Posted by jc-Qualitystreet on 2011/11/27
“Remember the Future” is one of the 13 games offered and popularized by Luke Hohmann.
I’ve already talked about the Product Vision Box and Speed Boat which I use regularly … it is now time to introduce you with another game…
Remember the future … not only to mitigate cognitive biase
your customers and users are not good to speculate on the use of a future product. The user is not a designer, and this kind of questions: “What should our product do?” is mostly useless.
Too vague, too open,… As a designer or user researcher you, you need to be cautious with the comments users make about a future usage…
Users tend to generalize, simplify or idealize ...
Remember the future is a little technique to minimize these biases by immersing the user in a past that will be more concrete for him.
It’s a simple game, really appropriate to frame the content of a release, or to agree on the success criteria of a specific project or mission. *
And this is exactly how I have used it for the first time 4 years ago: the objectives of the mission were unclear, the context was complex, we had a large number of “high level” participants at our workshop…. Remember the future allowed us to move smoothly and to complete the impressive series of workshops requested …
Remember the future help you to establish a reference point for comparison; it gives context and enables both better understanding and exploration. As Luke Hohman says, it works:
“Because it is easier to understand and describe a future event from the past tense over a possible future event ”
An example of scenario:
“We are in September 2012 it is now six months that you use this new product, you’re happy with it and people can see it. (Step 1) This morning you meet your boss asking you what do you like so much in this new product, and what the product has done for you the last three months” (Step 2)
There are many variations on the implementation of the game (various scenarios or levels of detail) but the most important element remains the questioning:
BEFORE (and classically without the game): “What the product should do?”
AFTER (as part of the game): Context + “What will the product have done?”
The idea behind the game, as any UX technique, is to play the game with many users… Don’t hesitate to alternate “one on one” formats or small group dynamics …
Another benefit of Remember the future is that it can be used in multiple situations. Recently, I used the game to fit the expectations of my clients for my agile coaching activities.
They were two … we first exchanged on the issue, I gave them the scenario and asked them to work individually for 5 minutes generating notes. Then, they did grouping on the poster.
Results: we had a clear idea of 4 or 5 areas to focus on!
“Involve me and I’ll understand!”
Posted by jc-Qualitystreet on 2011/11/20
Or gaming & agile mindset at Home 
Christmas is coming and for the fourth year we’ve prepared during a great collaborative workshop with kids, our letter to Santa Claus (or technically speaking, our prioritized Backlog for Santa Claus)
Final Version Eva -
A prioritized and customized backlog !
Some constraints…
- Santa Claus is very busy
- His sledge is not expandable
- The deadlines are tight
- The delivery date cannot be moved
- And unfortunately a additional one this year, two sites for the delivery… that’s life…
The workshop
We didn’t have to make a long opening: the kids are already familiar with the process, they’re ready and impatient to start…
They know they cannot have everything (lessons learned from the past…) and that being good (or not) has an impact on Santa Claus’s motivation to deliver what they wish…So they’re aware of the necessity to set priorities for their Christmas backlog !
Step 1: Needs analysis, Brainstorming and data collection
Passionate reading for weeks, intensive research from several sources… confrontation with friends at school were a fantastic preparation for our “collaborative workshop” at Home
Catalogs
…
Items selection
Step 2: Backlog Initialization
- Images are cut
- One image is placed by sticky note(pink ones for my daughter; orange notes for my son). The main backlogs are initiated
Time to cut
One image by Sticky note
Backlog item example... Buzz l'Eclair - The 2C rule: Card and Conversation :)
Step 3: Backlog Prioritization
Notes are laid either on the ground or on the table (their preference this year). Kids make their prioritization effort and rank them in order of preference. They place on the top toys they want most, the most important to them…
Prioritization effort: Here are the Top priorities
Starting by the top priorities
Priorities checking: compare and use triangulation ! this PO skill is acquired
Move to the wall
Move to the wall for a better visualization...They really enjoyed it!
Step 4: Backlog Customization
Since last year, the backlog customization has become a crucial step…
Backlog customization: essential!
Customization...
More customization for my daughter
Step 5 : Backlog display and printed version
Go to the room for an optimal visibility & accessibility.
Final Version Eva
Final Version Solal (actually not yet finished...)
Print a version in a Letter format and send it to Santa Claud…
Results
Once again, we really had a great time…
Posted by jc-Qualitystreet on 2011/10/17
Speed Boat is one of the “Innovation games“, one of those games that, like Product Vision Box , Remember the future or Buy a feature, is very useful during our Agile and UX workshops.
Speedboat is an interactive, collective and funny way to identify constraints, obstacles, problems with our product or our project, then to prioritize actions in order to remove them!
Speed boat, a boat with many facets…
The advantage of the Speed Boat metaphor is that the game can be very useful in a lot of contexts. Indeed, our boat is appropriate to represent our development project (which does not advance for some reason…), our product, subject to criticisms and comments of its users or the team in charge to bring agility to the organization.
Result of our Speedboat WorkShop ...The goal is the Agile Enterprise
The rules of the game
- Draw a speed boat on a whiteboard or poster
- The boat is our system, our product, our project or our team, so name it (Here, the boat is our Agile transition team)
- Of course, the objective of the Speed boat (our product…) is to go fast (for best performance). So I first ask the participants to describe us precisely what characterizes the optimal performance, the desirable conditions (yellow notes attached to the port or on the island that the boat needs to reach)
- The boat position represents today and the distance between the boat and the island can be seen as an indicator (not in our case)
- The anchors represent the obstacles slowing the movement of our boat: impediments or things that our customers or users do not like about our product and affect its optimal functioning. The more they are low under the water, the more they are strong (well, up to you to follow this rule!)
- The green arrows represent positive elements that push our boat
Facilitation
Several variations exist. Here is mine
- Steps 1 & 2 After the opening and introduction of the game, I usually ask participants to work individually or in pairs (depending on group size) on the goal (desirable conditions) and the positive factors then to present their work to others.
- Step 3: Then, individually or in small groups it is time to characterize the anchors (obstacles, constraints, things we don’t like)
- Step 4: The work done, I ask the participants to post their anchors on the wall.
- Step 5: Collective consolidation and anchors prioritization
- Step 6: I usually close the game with an action plan to set up to remove the major anchors!
In short, we generally have a good time playing that game: enjoyable, useful but also very effective!
Posted by jc-Qualitystreet on 2011/05/19
Here are the slides from the presentation I gave last week to introduce AgileUx & LeanUX with a focus on the activities of the AgileUX practitioner (working within Agile teams):
Posted by jc-Qualitystreet on 2011/04/20
Activity #3 of the Agile UX practitioner…
The Agile UX practitioner shares with the team his knowledge of the design principles and User Interface patterns …
This is a daily activity for the AGILE UX PRACTIONNER. It consists in fostering learning on users’ cognitive processes (learning, perception, memory, problem solving…), design principles… and continuously making the focus on User Centered Design, via deliverables and above all collaborative workshops, both with development and business teams.
This list of 11 principles of interface design is a good starting point:
Leading users through an interaction, guiding them through the accomplishment of specific tasks, indicating the possible actions that can be taken or just informing them about their context
Enabling easy reading and fostering a good understanding of what is displayed on the screen: the physiological process of reading but also the understanding of what is read.
Principle # 3: Grouping
Establishing and visually reinforcing structure and relationships, providing functional groupings of associated elements.
Principle # 4: Direct Feedback
Giving immediate and appropriate feedback, keeping the user informed of what’s happening.
Principle #5: User Control
Always enabling the user control over the actions of the system, the dialogue and interactions.
Principle #6: Simplicity
Ensuring conciseness, minimizing interface complexity, offering the proper amount of information and relevant functionalities.
Principle # 7: Error Management
Preventing user errors, helping to manage when they occur (reduction and recovery), providing good error messages.
Principle # 8: Flexibility
Adapting to the characteristics or specific needs of the users (views, preferences…), providing accelerators and allowing interface customization.
Principle # 9: Consistency
Providing the user with a stable framework - navigation, interactions, language, styles, appearance, procedural usage… - in similar contexts.
Principle #10: Significance & Meaningfulness
Speaking the user language, fostering simple and natural dialogue, using meaningful illustrations.
Principle #11: Compatibility
Adapt to the procedures, activities or characteristics of the users, designing for mental models, but also taking into account standards and conventions of identical contexts and situations.
