SalesApp   Improvements   Mind   Mapping 

 Peer   Graded   Assignment :   Mind   Mapping    Design   Thinking   for   Innovation   ­   Week   5   Assignment   31/08/2016 

 Challenge 

 I   work   as   software   architect ,   developing   and   maintaining   applications   for   inside   our   company .   Finding   ways    to   improve   for   efficiency   of   use / time   by   our   associates   is   not   an   easy   task   for   these   mature   applications .    The   initial   framing   for   this   work   is   “ How   do   we   boost   this   application   efficiency ? ” ,   which   historically   has    involved   getting   a   few   key   people   ( e.g.   4 )   from   different   business   areas   together   for   a   meeting   to   talk   about    the   application   and   making   suggestions .   Rarely   is   this   method   very   productive   or   insightful .      My   challenge   was   to   get   some   useful   insight   for   the   application   ( we ’ll   call   it   “ SalesApp ”   for   simplicity )   to    generate   real   actionable   options   to   take   to   the   improvement   planning   stage   of   development   ­   or   in   Design    Thinking   terms ,   going   from   the   “ What   is ”   to   “ What   if ”   phase . 

 Selection 

 The   Mind   Mapping   tool   ( Week   3   ­   Mind   Mapping   Tool   video )   was   what   I   choose   to   use   as   ( from   doing   this    course )   I   could   identify   two   critical   areas   of   neglect   in   the   traditional   way   our   company   tackled   the    application   improvement   task ,   and   that   Design   Thinking   could   address . 

 1 . Not   enough   input   data   and   poor   quality   data   ( only   a   small   section   of   application   users ) . 

 2 . Not   enough   minds   ( plural )   thinking   about   the   data   and   making   connections   to   the   actual    issues / reality . 

 Mind   Mapping   seemed   to   be   an   appropriate   tool   to   help   solve   this   due   to   it ’s   ability   to   get   from   the   surface    type   statements   ( e.g.   issues   wrong   with   SalesApp )   to   the   underlying   insight   type   statements   to   give   a   better    understanding   to   generation   actionable   options   for   the   next   stage   ( improvement   options ) . 

 Application 

 Note :   I ’m   not   senior   management   and   had   limited   ability   to   make   changes   to   methods / traditions .   My   version    of   Mind   Mapping   had   to   be   a   cut   down   version ,   but   still   holding   the   essence   of   the   method .      I ’ll   firstly   explain   the   data   collection   as   Mind   Mapping   relies   heavily   on   having   a   lot   of   good   data .   I   used   a    diary   method;   I   gave   each   SalesApp   user   ( 10   people )   a   small   notebook   with   the   title   “ SalesApp   ideas   &    comments ”   written   in   thick   pen   to   keep   on   their   desk   and   enter   any   thoughts / ideas / criticisms   they   had   of    SalesApp .   I   used   a   physical   notebook   ( not   a   spreadsheet   or   online   form )   as   that   was   a   mental   reminder    about   SalesApp ,   even   when   their   computer   was   not   on   or   SalesApp   open .   After   3   days ,   I   collected   the    notebooks   and   used   the   data   as   the   basis   for   the   Mind   Mapping   exercise .   I ’m   happy   to   say   there   were   a   lot    more   data   from   that   short   time   from   a   wider   range   of   users   than   we ’ve   had   from   our   traditional   meetings .      Using   this   data   and   employing   the   Mind   Mapping   techniques : 

 ● I   photocopied   larger   versions   of   the   notebook   pages ,   thus   keeping   as   close   as   possible   to   the    original   data   ( i.e.   not   using   my   words   but   theirs ) ,   and   put   them   up   for   viewing   on   a   meeting   room    wall . 

 ● We   had   the   usual   meeting   with   the   usual   key   people   from   the   different   business   areas   as   well   as   4    other   users   who   are   not   normally   involved   but   know   the   SalesApp   well ,   so   more   diverse   viewpoints    were   able   to   be   utilised . 

 ● Sticky­notes   were   used   to   capture   thoughts / statements   as   people   quietly   reviewed   the   data . 

 ● Using   the   meeting   room   whiteboard ,   people   took   turns   to   share   their   “ sticky­note   statements ”   and    each   in   turn   were   able   to   add   their   own   like   relevant / relational   stick­note   statements .   Creating    clusters   of   similar   statements   on   the   whiteboard . 

 ● We   then ,   as   a   group ,   tried   to   turn   the   clusters   of   statements   into   insights   ( e.g.   “ slow   reports ”   to   “ too    much   unnecessary   reporting ” )   by   discussing   the   relationships   of   single   cluster   groups   and   clusters    to   each   other .   I   took   extra   notes   on   verbal   statements / insights   during   the   meeting   to   capture   those . 

 ● At   the   end   of   the   meeting ,   I   collated   the   statements   and   insights   generated   for   the   basis   of   next    phase   of   planning   for   development . 

 The   actual   Mind   Mapping   method   with   the   data   laid   out   in   full   view   meant   people   did n’t   have   to   expel    mental   energy   on   the   where   or   why   of   the   data ,   they   could   just   to   take   in   and   think   about .   The   initial   quiet    ( non­verbal   /   non­group )   reflection   of   the   data   enabled   people   to   follow   their   train   of   thought   without    interruptions   ( from   others )   or   have   their   thoughts   steered   in   directions   that   were   not   purely   their   own   ( by    others ) .   Which   maximised   the   number   and   individual   authenticity   of   insights   generated ,   proving   a   very    successful   outcome . 

 Insight 

 The   insight   gained   from   the   Mind   Mapping   tool   was   greater   in   both   quantity   and   quality   than   our   tradition    methods .   Via   the   clustering   and   connections   of   data / statements ,   links   were   made   to   underlying   issues   and    gave   better   direction   to   the   problems   that   really   need   to   be   solved   through   a   better   understanding   of   what    the   current   situation   really   is   ­   the   “ What   Is ” .      An   example   of   problems   that   the   SalesApp   data   highlighted   was   “ too   slow ” ,   “ report   confusing ”   and    “ irrelevant   report    information ” ,   was   able   to   generate   the   insight   of   “ do n’t   try   to   do   too   much ”   ( bigger   is   better    right ?   Not   in   this   case ! ) .   The   ‘ What   Is ’   insight   was   “ too   much   information ” .   This   was   a   succinct   distillation   of    the   data .      Looking   at   these   issues / problems   individually   ( as   in   the   traditional   method ) ,   we   would   have   solutions    focused   on   faster   servers ,   redesign   of   user­interface   and   reformat   reporting   information .   All   of   which   would    cost   more ,   take   more   time   to   develop ,   AND   not   sufficiently   address   the   ‘ real ’   issue .       The   Mind   Mapping   process   works   and ,   I   dare   say ,   the   Design   Thinking   process   will   likewise   work .   I   look    forward   to   implementing   more   Design   Thinking   processes   into   my   software   development   work . 

 Approach 

 In   future ,   I ’d   like   to   approach   this   trying   some   differing   elements   and   perspectives : 

 ● I ’d   have   a   longer   timeframe   to   collect   a   more   visual   array   of   data   such   as   screenshots   or   user    flow / thought   drawings ,   so   that   the   data   is   more   diverse   and   the   visual   aspect   could   capture   data   not    best   represented   in   words .   As   more   quality   data   can   give   a   better   understanding   of   What   Is . 

 ● I ’d   have   a   more   diverse   group   of   people   doing   the   Mind   Mapping   to   try   capture   some   of   the   outlier    statements / insights   that   could   be   missing   and   prove   of   real   value . 

 These   changes   I   believe   would   give   us   the   full   potential   of   Mind   Mapping   tool   as   used   in   this   example   as   I    employed / tested   it . 


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: SalesApp   Improvements   Mind   Mapping 

 Peer   Graded   Assignment :   Mind   Mapping    Design   Thinking   for   Innovation   ­   Week   5   Assignment   31/08/2016 

 Challenge 

 I   work   as   software   architect ,   developing   and   maintaining   applications   for   inside   our   company .   Finding   ways    to   improve   for   efficiency   of   use / time   by   our   associates   is   not   an   easy   task   for   these   mature   applications .    The   initial   framing   for   this   work   is   “ How   do   we   boost   this   application   efficiency ? ” ,   which   historically   has    involved   getting   a   few   key   people   ( e.g.   4 )   from   different   business   areas   together   for   a   meeting   to   talk   about    the   application   and   making   suggestions .   Rarely   is   this   method   very   productive   or   insightful .      My   challenge   was   to   get   some   useful   insight   for   the   application   ( we ’ll   call   it   “ SalesApp ”   for   simplicity )   to    generate   real   actionable   options   to   take   to   the   improvement   planning   stage   of   development   ­   or   in   Design    Thinking   terms ,   going   from   the   “ What   is ”   to   “ What   if ”   phase . 

 Selection 

 The   Mind   Mapping   tool   ( Week   3   ­   Mind   Mapping   Tool   video )   was   what   I   choose   to   use   as   ( from   doing   this    course )   I   could   identify   two   critical   areas   of   neglect   in   the   traditional   way   our   company   tackled   the    application   improvement   task ,   and   that   Design   Thinking   could   address . 

 1 . Not   enough   input   data   and   poor   quality   data   ( only   a   small   section   of   application   users ) . 

 2 . Not   enough   minds   ( plural )   thinking   about   the   data   and   making   connections   to   the   actual    issues / reality . 

 Mind   Mapping   seemed   to   be   an   appropriate   tool   to   help   solve   this   due   to   it ’s   ability   to   get   from   the   surface    type   statements   ( e.g.   issues   wrong   with   SalesApp )   to   the   underlying   insight   type   statements   to   give   a   better    understanding   to   generation   actionable   options   for   the   next   stage   ( improvement   options ) . 

 Application 

 Note :   I ’m   not   senior   management   and   had   limited   ability   to   make   changes   to   methods / traditions .   My   version    of   Mind   Mapping   had   to   be   a   cut   down   version ,   but   still   holding   the   essence   of   the   method .      I ’ll   firstly   explain   the   data   collection   as   Mind   Mapping   relies   heavily   on   having   a   lot   of   good   data .   I   used   a    diary   method;   I   gave   each   SalesApp   user   ( 10   people )   a   small   notebook   with   the   title   “ SalesApp   ideas   &    comments ”   written   in   thick   pen   to   keep   on   their   desk   and   enter   any   thoughts / ideas / criticisms   they   had   of    SalesApp .   I   used   a   physical   notebook   ( not   a   spreadsheet   or   online   form )   as   that   was   a   mental   reminder    about   SalesApp ,   even   when   their   computer   was   not   on   or   SalesApp   open .   After   3   days ,   I   collected   the    notebooks   and   used   the   data   as   the   basis   for   the   Mind   Mapping   exercise .   I ’m   happy   to   say   there   were   a   lot    more   data   from   that   short   time   from   a   wider   range   of   users   than   we ’ve   had   from   our   traditional   meetings .      Using   this   data   and   employing   the   Mind   Mapping   techniques : 

 ● I   photocopied   larger   versions   of   the   notebook   pages ,   thus   keeping   as   close   as   possible   to   the    original   data   ( i.e.   not   using   my   words   but   theirs ) ,   and   put   them   up   for   viewing   on   a   meeting   room    wall . 

 ● We   had   the   usual   meeting   with   the   usual   key   people   from   the   different   business   areas   as   well   as   4    other   users   who   are   not   normally   involved   but   know   the   SalesApp   well ,   so   more   diverse   viewpoints    were   able   to   be   utilised . 

 ● Sticky­notes   were   used   to   capture   thoughts / statements   as   people   quietly   reviewed   the   data . 

 ● Using   the   meeting   room   whiteboard ,   people   took   turns   to   share   their   “ sticky­note   statements ”   and    each   in   turn   were   able   to   add   their   own   like   relevant / relational   stick­note   statements .   Creating    clusters   of   similar   statements   on   the   whiteboard . 

 ● We   then ,   as   a   group ,   tried   to   turn   the   clusters   of   statements   into   insights   ( e.g.   “ slow   reports ”   to   “ too    much   unnecessary   reporting ” )   by   discussing   the   relationships   of   single   cluster   groups   and   clusters    to   each   other .   I   took   extra   notes   on   verbal   statements / insights   during   the   meeting   to   capture   those . 

 ● At   the   end   of   the   meeting ,   I   collated   the   statements   and   insights   generated   for   the   basis   of   next    phase   of   planning   for   development . 

 The   actual   Mind   Mapping   method   with   the   data   laid   out   in   full   view   meant   people   did n’t   have   to   expel    mental   energy   on   the   where   or   why   of   the   data ,   they   could   just   to   take   in   and   think   about .   The   initial   quiet    ( non­verbal   /   non­group )   reflection   of   the   data   enabled   people   to   follow   their   train   of   thought   without    interruptions   ( from   others )   or   have   their   thoughts   steered   in   directions   that   were   not   purely   their   own   ( by    others ) .   Which   maximised   the   number   and   individual   authenticity   of   insights   generated ,   proving   a   very    successful   outcome . 

 Insight 

 The   insight   gained   from   the   Mind   Mapping   tool   was   greater   in   both   quantity   and   quality   than   our   tradition    methods .   Via   the   clustering   and   connections   of   data / statements ,   links   were   made   to   underlying   issues   and    gave   better   direction   to   the   problems   that   really   need   to   be   solved   through   a   better   understanding   of   what    the   current   situation   really   is   ­   the   “ What   Is ” .      An   example   of   problems   that   the   SalesApp   data   highlighted   was   “ too   slow ” ,   “ report   confusing ”   and    “ irrelevant   report    information ” ,   was   able   to   generate   the   insight   of   “ do n’t   try   to   do   too   much ”   ( bigger   is   better    right ?   Not   in   this   case ! ) .   The   ‘ What   Is ’   insight   was   “ too   much   information ” .   This   was   a   succinct   distillation   of    the   data .      Looking   at   these   issues / problems   individually   ( as   in   the   traditional   method ) ,   we   would   have   solutions    focused   on   faster   servers ,   redesign   of   user­interface   and   reformat   reporting   information .   All   of   which   would    cost   more ,   take   more   time   to   develop ,   AND   not   sufficiently   address   the   ‘ real ’   issue .       The   Mind   Mapping   process   works   and ,   I   dare   say ,   the   Design   Thinking   process   will   likewise   work .   I   look    forward   to   implementing   more   Design   Thinking   processes   into   my   software   development   work . 

 Approach 

 In   future ,   I ’d   like   to   approach   this   trying   some   differing   elements   and   perspectives : 

 ● I ’d   have   a   longer   timeframe   to   collect   a   more   visual   array   of   data   such   as   screenshots   or   user    flow / thought   drawings ,   so   that   the   data   is   more   diverse   and   the   visual   aspect   could   capture   data   not    best   represented   in   words .   As   more   quality   data   can   give   a   better   understanding   of   What   Is . 

 ● I ’d   have   a   more   diverse   group   of   people   doing   the   Mind   Mapping   to   try   capture   some   of   the   outlier    statements / insights   that   could   be   missing   and   prove   of   real   value . 

 These   changes   I   believe   would   give   us   the   full   potential   of   Mind   Mapping   tool   as   used   in   this   example   as   I    employed / tested   it .
### Output: 