I’ve been highlighting aspects of Design Thinking in several episodes and I continue with this episode that considers how idea generation can be improved using design heuristics. I discussed the topic with Seda Yilmaz, a professor in the Department of Industrial Design at Iowa State University. She earned her PhD in Design Science from the University of Michigan. Seda and three colleagues from the fields of psychology, industrial design, and engineering wrote a chapter in the Design Thinking: New Product Development Essentials book titled Boosting Creativity in Idea Generation using Design Heuristics . The discussion is about how 77 design heuristics can improve the ideation activity of Design Thinking and product development.
Practices and Ideas for Product Managers, Developers, and Innovators
Summary of questions discussed:
* What is a design heuristic? First, the concept of a heuristic comes from the cognitive science domain. It is a simple rule of thumb for making a judgment. They tend to be used by experts who have developed knowledge of rules of thumb and an understanding of when they can and cannot be applied based on experience. A design heuristic is a prompt that encourages exploration of a variety of ideas during product ideation (idea generation). Seda and her fellow researchers use a set of 77 design heuristics that help guide product designers and engineers in considering non-obvious solutions to customers’ problems.
* How did you identify the 77 design heuristics? Three data sources were used. The first one was from an analysis of award winning products. The second was from a behavioral study of design experts and students. The third was a case study performed by an expert designer with over 40 years of experience. Each data source led to identifying design heuristics. Together the three data sources produced 130 design heuristics. After analyzing each and identifying ones that should be combined, 77 heuristics emerged.
* What are some examples of design heuristics? Each of the heuristics have names and are described on cards (similar to playing cards). The prompts are intentionally simple to make them easy to learn and easy to implement. One is Designing for Specific Users. It prompts designing product functions for a specific target user. Another example is Reconfigure, which looks at changing the way product components are configured. The figures below are two additional examples, Reorient and Add to Existing Product, from the design heuristic Cards available at Design Heuristics.
* What are examples of applying design heuristics to generate ideas for new products? Rubbermaid made use of the Flatten heuristic when creating rubber storage containers that collapse like an accordion to save space when not being used and easily expand when needed. Cover or Wrap is a heuristic for improving a product, which was used by company that created a cloth covering for a teapot to keep the tea hotter longer. Nest is a heuristic often seen in containers that fit one inside another as well as in wooden Russian nesting dolls.
* When it comes to the traditional activities employed in Design Thinking of empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, where are the design heuristics most helpful? The ideation activity is a perfect spot to use the design heuristics. They help designers consider many options to improve ideation outcomes.
Useful links:
* Design Heuristics website with the “cards” containing 77 design heuristics.
* Seda’s LinkedIn profile and
Chad McAllister, PhD - Helping Product Managers become Product Masters
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35:21
TEI 049: The right and wrong way to use a business case – with Steven Haines
https://productinnovationeducators.com/blog/tei-049-the-right-and-wrong-way-to-use-a-business-case-with-steven-haines/
Mon, 07 Dec 2015 12:55:00 +0000
https://www.productinnovationeducators.com/blog/?p=4160
Several years ago I was part of a group of product management professionals and we all felt that our profession lacked a good how-to guide that product managers could use. We considered writing one ourselves but life was a little too busy for us at the time. A few years later The Product Manager’s Desk […]
Several years ago I was part of a group of product management professionals and we all felt that our profession lacked a good how-to guide that product managers could use. We considered writing one ourselves but life was a little too busy for us at the...
I asked him to join me to discuss an important topic that hasn’t been discussed yet on this show, which is the business case tool. We talk about the right and wrong ways to use a business case and how this tool can improve your success and save you headaches as a product manager.
Practices and Ideas for Product Managers, Developers, and Innovators
Summary of questions discussed:
* Where did you develop your product management experience? Steve is an accidental product manager, coming from the world of financial analysis. He had the opportunity at AT&T to gain international business experience by taking on a product management role. Steve found product management to be a perfect fit for him because he looks at products as businesses and he wanted to deepen his business experience. He became part of a product management task force at AT&T. AT&T created the task force after recognizing other large multinationals’ success came from product management leadership. Product management is a core business function that integrates the other functions of the organization. To illustrate this, picture a picket fence with the vertical boards representing the traditional functions of companies (e.g., Development, Production, Marketing, Sales, etc.) and the horizontal boards representing the cross-functional role of product management.
* What is a Business Case? It is one of the most helpful instruments a company can have at its disposal. Essentially, it is a justification for making an investment that allows decision-makers to say yes to good investments and no to poor investments. The complexity of a business case varies by its use. A new-to-the-company product would require a more extensive business case than would an extension to an existing product. A fledgling business case is needed when considering a new product concept. This can be a one-page opportunity statement. Questions it addresses include: what’s going on in the market, why is the investment important, and what strategic advantage does it provide the company? Business case authors should consider if it was their own money, would they invest in this product concept? Exploring these questions in the form of a fledgling business case creates collaboration within the company. Fundamentally, the business case is a decision tool to decide to move forward and make additional investment in the concept or not.
* What are examples of not using a business case appropriately? When Steve is helping an organization with an audit of their product management practices and he asks to see the business case of a product, more than 90% of the time the business case is not available. They are missing an opportunity by not using the business case as a strategic instrument to help align the portfolio of products to the company strategy. Also, companies are spending insufficient efforts on market research to validate product concepts. Too often companies assume what customers want without actually validating it with them. The proper use of a business case includes a reflection of wh...
