Visualization : 

  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: 
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 : 

  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: 