Case Study – Visual Thinking 

 Challenge 

 I work in an MNC leading a 7 - member strategy team designing Pre - sales strategies in improving the win   ratios . In war room calls for each of the requirement lot of time used to get wasted heading towards   ambiguous output . By the time of deadline , we further compromise and go with a choice of choosing one   rather than combined structured and concrete opinion . We also observed difference in understanding the   context of the requirement during requirement gathering from person to person and it also lead to mixed   outputs . 

 Selection 

 Chosen Visual Thinking , to achieve a diversified opinion within the group before attempting to identify   and define possible solutions or approach . I have used the technique of 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 points / actions 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 / requirement statement with key   highlights . I will draw on the PowerPoint / Visio based on the inputs received from the stakeholders . This   is converted into small sub categories and each category is distributed among the team members . Each   group receives a template of the straw man graphic that they can be developed further using   PowerPoint / Visio , or use the white board to draw and make comments . Each group should focus on – 

 a ) Include Analytical views     b ) Step by step flow or insight which is accurately reflecting the problem / requirement 

 Ample time lines are provided to discuss and generate the Visio / PowerPoint . Then I have each group   report out on their views while pointing to the mark - ups on their output . 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 Visio / PowerPoint . After the session , I digitize each group ’s output   as an artifact , create a view that combines the shared and new insights from the group discussion , and   then create a revised output that incorporates their feedback and proposed changes that they agreed to   as a group ( Reference from the Good Kitchen Case Study ) . 

 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 add constraints . The straw man graphic is simple , using simple shapes , icons   and colors available in Visio or on the Internet . 

 Insight & Approach 

 What I have learned from the above Visual Approach with several groups is – 

    Revised combined output 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 / Requirement . 

    The Visio / PowerPoint gives the diverse group of stakeholders a point for discussion that allows   them to share their perspectives and develop insights into potential root causes of the pain area   in the problem / requirement . 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 gain new insights about relationships between key entities instead of taking time to   identify them . They can also identify variables in the problem / requirement – 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 . 

    The most valuable aspect is the shared insights and learning ; the visualization activity can be a   good starting point for a series of design thinking activities . Then the revised graphic that   incorporates combined feedback can serve as a reference tool throughout the remainder of the   work . 

    I would to like to take up Mind mapping and storytelling which would aptly fit to our work and   can benefit out team . 


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: Case Study – Visual Thinking 

 Challenge 

 I work in an MNC leading a 7 - member strategy team designing Pre - sales strategies in improving the win   ratios . In war room calls for each of the requirement lot of time used to get wasted heading towards   ambiguous output . By the time of deadline , we further compromise and go with a choice of choosing one   rather than combined structured and concrete opinion . We also observed difference in understanding the   context of the requirement during requirement gathering from person to person and it also lead to mixed   outputs . 

 Selection 

 Chosen Visual Thinking , to achieve a diversified opinion within the group before attempting to identify   and define possible solutions or approach . I have used the technique of 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 points / actions 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 / requirement statement with key   highlights . I will draw on the PowerPoint / Visio based on the inputs received from the stakeholders . This   is converted into small sub categories and each category is distributed among the team members . Each   group receives a template of the straw man graphic that they can be developed further using   PowerPoint / Visio , or use the white board to draw and make comments . Each group should focus on – 

 a ) Include Analytical views     b ) Step by step flow or insight which is accurately reflecting the problem / requirement 

 Ample time lines are provided to discuss and generate the Visio / PowerPoint . Then I have each group   report out on their views while pointing to the mark - ups on their output . 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 Visio / PowerPoint . After the session , I digitize each group ’s output   as an artifact , create a view that combines the shared and new insights from the group discussion , and   then create a revised output that incorporates their feedback and proposed changes that they agreed to   as a group ( Reference from the Good Kitchen Case Study ) . 

 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 add constraints . The straw man graphic is simple , using simple shapes , icons   and colors available in Visio or on the Internet . 

 Insight & Approach 

 What I have learned from the above Visual Approach with several groups is – 

    Revised combined output 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 / Requirement . 

    The Visio / PowerPoint gives the diverse group of stakeholders a point for discussion that allows   them to share their perspectives and develop insights into potential root causes of the pain area   in the problem / requirement . 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 gain new insights about relationships between key entities instead of taking time to   identify them . They can also identify variables in the problem / requirement – 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 . 

    The most valuable aspect is the shared insights and learning ; the visualization activity can be a   good starting point for a series of design thinking activities . Then the revised graphic that   incorporates combined feedback can serve as a reference tool throughout the remainder of the   work . 

    I would to like to take up Mind mapping and storytelling which would aptly fit to our work and   can benefit out team .
### Output: 