Insights into principles and actions

Transform customer insights into products, actions, and new solutions by defining your principles.

Sessions
4
Steps
25
Last edited
Feb 28, 2022
Created by
Nova

About this process

This workflow provides an essential structure for teams and organizations looking for better ways to transform their insights into actionable items and/or products. Add additional work sessions by following our recommendations o selecting other tools. Important: This workflow doesn't provide a research workflow, but you can add yours or develop your own inside the "research" phase. Results: You will be able to define you business and design principles.

Sessions at a glance
#SessionSteps
01Understand your audience1102Define the challenge403Principles to opportunities604Feature discussion (evaluation matrix)4

The process in detail

4 sessions · 25 steps
01

Understand your audience

11 steps
  1. 1

    List your segments / audiences and define the pains and gains on the board.

  2. 2

    Find influencers.

  3. 3

    Why does the user need the solution?

  4. 4

    What are they trying to avoid? (the pain points)

  5. 5

    What problem are you solving?

  6. 6

    Passion, fears and other drives.

  7. 7

    Define the customer’s current state and ideal state

  8. 8

    When do they need your solution the most?

  9. 9

    What barriers do they find?

  10. 10

    Where does the user use the solution? Do they use other tools? What is required for them to be successful?

  11. 11

    Defining the size of the market.

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1. List your segments / audiences and define the pains and gains on the board.

List your segments: Write down the people or groups of people that could directly use or be affected by your solution, challenge, idea, or product. Define their pains, gains, and job-to-be-done Describe your different segments: Once all your customer segments are on the board, define their main characteristics. Example: Are you designing or developing a solution for moms, entrepreneurs, or graphic designers? Write down all the groups with their specific characteristics.

Work on the whiteboardPersona
2. Find influencers.

With your team, write down all the people who are directly involved in the buying process (or who are decision-makers) and can affect how these groups make the decision about using your product. In some cases, family or friends are big influencers, and in other cases, the user is not the buyer. For example, parents buy toys for their kids, but kids use them. Kids will use the toy and will decide how long they will play with that toy. The decision-makers are the parents, and they are influenced by other parents and parenting magazines. Notes: Continue the discussion focusing on the user or buyer depending on the purpose of the session or project. If you are trying to create a marketing strategy, you may decide to focus on the buyer. You may decide to focus on the user if you are developing a product. Do you think each segment would have different influencers? Who? Why?

Write a note
3. Why does the user need the solution?

Once the discovery stage is done, you can create a list of reasons why they (user, customer, etc.) need your solution or idea.

Write a note
4. What are they trying to avoid? (the pain points)

In this step, dig a little bit deeper and consider the reason behind that need and what negative emotions they are trying to avoid.

Write a note
5. What problem are you solving?

Describe in detail what problem you are solving with your solution or idea.

Write a note
6. Passion, fears and other drives.

What keeps your customer up at night? Why? Why is this important? What do they fear? What are they trying to avoid and why? What are they passionate about? What moves them? What brings a spark to their eyes? What do they care about? Why?

Write a note
7. Define the customer’s current state and ideal state

In this step, with your team, define how the user and the buyer feel without your solution and how they would feel once they have your solution.

Write a note
8. When do they need your solution the most?

With your team, find out they think about the problem the most. Also, consider when they need this solution the most.

Write a note
9. What barriers do they find?
Write a note
10. Where does the user use the solution? Do they use other tools? What is required for them to be successful?

Define the space where your user (customer, etc.) uses the solution. Try to be as descriptive as possible and imagine the space and the things around them.

Write a note
11. Defining the size of the market.

Now that you and your team have defined the main audience, try to define the size of that target market and the rest of the audience. If the team has an approximate idea of the market size of each audience, we recommend adding that information here. You can add that information to the sticky board once you have all the key points and main information defined here.

Write a note
Persona
  • GROUP/SEGMENT 1
  • GROUP/SEGMENT 3
  • GROUP/SEGMENT 2
  • SEGMENTS
  • Group/Segment Description
  • Start typing
  • Desired status or Job-to-be-done
  • Gains
  • Pains
02

Define the challenge

4 steps
  1. 1

    3 Whys - Insight 1

  2. 2

    3 Whys - Insight 2

  3. 3

    3 Whys - Insight 3

  4. 4

    3 Whys - Insight 4

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1. 3 Whys - Insight 1

Have you observed a problem, pain, or frustration?

Why do you think they have this problem, frustration? Why are they sharing this specific feedback with your now?

Keep asking questions and ask "Why" at least three times.

•Why do you think so? What makes you think (or feel) so?
•Could you explain that a bit more? What do you think is the purpose of that?

Identify the root cause of the problem 👀

2. 3 Whys - Insight 2

Have you observed a problem, pain, or frustration?

Why do you think they have this problem, frustration? Why are they sharing this specific feedback with your now?

Keep asking questions and ask "Why" at least three times.

•Why do you think so? What makes you think (or feel) so?
•Could you explain that a bit more? What do you think is the purpose of that?

Identify the root cause of the problem 👀

3. 3 Whys - Insight 3

Have you observed a problem, pain, or frustration?

Why do you think they have this problem, frustration? Why are they sharing this specific feedback with your now?

Keep asking questions and ask "Why" at least three times.

•Why do you think so? What makes you think (or feel) so?
•Could you explain that a bit more? What do you think is the purpose of that?

Identify the root cause of the problem 👀

4. 3 Whys - Insight 4

Have you observed a problem, pain, or frustration?

Why do you think they have this problem, frustration? Why are they sharing this specific feedback with your now?

Keep asking questions and ask "Why" at least three times.

•Why do you think so? What makes you think (or feel) so?
•Could you explain that a bit more? What do you think is the purpose of that?

Identify the root cause of the problem 👀

New Board
  • INSIGHT/FEEDBACK
  • INSIGHT/FEEDBACK
  • "My clients can't find my store"
  • "My clients can't find my store"
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • WHY?
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • INSIGHT/FEEDBACK
  • INSIGHT/FEEDBACK
  • "My clients can't find my store"
  • "My clients can't find my store"
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • BECAUSE...
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • WHY?
  • WHY?
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
  • This is a sticky note.
03

Principles to opportunities

6 steps
  1. 1

    Prepare the board.

  2. 2

    Principles and values.

  3. 3

    Generate "individual opportunity".

  4. 4

    Generate "system opportunities".

  5. 5

    Generate "strategic opportunities".

  6. 6

    Opportunities overview.

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1. Prepare the board.

Start adding all your insights and principles to the table.

•Add all your insights inside the "insights" column and add your design principles inside the "principles" column.
•Use the current table or create your own. This table has been divided into 5 columns, including three sections per principle: Individual opportunities, system opportunities, strategy opportunities. You can add additional sections or change these three sections for new ones.

🤔Principles? Insights? Make sure you collect all the insights and principles developed from previous work sessions. You can use the "Design Principles Generator" tool.

2. Principles and values.

According to Gino Wickman in his book Traction: “They are a small set of vital and timeless principles for your company…These core values define your culture and who you truly are as people”

You can have design and business principles.

Core principles and values help keep you and your team in aligned. It would be hypocritical to hold your employees to a standard you don’t hold yourself, or your managers. These principles not only keep people accontable and provide transparency but also will help you make decisions. You can use the "Design Principles Generator" tool.

3. Generate "individual opportunity".

Use the timer and provide 5-10 min to think about possible offerings and add them to the right column. Depending on the nature of the project or challenge, your "offering" may vary, as the offering could be a partnership, a product, a feature, a process, a message, etc.

Add as many individual opportunities as you can think of while you add them to the right design principle.

Design principals should help you structure your thinking - and sometimes your first ideas are very raw and can feel like they are just concepts is why we call them opportunities! Opportunites are very open concepts without very specific details. The team should remain open-minded and encourage everyone to get creative - as is not time yet for evaluation or criticism.

The only rule here is to keep those principles in mind.

4. Generate "system opportunities".

Now you have some experience brainstorming and thinking about "opportunities". Repeat the same process and think about each of the design principles and think of system opportunities and add them to the right column. About system opportunities: These kinds of opportunities provide systems and components to ensure things, people, and the environment are all working together for a common purpose and with a common vision.

5. Generate "strategic opportunities".

Following the same process start brainstorming about "strategic opportunities". About strategic opportunities: Provides a plan of action to achieve a goal. This is a broader conversation and teams often need extra time to evaluate how this plan and strategy will affect them.

6. Opportunities overview.

Evaluate all the tables, discuss the opportunities in relation to one another, and how individual and system opportunities could connect. How can you build on these opportunities? Are there any predominant opportunities visible?

New Board
  • INSIGHTS
  • PRINCIPLES
  • INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITIES
  • SYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
  • STRATEGY OPPORTUNITY
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • This is a sticky note!
  • Principle
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Principle
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Principle
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Principle
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Insight
  • Insight
04

Feature discussion (evaluation matrix)

4 steps

Decide what ideas or features should be developed next. Discuss the best options for moving forward with your feature ideas, and any modifications. HOW TO START? The team lead or product owner can start adding features and product ideas to the board. Once you are done, invite your team.

  1. 1

    Discuss the ideas or product features to be evaluated for this session

  2. 2

    Discuss your idea using the four quadrants

  3. 3

    Review points

  4. 4

    Discuss best options and compile ideas

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1. Discuss the ideas or product features to be evaluated for this session

Add features that are missing, and use a different color sticky note for each feature. Make sure you add the source of the feature/idea (ie. does the feature idea originate from a competitor or client request?), as well as the problem the feature solves.

Work on the whiteboardBoard
2. Discuss your idea using the four quadrants

Discuss your ideas from the point of view of each quadrant of Utility, Advantages, Resources, and Convenience. Add points to sticky notes on the board under each quadrant. Here are some example questions to ask yourself for each category: Utility: How can we make this idea work? Why is the idea useful? What could cause this idea not to work? Advantages: What are the advantages of this idea? What advantages would be gained if it was partially implemented / fully implemented? Are the advantages large? How long would they last? Resources: Do we have the resources to execute this idea? Which other resources will be useful? Do we have time? Convenience: Is this convenient for my customer? What kind of inconveniences are we going to have in implementing it, or after the implementation?

Work on the whiteboardBoard
3. Review points

After all categories have been discussed, go one by one through all points posted to the board. Add discussion points to the note for this step. While reviewing each others' notes, keep coming up with additional points for each category. Debate points made by others, and think of ways to improve/evolve the current idea.

Work on the whiteboardBoard
4. Discuss best options and compile ideas

Next, discuss the best options for moving forward with your feature ideas, and any modifications. Open a new session and create an action plan for implementation. If you discover the idea is no longer feasible, you may put it on the backburner until conditions change or scrap it altogether.

Write a note
Board
  • Evaluation Board
  • 2
  • Pre-evaluation(Optional)
  • 1
  • Space to brainstorm before you move forward with the Evaluation board.
  • ADVANTAGES What are the advantages of this idea? What advantages would be gained if it was partially implemented / fully implemented? Are the advantages large? How long would they last?
  • UTILITY How can we make this idea work? Why is the idea useful? What could cause this idea not to work?
  • Idea Name Description Problem feature/idea solves Source of feature/idea
  • Idea Name Description Problem feature/idea solves Source of feature/idea
  • Idea Name Description Problem feature/idea solves Source of feature/idea
  • CONVENIENCE Is this convenient for my customer? What kind of inconveniences are we going to have in implementing it, or after the implementation?
  • RESOURCES Do we have the resources to execute this idea? Which other resources will be useful? Do we have time?
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Created byNova·Official process
Last edited Feb 28, 2022·4 sessions · 25 steps