Design Thinking Reflection – Mind Mapping 

 Challenge 

 Within my organization , my team is responsible for managing a daily blog publication to inform   employees about everything they need to know to do their jobs and remain engaged in ongoing   organizational activities . This information includes upcoming system deployments , policy and/or   procedure updates , and details about available training courses . Some of the information   published is critical to an employee ’s ability to comply with regulatory requirements or to   successfully process transactions for our consumers . However , we also publish a lot of   information that is optional or simply informational . Our “ readers ” can expect to have between   two and five blog posts to read per business day . Although , every employee is required to read   the blog daily , the amount of time the employee has available to consume all the new   information varies greatly based on his or her work schedule and the busyness of the branch .   Employees are faced with the decision of determining which blogs posts they have time to read   and comprehend , if they get to at all . My team needs a solution to this challenge . 

 Selection 

 The design tool of “ mind mapping ” was selected because it allows the group to focus on the   mind or experience and needs of the customer in a creative format . The solution to the challenge   the employees face about prioritizing information posted on the blog is one that required a   creative solution versus a solution solely based on logic or analytics . The team had no budget or   approval to explore new software that can be used to disseminate information internally , building   in “ reading time ” to the schedules of the branch employees , or any other logistical modifications .   Therefore , creative solutions that could be applied using the existing materials for the blog was   required . Mind mapping allowed the group to creatively draw connections and possibilities with   our existing data and resources . 

 Application 

 To complete the mind mapping exercise the group occupied a large conference room and   blocked the space off for two hours . The exercise was held on a Friday when everyone is   permitted to dress down , and we had snacks and beverages available in the room . The intention   was to establish an environment where the team was comfortable and relaxed to relieve pressure   and inspire participation . Large sticky sheets were placed on the walls and lots of markers in   different colors were on the table . We also laid out quotes and survey results obtained from our   readers about their needs and wants . We had printouts and labels of the images and titles that are   used for the blog post . Everyone was encouraged to dive in and pick out the user feedback and   design elements that were highly represented or stood our positively for some reason . Placing   these items on the sticky sheets and writing in or drawing other visuals and phrases on the sheets ,   the team began making connections and drilling down to central elements or design criteria that   would become the “ what if ” that was needed to solve the challenge our readers were   experiencing . 

 Insight 

 A key takeaway from the mind mapping experience is how much more each member of the team   was engaged and participatory . Although we were focused on capturing the minds of our readers ,   each member of our team was given an equal stake in the brainstorming and planning process .   Many other projects or initiatives are managed autonomously , or individuals may present   solutions to challenges having already completed the assessment of “ what is ” individually .   Laying out the user feedback and available resources tangibly on the table , helped to keep our   “ customer ” in the forefront . Designing with the actual customer in mind is an ongoing challenge ,   and a mind mapping exercise helped make that an external act versus just formulating a customer   benefit statement after something has been created based solely on data or business objectives . 

 Approach 

 An alternative design tool that I would have liked to have used is a “ learning launch . ” The mind   mapping exercise was a great tool for gathering our existing data and formulating design criteria   with the customer in mind . However , a learning launch would present the opportunity to test one   or more prototypes among a small population of our readers . We were unable to use this option   without impacting our entire customer base because the blog is a digital publication to the   companies ’ intranet site and there is no way to restrict a prototype to a specific audience . We   also did n’t have the funding to deploy an additional application that would allow a smaller group   to test and provide feedback for a prototype . In the future , I would like to utilize both mind   mapping and a learning launch to meet challenges . Completing the mind mapping exercise will   ensure we have good design criteria and the learning launch will allow us to explore and test the   design assumptions . 


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: Design Thinking Reflection – Mind Mapping 

 Challenge 

 Within my organization , my team is responsible for managing a daily blog publication to inform   employees about everything they need to know to do their jobs and remain engaged in ongoing   organizational activities . This information includes upcoming system deployments , policy and/or   procedure updates , and details about available training courses . Some of the information   published is critical to an employee ’s ability to comply with regulatory requirements or to   successfully process transactions for our consumers . However , we also publish a lot of   information that is optional or simply informational . Our “ readers ” can expect to have between   two and five blog posts to read per business day . Although , every employee is required to read   the blog daily , the amount of time the employee has available to consume all the new   information varies greatly based on his or her work schedule and the busyness of the branch .   Employees are faced with the decision of determining which blogs posts they have time to read   and comprehend , if they get to at all . My team needs a solution to this challenge . 

 Selection 

 The design tool of “ mind mapping ” was selected because it allows the group to focus on the   mind or experience and needs of the customer in a creative format . The solution to the challenge   the employees face about prioritizing information posted on the blog is one that required a   creative solution versus a solution solely based on logic or analytics . The team had no budget or   approval to explore new software that can be used to disseminate information internally , building   in “ reading time ” to the schedules of the branch employees , or any other logistical modifications .   Therefore , creative solutions that could be applied using the existing materials for the blog was   required . Mind mapping allowed the group to creatively draw connections and possibilities with   our existing data and resources . 

 Application 

 To complete the mind mapping exercise the group occupied a large conference room and   blocked the space off for two hours . The exercise was held on a Friday when everyone is   permitted to dress down , and we had snacks and beverages available in the room . The intention   was to establish an environment where the team was comfortable and relaxed to relieve pressure   and inspire participation . Large sticky sheets were placed on the walls and lots of markers in   different colors were on the table . We also laid out quotes and survey results obtained from our   readers about their needs and wants . We had printouts and labels of the images and titles that are   used for the blog post . Everyone was encouraged to dive in and pick out the user feedback and   design elements that were highly represented or stood our positively for some reason . Placing   these items on the sticky sheets and writing in or drawing other visuals and phrases on the sheets ,   the team began making connections and drilling down to central elements or design criteria that   would become the “ what if ” that was needed to solve the challenge our readers were   experiencing . 

 Insight 

 A key takeaway from the mind mapping experience is how much more each member of the team   was engaged and participatory . Although we were focused on capturing the minds of our readers ,   each member of our team was given an equal stake in the brainstorming and planning process .   Many other projects or initiatives are managed autonomously , or individuals may present   solutions to challenges having already completed the assessment of “ what is ” individually .   Laying out the user feedback and available resources tangibly on the table , helped to keep our   “ customer ” in the forefront . Designing with the actual customer in mind is an ongoing challenge ,   and a mind mapping exercise helped make that an external act versus just formulating a customer   benefit statement after something has been created based solely on data or business objectives . 

 Approach 

 An alternative design tool that I would have liked to have used is a “ learning launch . ” The mind   mapping exercise was a great tool for gathering our existing data and formulating design criteria   with the customer in mind . However , a learning launch would present the opportunity to test one   or more prototypes among a small population of our readers . We were unable to use this option   without impacting our entire customer base because the blog is a digital publication to the   companies ’ intranet site and there is no way to restrict a prototype to a specific audience . We   also did n’t have the funding to deploy an additional application that would allow a smaller group   to test and provide feedback for a prototype . In the future , I would like to utilize both mind   mapping and a learning launch to meet challenges . Completing the mind mapping exercise will   ensure we have good design criteria and the learning launch will allow us to explore and test the   design assumptions .
### Output: 