Interviewing Questions
http://www.portigal.com/blog/seventeen-types-of-interviewing-questions/
My Best Advice to Conducting User Interviews
http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2010/07/07/my-best-advice-for-conducting-user-interviews/