Reflection : Visualization Tool 

 Challenge 

 I work for a Fintech company in Peru , which provides financial services to the population that is poorly   served or not served by traditional banks . We do this from our web platform and mobile app through   which people apply for a loan , are evaluated online and if approved , the money is disbursed to them .   We partner with some traditional financial companies to offer them our platform as a digital online loan   origination service ( software as a service ) . The challenge : to reach an agreement with a financial   company to offer them our service ; this company knows very little about customer acquisition digitally   and sees my company more as a competitor than as a business partner . In addition , our audience was   made up of people with different backgrounds . 

 Selection 

 Visualization is a powerful tool through which we can present an idea or approach a problem in a   graphic way and allows us to show our audience how we think , improve our idea with the information   people bring us , evidence the connections we see and reach an agreement and consensus with people . 

 Visualization Tool Video Lecture References : 

 o   ( 0:19 – 0:26 ) “ The visualization is a really core component of the way that we communicate , whether   we 're aware of it or not ” .   o   ( 0:33 – 0:42 ) “ We 're actually doing extrapolation . We 're doing inductive reasoning . We 're thinking about   possibilities that we have n't yet seen ” .   o   ( 1:08 – 1:11 ) “ It allows us to think in a nonverbal way ” .   o   ( 2:26 – 2:31 ) “ The beauty of using visualization is that we can tap into a single picture ” .   o   ( 2:31 – 2:51 ) “ The more you begin to use pictures , the more that you begin to diagram while you talk , and   create a visual image for people of how you are thinking . Then , the more likely you are to achieve a sense   of agreement and consensus with people ” .   o   ( 2:56 – 3:03 ) “ solve problems is dependent on other people being able to understand you and align their   ideas with yours ” .   o   ( 3:11 – 3:22 ) “ Thinking visually are really just mastering some basic elements of imagining people , spaces ,   situations and actions or movements ” .   o   ( 5:03 – 5:08 ) “ pattern finding , that 's where we start to think visually ” . 

 I selected the visualization tool because by drawing on a whiteboard or a blank paper it allows people to   focus their attention on an idea or problem that we want to cover and involves them in its development .   We start from scratch with everyone on the same page , including in our drawing the information they   provide us with regards to the problem domain and showing to them that we do n’t have a fixed idea   and are willing to enrich and improve it , whereby a shared understanding of the idea or the problem is   reached . Several benefits are obtained with this tool : empathy by trying to understand people and   reaching a sense of agreement and consensus with them , clarity by aligning what people think about an   idea , and creativity by inducing pattern searching and the discovery of new possibilities . 

 Application 

 After an open conversation with the participants , we began to ask for some details and terms they told   us and we did n’t understand . We perceived a lack of context and did n’t see clearly the interaction of the   customer with the areas involved and among them . So , I asked them the steps the customer goes   through the loan origination process ( what is ) and divided the whiteboard into those steps . Then , I   asked them what happens at each step , what the customer or the person who serves the customer   does . For each step I asked and placed the following on the drawing : 

 •   The name of the key activity of the step , for example : loan application , risk assessment .   •   The customer represented by an icon ( if participating in the step ) and below it the documents   ( with an icon ) or key information needed , for example : identity document , proof of income .   •   The customer service representative represented by an icon and below it on the left side the   key tasks ( with an icon ) performed in the step and on the right side the documents ( with an   icon ) or key information generated in the step .   •   A thick arrow that directed the dependency or derivation to another area .   •   The person who works in the derived area represented by an icon ( if participating in the step )   and below it , on the left side the documents ( with an icon ) or key information used whether   internal , third party or provided by customer ; on the center the key tasks ( with an icon ) in the   step and on the right side the documents ( with an icon ) or key information generated .   •   If information from one area is used by another area , then it was connected with a thin arrow .   •   For business lingo , I asked were related to : activity , task or key information to write it next to it . 

 This way , we composed step by step what the customer goes through the different areas involved .   Then , we included : the step lead time , some arrows to show patterns or connections , underline or   question marks at points where we suspected or they indicated concerns or limitations . First   achievement : the diagram put them into context and was accepted by the participants . 

 After that , when asked them about certain steps , tasks , and information , topics such as redundancy of   information , tasks , lack of clear roles and interactions with the customer began to be visible . Starting   from these , we guided the participants to think on solutions with questions like : what do we think would   improve the customer experience ? or what can we simplify from what we do today ? We began to think   on alternatives such as splitting the risk assessment in 2 steps which would allow the customer to   provide less information at the beginning of the process to quickly know whether or not he or she   qualifies for a loan . Second achievement : these gaps motivated them to think on alternatives toward a   new digital loan origination process ( what if ) . 

 Insight 

 I realized that the challenge went beyond improving the customer experience of the partner company ;   to achieve this was needed to create the capabilities that they lacked and this in turn also implied the   change of some paradigms , such as to change a paper signed contract to an electronically signed one .   This allowed me to have a better visibility about the challenge and therefore how to better manage the   expectations when deepening and agreeing on the scope of the solution , the risks and costs . Regarding   design thinking more broadly , the visualization tool along with curiosity ( knowing what and when to ask )   allows you to tackle a design problem and its implications in a holistic and effective way . 

 Approach 

 Next time I might apply the following 2 tools : journey mapping and value chain analysis ; because each   tool allows us to focus and deepen aspects of the challenge . For example : With journey mapping we can   deepen the evaluation of the current experience through the customer 's eyes , identifying more broadly   his or her pain points . With value chain analysis we can deepen the evaluation of the current processes   that supports the current experience , recognizing from the beginning the capabilities that the partner   company lacks to then identify who could provide them . 


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: Reflection : Visualization Tool 

 Challenge 

 I work for a Fintech company in Peru , which provides financial services to the population that is poorly   served or not served by traditional banks . We do this from our web platform and mobile app through   which people apply for a loan , are evaluated online and if approved , the money is disbursed to them .   We partner with some traditional financial companies to offer them our platform as a digital online loan   origination service ( software as a service ) . The challenge : to reach an agreement with a financial   company to offer them our service ; this company knows very little about customer acquisition digitally   and sees my company more as a competitor than as a business partner . In addition , our audience was   made up of people with different backgrounds . 

 Selection 

 Visualization is a powerful tool through which we can present an idea or approach a problem in a   graphic way and allows us to show our audience how we think , improve our idea with the information   people bring us , evidence the connections we see and reach an agreement and consensus with people . 

 Visualization Tool Video Lecture References : 

 o   ( 0:19 – 0:26 ) “ The visualization is a really core component of the way that we communicate , whether   we 're aware of it or not ” .   o   ( 0:33 – 0:42 ) “ We 're actually doing extrapolation . We 're doing inductive reasoning . We 're thinking about   possibilities that we have n't yet seen ” .   o   ( 1:08 – 1:11 ) “ It allows us to think in a nonverbal way ” .   o   ( 2:26 – 2:31 ) “ The beauty of using visualization is that we can tap into a single picture ” .   o   ( 2:31 – 2:51 ) “ The more you begin to use pictures , the more that you begin to diagram while you talk , and   create a visual image for people of how you are thinking . Then , the more likely you are to achieve a sense   of agreement and consensus with people ” .   o   ( 2:56 – 3:03 ) “ solve problems is dependent on other people being able to understand you and align their   ideas with yours ” .   o   ( 3:11 – 3:22 ) “ Thinking visually are really just mastering some basic elements of imagining people , spaces ,   situations and actions or movements ” .   o   ( 5:03 – 5:08 ) “ pattern finding , that 's where we start to think visually ” . 

 I selected the visualization tool because by drawing on a whiteboard or a blank paper it allows people to   focus their attention on an idea or problem that we want to cover and involves them in its development .   We start from scratch with everyone on the same page , including in our drawing the information they   provide us with regards to the problem domain and showing to them that we do n’t have a fixed idea   and are willing to enrich and improve it , whereby a shared understanding of the idea or the problem is   reached . Several benefits are obtained with this tool : empathy by trying to understand people and   reaching a sense of agreement and consensus with them , clarity by aligning what people think about an   idea , and creativity by inducing pattern searching and the discovery of new possibilities . 

 Application 

 After an open conversation with the participants , we began to ask for some details and terms they told   us and we did n’t understand . We perceived a lack of context and did n’t see clearly the interaction of the   customer with the areas involved and among them . So , I asked them the steps the customer goes   through the loan origination process ( what is ) and divided the whiteboard into those steps . Then , I   asked them what happens at each step , what the customer or the person who serves the customer   does . For each step I asked and placed the following on the drawing : 

 •   The name of the key activity of the step , for example : loan application , risk assessment .   •   The customer represented by an icon ( if participating in the step ) and below it the documents   ( with an icon ) or key information needed , for example : identity document , proof of income .   •   The customer service representative represented by an icon and below it on the left side the   key tasks ( with an icon ) performed in the step and on the right side the documents ( with an   icon ) or key information generated in the step .   •   A thick arrow that directed the dependency or derivation to another area .   •   The person who works in the derived area represented by an icon ( if participating in the step )   and below it , on the left side the documents ( with an icon ) or key information used whether   internal , third party or provided by customer ; on the center the key tasks ( with an icon ) in the   step and on the right side the documents ( with an icon ) or key information generated .   •   If information from one area is used by another area , then it was connected with a thin arrow .   •   For business lingo , I asked were related to : activity , task or key information to write it next to it . 

 This way , we composed step by step what the customer goes through the different areas involved .   Then , we included : the step lead time , some arrows to show patterns or connections , underline or   question marks at points where we suspected or they indicated concerns or limitations . First   achievement : the diagram put them into context and was accepted by the participants . 

 After that , when asked them about certain steps , tasks , and information , topics such as redundancy of   information , tasks , lack of clear roles and interactions with the customer began to be visible . Starting   from these , we guided the participants to think on solutions with questions like : what do we think would   improve the customer experience ? or what can we simplify from what we do today ? We began to think   on alternatives such as splitting the risk assessment in 2 steps which would allow the customer to   provide less information at the beginning of the process to quickly know whether or not he or she   qualifies for a loan . Second achievement : these gaps motivated them to think on alternatives toward a   new digital loan origination process ( what if ) . 

 Insight 

 I realized that the challenge went beyond improving the customer experience of the partner company ;   to achieve this was needed to create the capabilities that they lacked and this in turn also implied the   change of some paradigms , such as to change a paper signed contract to an electronically signed one .   This allowed me to have a better visibility about the challenge and therefore how to better manage the   expectations when deepening and agreeing on the scope of the solution , the risks and costs . Regarding   design thinking more broadly , the visualization tool along with curiosity ( knowing what and when to ask )   allows you to tackle a design problem and its implications in a holistic and effective way . 

 Approach 

 Next time I might apply the following 2 tools : journey mapping and value chain analysis ; because each   tool allows us to focus and deepen aspects of the challenge . For example : With journey mapping we can   deepen the evaluation of the current experience through the customer 's eyes , identifying more broadly   his or her pain points . With value chain analysis we can deepen the evaluation of the current processes   that supports the current experience , recognizing from the beginning the capabilities that the partner   company lacks to then identify who could provide them .
### Output: 