Hosting a design thinking crash course this morning, I witnessed a nice moment. A participant was showing his partner a prototype and getting her feedback. Listening to her, he quickly realized that he had forgotten a really key element of her needs, and he said it out loud.
To me it was a great instance of making a relationship with (in this case) a user: acknowledging that something important for her had simply been left out. She agreed that the prototype would only be really interesting for her if the important element were added.
Why was it it left out in the first place? According to the prototyper, it was because he got caught up in making the the prototype, and part of the essence got lost. But this element was quickly restored to the conversation when she gave her feedback.
Unfortunately, this kind of forgetting happens all the time in relationships, and not just where product development is concerned. But as sometimes happens in relationships, the initial omission provides a potential aperture for even deeper understanding, and for realizing that the essence can't get lost in our excitement to create something really cool.
To me it was a great instance of making a relationship with (in this case) a user: acknowledging that something important for her had simply been left out. She agreed that the prototype would only be really interesting for her if the important element were added.
Why was it it left out in the first place? According to the prototyper, it was because he got caught up in making the the prototype, and part of the essence got lost. But this element was quickly restored to the conversation when she gave her feedback.
Unfortunately, this kind of forgetting happens all the time in relationships, and not just where product development is concerned. But as sometimes happens in relationships, the initial omission provides a potential aperture for even deeper understanding, and for realizing that the essence can't get lost in our excitement to create something really cool.
No comments:
Post a Comment