Visualization 

 Ana Perez   Challenge & Selection :     The first tool I used was the tool of Visualization , or Visual Thinking , to achieve a shared understanding   of a problem space among a diverse group of stakeholders before attempting to identify and define   possible solutions to the problem . I use this approach often with our customers , who are government   agencies working to apply technology innovations to modernize their mission or the delivery of their   services to their customer , which may be U.S. citizens , businesses , and non - citizens . I have used the   technique of using a straw man visualization of a problem domain with a set of questions or prompts for   discussion to allow a diverse group of stakeholders to learn from each other in the process of defining   the scope , boundaries , key elements , and relationships between elements to consider when identifying   pain points and opportunities for improvements or solutions .     Application :     I start the process by creating a straw man graphic of the problem domain . To develop the straw man   graphic , I will draw from any existing material available to understand the environment . The existing   material may be operational or procedural documents , training materials , marketing materials , GAO or   other auditing reports . If materials are not available , then I conduct informal interviews with one - three   of the stakeholders who serve as my main points of contact on the initiative .     If appropriate to the situation , I will borrow the concept to “ front - stage / back - stage ” from previous   research , and discussed in David Gray ’s book , “ The Connected Company ” . The front - stage / back - stage   approach helps to reinforce the notion that every service – even an internal service – has customers   with whom the service provider interacts and internal processes that enable the organization to provide   the service . The template I often start with also has a column on the left to identify Partners and Value   Chain Providers and a column on the right to identify Oversight Organizations , such as Congress , GAO ,   labor unions , advocacy groups , and other entities that may add constraints to how the organization   operates . The straw man graphic is simple , using simple shapes and icons available in Visio or on the   Internet . If the front - stage / back - stage view does n’t work , then I will create a different type of visual ,   either based on a high - level process flow with swim lanes for different stakeholders , or another format .     For the activity , I will divide the stakeholders into groups of 5 - 6 participants each representing a   different organization or area of interest . Each group receives a poster - size copy of the straw man   graphic that they can write on directly , or use sticky notes to make comments . I give them two - three   questions to answer , such as : 1 ) What key elements are missing from the graphic ? 2 ) What would you   change about the graphic to make it more accurately reflect your problem space ? 3 ) What key insights   do you have about the relationships between the entities in your problem space ? I give them   approximately 20 minutes to discuss the questions and mark up the graphic . Then I have each group   report out on their answers to those three questions while pointing to the mark - ups on their poster . As   each group reports out , I record commonalities in the insights of each group , and then additional   insights that come from the group discussion on an additional copy of the graphic . After the session , I   digitize each group ’s poster as an artifact , create a view that combines the shared and new insights from   the group discussion , and then create a revised graphic that incorporates their feedback and proposed   changes that they agreed to as a group . 

 Insight & Approach :     What I have learned from conducting this exercise with several groups is that while the graphic –   especially the revised graphic that incorporates their feedback – is important for reinforcing their   understanding of the problem they are working to solve , the more valuable aspect of the activity is the   shared insights and shared learning that occurs while they are working to define their problem   space . The graphic gives the diverse group of stakeholders a focal point for discussion that allows them   to share their perspectives and develop insights into potential root causes of their problems . While they   could create the graphic from a blank slate in a collaborative manner , starting with a straw man jump   starts the conversation for them . They can quickly identify where they are in the graphic – or if they are   missing – and can more quickly gain new insights about relationships between key entities instead of   taking time to identify them . They can also identify variables in the problem space – that is , it helps   them to identify what they do n’t know , in what areas they need to obtain information or data to provide   the values for the variables .     Since I discovered that the most valuable aspect is the shared insights and learning , next time I would   use the visualization activity as a starting point for a series of design thinking activities . Then the revised   graphic that incorporates their combined feedback can serve as a reference tool throughout the   remainder of their work . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Ana Perez
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 

 Ana Perez   Challenge & Selection :     The first tool I used was the tool of Visualization , or Visual Thinking , to achieve a shared understanding   of a problem space among a diverse group of stakeholders before attempting to identify and define   possible solutions to the problem . I use this approach often with our customers , who are government   agencies working to apply technology innovations to modernize their mission or the delivery of their   services to their customer , which may be U.S. citizens , businesses , and non - citizens . I have used the   technique of using a straw man visualization of a problem domain with a set of questions or prompts for   discussion to allow a diverse group of stakeholders to learn from each other in the process of defining   the scope , boundaries , key elements , and relationships between elements to consider when identifying   pain points and opportunities for improvements or solutions .     Application :     I start the process by creating a straw man graphic of the problem domain . To develop the straw man   graphic , I will draw from any existing material available to understand the environment . The existing   material may be operational or procedural documents , training materials , marketing materials , GAO or   other auditing reports . If materials are not available , then I conduct informal interviews with one - three   of the stakeholders who serve as my main points of contact on the initiative .     If appropriate to the situation , I will borrow the concept to “ front - stage / back - stage ” from previous   research , and discussed in David Gray ’s book , “ The Connected Company ” . The front - stage / back - stage   approach helps to reinforce the notion that every service – even an internal service – has customers   with whom the service provider interacts and internal processes that enable the organization to provide   the service . The template I often start with also has a column on the left to identify Partners and Value   Chain Providers and a column on the right to identify Oversight Organizations , such as Congress , GAO ,   labor unions , advocacy groups , and other entities that may add constraints to how the organization   operates . The straw man graphic is simple , using simple shapes and icons available in Visio or on the   Internet . If the front - stage / back - stage view does n’t work , then I will create a different type of visual ,   either based on a high - level process flow with swim lanes for different stakeholders , or another format .     For the activity , I will divide the stakeholders into groups of 5 - 6 participants each representing a   different organization or area of interest . Each group receives a poster - size copy of the straw man   graphic that they can write on directly , or use sticky notes to make comments . I give them two - three   questions to answer , such as : 1 ) What key elements are missing from the graphic ? 2 ) What would you   change about the graphic to make it more accurately reflect your problem space ? 3 ) What key insights   do you have about the relationships between the entities in your problem space ? I give them   approximately 20 minutes to discuss the questions and mark up the graphic . Then I have each group   report out on their answers to those three questions while pointing to the mark - ups on their poster . As   each group reports out , I record commonalities in the insights of each group , and then additional   insights that come from the group discussion on an additional copy of the graphic . After the session , I   digitize each group ’s poster as an artifact , create a view that combines the shared and new insights from   the group discussion , and then create a revised graphic that incorporates their feedback and proposed   changes that they agreed to as a group . 

 Insight & Approach :     What I have learned from conducting this exercise with several groups is that while the graphic –   especially the revised graphic that incorporates their feedback – is important for reinforcing their   understanding of the problem they are working to solve , the more valuable aspect of the activity is the   shared insights and shared learning that occurs while they are working to define their problem   space . The graphic gives the diverse group of stakeholders a focal point for discussion that allows them   to share their perspectives and develop insights into potential root causes of their problems . While they   could create the graphic from a blank slate in a collaborative manner , starting with a straw man jump   starts the conversation for them . They can quickly identify where they are in the graphic – or if they are   missing – and can more quickly gain new insights about relationships between key entities instead of   taking time to identify them . They can also identify variables in the problem space – that is , it helps   them to identify what they do n’t know , in what areas they need to obtain information or data to provide   the values for the variables .     Since I discovered that the most valuable aspect is the shared insights and learning , next time I would   use the visualization activity as a starting point for a series of design thinking activities . Then the revised   graphic that incorporates their combined feedback can serve as a reference tool throughout the   remainder of their work .
### Output: 