Category: #edtech

I wish I’d known about the Double Diamond design approach when I started building things. It’s deeply embedded in the Visual Thinkery 10 ideas process. Realising the need for an ideation or discovery process and that your first idea is usually not the best idea (just the most obvious). Only by going in multiple directions…

What Non-conformers are these hidden amongst my user audience? When thinking about a spectrum of personas, it’s useful to consider the individual’s wants and needs. Viewing them on a visual landscape allows you to zoom out and consider the commonalities between individual personas, and potentially discover an archetype. This Thinkery was captured live during a…

The “Quatro Stagioni” of engaging your audience? Yummy. I can remember a growing awareness of proper pizza in my teens. Indeed my first taste of proper pizza was a very good experience, and over the years I have definitely built a relationship with pizza that is now unshakable. Deep pan pizza though? Forget it. You…

Taking a Kanban approach to how I creatively organise my work has revolutionised my process. It’s less about nailing everything down, but more about getting a feel for what stage things are at. Ultimately, I want to avoid getting unnecessarily overwhelmed: You call it “messy”, but I prefer creatively organised… This Thinkery was captured live…

I’ve been involved in a number of projects where the onboarding feels like this. I’m sure I’m not alone. So many things to read later (that will never get read…) This Thinkery was captured live during a series of workshops by We Are Open, for Catalyst.

Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of visual work with project teams helping to define personas. We need to step inside the shoes of these different people in order to build the right features. A Persona Spectrum looks at how you can find commonality across some personas in order to build features…

How will someone know how to get involved with your project if you don’t put out some signposts? Doing anything community oriented requires an architecture of participation. You can read more about it from We Are Open. This Thinkery was captured live during a series of workshops by We Are Open, for Catalyst.

Trying to build technology to solve a problem is always a rollercoaster ride. You can’t see the twists and turns up ahead. But if you’ve been on the ride before, you know they’re there. That’s okay – just don’t plan (or budget) for a straight road… This Thinkery was captured live during a series of…

You know those ideas that don’t quite make the grade but you need to put them somewhere? Put them in the zombie garden. Recognise their malformed existence. Because chances are, they will raise their heads once more – hopefully in a way that brings life your project… This Thinkery was captured live during a series…

Who has the right to have an opinion on your project? Whose opinion is worth listening to? Constructing a stakeholder map can help by plotting stakeholders interest against involvement in the project. You can get a better idea by watching this video by Laura Hilliger This Thinkery was captured live during a series of workshops…

In my experience, opportunity for innovation is hidden in the grubby detail. It’s not obvious at the time but with a little digging it becomes apparent. Small changes can always make a big difference. This Thinkery was captured live during a series of workshops by We Are Open, for Catalyst.

“Let’s make it digital! It would be so much more efficient.” Before doing that, let’s think about who we are excluding by making it digital – and how. In my experience digital services are usually skewed towards the needs of the provider, rather than those who depend on the service. This Thinkery was captured live…