DataPalooza 2022

Ideation and Discovery Techniques Sometimes you would like to generate additional ideas or work through a ‘wicked problem.’ Methods such as brainstorming are well known, but here are some alternatives that may help you break a logjam: Six Thinking Hats This technique was developed by Edward de Bono and was described in his book by the same name. The method is a useful way for a group to intentionally approach a problem from different perspectives, rather than simply approaching it by personality style or habit. “5 Whys” method A method to help a group our team drill down into root causes of a problem, rather than accepting the first impression. Write down or post a problem, and then ask “why” it occurred or is this way. Start with the most direct reason. Then ask “why” about the first answer. Continue this five times. SCAMPER Used in product development. It has a series of prompts that start with the letters in the SCAMPER acronym. Like the Six Thinking Hats method, it is a directed exercise that helps the group consider multiple perspectives to a problem. More information: https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/design-thinking exercises/#scamper Crazy 8s If you are creating something visual such as a report or dashboard, you may get attached to the first solution or approach that you use without considering other approaches. Crazy 8s is a simple method to generate multiple different designs in a short period of time. First you fold a piece of blank paper in half 3 times, and then unfold it. This divides the paper into 8 separate sections. Set a timer and spend 8 minutes drawing a sketch in each section of the paper with a different design or layout for your product. Include some crazy alternatives that may be completely unrealistic or very different than your normal approach. Then review all 8 choices and identify any elements that are worthwhile to include in your design. More information: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm https://innovationcloud.com/blog/six-thinking-hats-as-idea-generation-method.html

More info: https://designsprintkit.withgoogle.com/methodology/phase3-sketch/crazy-8s

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