Visualization for Innovation in Business and Life 

 Challenge and Selection     I ’ve successfully used visualization broadly , and projective techniques specifically , as an   exploration and insight generation tool ( and , as it turns out , a design tool ) in both business and   life .   There are two challenges that stand out in my mind , one professional and one personal ,   that I ’d like to share with you .     As a brand strategy consultant , I was working on a project for a large medical device   organization that wanted to update their brand identity – what they aim to stand for in   people ’s minds – which would be the foundation for not just their marketing messaging , but   also how people experience them .   The challenge I faced was finding a way to generate real   insights into customers ’ perceptions about them , their competitors , and the pain points they   faced along their customer journey .   I needed to identify new opportunities – a white space –   for this company to own as a brand that would set them apart , which required uncovering   peoples ’ deeper perceptions and feelings .     At the same time , from a personal perspective , I was feeling a bit stuck .   I felt like I was n’t   achieving my life goals across numerous areas , and I needed to find a way to pull out key   insights ( my own deeper thoughts and feelings ) that would help me better define what it was I   really wanted , so I could map out how to get there .   Because , as Yogi Berra has famously said …   if you do n't know where you are going , you might wind up someplace else .     I selected the use of visualization – and more specifically , visual projective techniques – to assist   me with both of these challenges , because it seemed like a really good way of helping people   express what they think , and how they feel .   If you just ask someone to tell you what they think   of something , they may struggle to come up with an answer .   Sometimes it takes a catalyst like   visual stimuli to uncover how a person feels or thinks .   Even if that person is you .      Application     For the brand strategy project , I had planned a series of focus groups with customers and   potential customers .   This research was intended to provide myself and my team with critical   inputs that would serve as a guide to finding brand opportunities for our client . We decided to   use a visualization technique during the research , taking a similar approach to the exercise that   MeYouHealth asked their interviewees to do – create a collage .     Instead of just asking them questions , we had placed stacks of magazines – of all types and   genres – on the table .   We then asked each person to take time to find images that represented   two things .   First , how they felt and what they experienced as part of their journey with their   disease state overall , and using the product specifically .   And second , what they thought of and   felt about my client ’s brand .   They were given time to find the images and create those two   collages , then were asked to explain why they chose what they did for each collage to the larger 

 group .   The insights and findings we got from those sessions were invaluable .   They provided a   lens into the target ’s pain points , needs and expectations – which would have been very   challenging to uncover by just asking questions alone .      I was inspired by the success of this technique , and decided to try using it to help me get out of   my personal rut .   I happen to be a voracious reader of magazines , and had a huge stack of them   at home .   So one Saturday , I devoted the entire day to doing something similar to the exercise   we used in the brand focus group .   I went through every single magazine and pulled out any   images that resonated with me and inspired me .   Essentially , I cut out only images that really   spoke to me in some way .   I did n’t think about each image too much , and did n’t judge or   evaluate it as I pulled each one out .   I just kept ripping out pages , and putting them in a pile .   At   the end of that exercise , I then looked at all of the images and grouped them into themes .   I   ended up having some very clear themes that emerged across areas like relationships , lifestyle ,   health , work , money , etc .   And I gathered them into chapters into my ‘ vision book ’ – my take on   a vision board , but in a format that worked better for me .   Seeing each area , chapter and   theme , it became very clear to me what the life I wanted looked like .     Insight and Approach     This design tool worked incredibly well for me , in both cases .   For the brand strategy project , it   opened up some really important insights that we were able to use to identify a key white   space for our client to own .   That is , we uncovered an area of great customer need and brand   expectation that our client was uniquely able to fill , and that was not currently being provided   or ‘ owned ’ by any of their competitors .   We used this as the foundation to build a brand   identity and positioning that helped them elevate their marketing and accelerate their business .     And for my personal project , the vision book exercise was also a resounding success .   Having a   visual map of my goals allowed me to be very clear about my intentions and the choices I was   making .   I wanted to be in a job role that allowed me to work remotely .   I also wanted to be in a   committed relationship , surrounded by family and fun .   And I wanted to have a healthy , active ,   social lifestyle .   Dogs kept creeping into the pictures in my vision book too .   And yes … within   just a few months , I met the man that would become my husband , and I subsequently became   a step - mom of four great kids ( now teenagers / young adults ) , a dog - mom of two awesome fur- brothers , a happy homeowner , and a successful remote marketing executive for many years   now .   There are still goals and areas that could use some work , but that probably just means   that it ’s time for another visualization exercise .     I ’ve used many exercises and approaches over the years to try and achieve similar goals ,   including direct interview questions and journaling .   I ’ve even used a pretty interesting word   association technique where you mention something ( a word or phrase , or even a brand name )   then ask people to immediately respond with the top three words that come to mind .   I ’m sure   there are other techniques and approaches that can be used as stimuli for people to respond   to .   But I would still use the visualization technique as my preferred approach to exploration 

 and understanding – because imagery can help to tap into emotions and thoughts that can be   difficult to express otherwise . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Visualization for Innovation in Business and Life 

 Challenge and Selection     I ’ve successfully used visualization broadly , and projective techniques specifically , as an   exploration and insight generation tool ( and , as it turns out , a design tool ) in both business and   life .   There are two challenges that stand out in my mind , one professional and one personal ,   that I ’d like to share with you .     As a brand strategy consultant , I was working on a project for a large medical device   organization that wanted to update their brand identity – what they aim to stand for in   people ’s minds – which would be the foundation for not just their marketing messaging , but   also how people experience them .   The challenge I faced was finding a way to generate real   insights into customers ’ perceptions about them , their competitors , and the pain points they   faced along their customer journey .   I needed to identify new opportunities – a white space –   for this company to own as a brand that would set them apart , which required uncovering   peoples ’ deeper perceptions and feelings .     At the same time , from a personal perspective , I was feeling a bit stuck .   I felt like I was n’t   achieving my life goals across numerous areas , and I needed to find a way to pull out key   insights ( my own deeper thoughts and feelings ) that would help me better define what it was I   really wanted , so I could map out how to get there .   Because , as Yogi Berra has famously said …   if you do n't know where you are going , you might wind up someplace else .     I selected the use of visualization – and more specifically , visual projective techniques – to assist   me with both of these challenges , because it seemed like a really good way of helping people   express what they think , and how they feel .   If you just ask someone to tell you what they think   of something , they may struggle to come up with an answer .   Sometimes it takes a catalyst like   visual stimuli to uncover how a person feels or thinks .   Even if that person is you .      Application     For the brand strategy project , I had planned a series of focus groups with customers and   potential customers .   This research was intended to provide myself and my team with critical   inputs that would serve as a guide to finding brand opportunities for our client . We decided to   use a visualization technique during the research , taking a similar approach to the exercise that   MeYouHealth asked their interviewees to do – create a collage .     Instead of just asking them questions , we had placed stacks of magazines – of all types and   genres – on the table .   We then asked each person to take time to find images that represented   two things .   First , how they felt and what they experienced as part of their journey with their   disease state overall , and using the product specifically .   And second , what they thought of and   felt about my client ’s brand .   They were given time to find the images and create those two   collages , then were asked to explain why they chose what they did for each collage to the larger 

 group .   The insights and findings we got from those sessions were invaluable .   They provided a   lens into the target ’s pain points , needs and expectations – which would have been very   challenging to uncover by just asking questions alone .      I was inspired by the success of this technique , and decided to try using it to help me get out of   my personal rut .   I happen to be a voracious reader of magazines , and had a huge stack of them   at home .   So one Saturday , I devoted the entire day to doing something similar to the exercise   we used in the brand focus group .   I went through every single magazine and pulled out any   images that resonated with me and inspired me .   Essentially , I cut out only images that really   spoke to me in some way .   I did n’t think about each image too much , and did n’t judge or   evaluate it as I pulled each one out .   I just kept ripping out pages , and putting them in a pile .   At   the end of that exercise , I then looked at all of the images and grouped them into themes .   I   ended up having some very clear themes that emerged across areas like relationships , lifestyle ,   health , work , money , etc .   And I gathered them into chapters into my ‘ vision book ’ – my take on   a vision board , but in a format that worked better for me .   Seeing each area , chapter and   theme , it became very clear to me what the life I wanted looked like .     Insight and Approach     This design tool worked incredibly well for me , in both cases .   For the brand strategy project , it   opened up some really important insights that we were able to use to identify a key white   space for our client to own .   That is , we uncovered an area of great customer need and brand   expectation that our client was uniquely able to fill , and that was not currently being provided   or ‘ owned ’ by any of their competitors .   We used this as the foundation to build a brand   identity and positioning that helped them elevate their marketing and accelerate their business .     And for my personal project , the vision book exercise was also a resounding success .   Having a   visual map of my goals allowed me to be very clear about my intentions and the choices I was   making .   I wanted to be in a job role that allowed me to work remotely .   I also wanted to be in a   committed relationship , surrounded by family and fun .   And I wanted to have a healthy , active ,   social lifestyle .   Dogs kept creeping into the pictures in my vision book too .   And yes … within   just a few months , I met the man that would become my husband , and I subsequently became   a step - mom of four great kids ( now teenagers / young adults ) , a dog - mom of two awesome fur- brothers , a happy homeowner , and a successful remote marketing executive for many years   now .   There are still goals and areas that could use some work , but that probably just means   that it ’s time for another visualization exercise .     I ’ve used many exercises and approaches over the years to try and achieve similar goals ,   including direct interview questions and journaling .   I ’ve even used a pretty interesting word   association technique where you mention something ( a word or phrase , or even a brand name )   then ask people to immediately respond with the top three words that come to mind .   I ’m sure   there are other techniques and approaches that can be used as stimuli for people to respond   to .   But I would still use the visualization technique as my preferred approach to exploration 

 and understanding – because imagery can help to tap into emotions and thoughts that can be   difficult to express otherwise .
### Output: 