About this Video

• Video Title: 9 - Generating Actionable Plans (Second Step of Design Thinking: Define)
• Channel: Coding Studio
• Speakers: (Speaker name not explicitly mentioned in the transcript)
• Duration: 00:12:27

Introduction

This video is a tutorial on design thinking, specifically focusing on the "Define" stage. It explains how to transform insights gathered from user research into actionable plans. The video contrasts insights with actionable plans, providing examples and a step-by-step process for generating effective actionable plans.

Key Takeaways

• Insights vs. Actionable Plans: Insights identify problems and their causes (e.g., users dislike admin fees), while actionable plans propose solutions or opportunities (e.g., utilize reward points to cover fees).
• Collaborative Process: Creating actionable plans is a team effort involving designers, researchers, and product managers, each contributing different perspectives.
• How Might We (HMW) Statements: HMW statements are a useful tool for brainstorming actionable plans. These statements should be neither too broad nor too narrow to maintain focus and allow for innovation.
• Problem Statements and User Stories: These tools help focus on user needs and break down complex problems into manageable components.
• Focus Areas: After breaking down user stories or problem statements, identify key focus areas to guide the generation of specific actionable plans.

Let's delve into the key takeaways with more detail relevant to UI/UX design:

1. Insights vs. Actionable Plans in UI/UX: In UI/UX design, "insights" represent your understanding of user behavior, needs, pain points, and motivations derived from user research (interviews, surveys, usability testing, etc.). They answer the why. Actionable plans, on the other hand, are concrete steps you take to address those insights and improve the user experience. They answer the how. For example:

   • Insight: Users abandon the checkout process because of unexpected shipping costs.
   • Actionable Plan: Implement a clear display of shipping costs before the checkout process begins, providing multiple shipping options with varying costs and estimated delivery times. Another actionable plan could be offering free shipping above a certain purchase amount.

2. Collaborative UI/UX Design: Effective UI/UX design isn't a solo act. The process described in the video emphasizes collaboration:

   • Designers: Focus on visual design, interaction design, information architecture, and creating user flows that meet user needs.
   • Researchers: Provide user insights from qualitative and quantitative data, ensuring the design addresses real user problems. They are the voice of the user.
   • Product Managers: Bring business goals and technical constraints into the equation, prioritizing features and making informed decisions about feasibility and implementation. They ensure that the solution aligns with the overall product strategy.

3. How Might We (HMW) Statements for UI/UX Brainstorming: HMW statements are powerful brainstorming tools. They frame challenges as opportunities for innovation:

   • Good HMW Statement (Specific): "How might we simplify the account registration process to reduce user drop-off rates?"
   • Bad HMW Statement (Too Broad): "How might we improve the user experience?" (Too vague, lacks focus)
   • Bad HMW Statement (Too Narrow): "How might we change the button color to green?" (Limits creativity, solves a superficial problem)

   In UI/UX, use HMW statements to generate creative solutions for specific usability problems or to explore new features that address unmet user needs.

4. Problem Statements and User Stories in UI/UX:

   • Problem Statements: Clearly define the core problem you're trying to solve for users. Example: "Users struggle to find specific products on our e-commerce website due to poor search functionality and confusing product categorization."
   • User Stories: Describe user goals and needs from the user's perspective. Example: "As a frequent shopper, I want to easily find products using keywords, so I can quickly add items to my cart."

   Use these to guide the design and development process, focusing on user-centered solutions.

5. Focus Areas for UI/UX Prioritization: After identifying insights and brainstorming using HMW, problem statements, and user stories, it's crucial to prioritize. Focus areas help you organize your efforts. If you find multiple issues in a user flow, breaking it down into specific focus areas can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and helps you approach improvements more systematically.

For example, if user testing reveals problems with both the search functionality and the product filtering options on an e-commerce website, you can define two focus areas: "Improve Search" and "Enhance Filtering." This allows you to work on each aspect separately while ensuring you don't lose sight of the overall goal of improving the product discovery experience. You can then generate HMW statements specific to each area.