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¶ Opportunity Unpacking
¶ What it is
During the Opportunity Unpacking, the team reviews the opportunities at the center of the Validation phase and dives into them in detail - exploring the existing knowledge and boundaries of those opportunities and looking at the personas and journeys they relate to. This sets the basis for the entire team to be on the same page when creating ideas and concepts.
¶ Why it is useful
Often team setups change between Discovery and Validation. For example, you might rotate some team members or onboard new ones. Taking the time to unpack and scrutinize the opportunities will ensure that all team members are on the same page and have the opportunity to ask the necessary questions to get up to speed.
¶ When to use it
This activity should be done at the beginning of any Validation phase, especially when working with post-Discovery opportunities with which only a part of the team or none of the group was involved.
¶ How is it done
- Decide which opportunities will be the focus of the Validation phase. This can be done by the key decision maker or can be voted on as a group with the project team and relevant stakeholders.
- Prepare a workshop board that lays out the chosen key opportunities and the connected context for them, such as the personas and customer journeys they refer to and other research that links to them.
- Allow the team to take time, either before or during the workshop, to read through these materials and ask questions they might have - which should be answered by team members involved in producing the insights.
- Note down any questions to which no answer is available, which might inform later research.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Give the team enough time to read through all materials - ideally as a preparation for the session.
- Invite team members who have generated the opportunities, even if they are not on the Validation project.
- Give the team a chance to ask all their questions to ensure they get up to speed with the knowledge that has been created.
Don't
- Don’t only review the opportunity statements but also provide relevant context documents to make the opportunities richer.
¶ Tools needed
- Whiteboard (physical or virtual)
- Prioritised opportunity statements
- Post-it notes (physical or virtual)
¶ Example
¶ Questioning Assumptions
¶ What it is
This technique challenges assumptions about your service or customers that you have taken for granted.
¶ Why it is useful
Questioning Assumptions actively challenges you to revisit your point of view and reveals potential misperceptions. It reveals whether your assumptions are true or whether they need to be adjusted. The technique helps to confirm or set a new status quo before you continue developing your ideas.
¶ When to use it
The technique can be used whenever you want to question the status quo in a project. The tool comes in handy after the Synthesis phase.
¶ How is it done
- Review the selected Opportunity Statements from your research. Write them on post-its.
- Challenge the statements by asking questions such as:
- How/ Under which circumstances could this not be true?
- Do we really need this?
- What if the truth was the opposite?
- Write your challenging thoughts on coloured post-its and put them around the statements on the whiteboard.
- In the team, discuss your statements and the challenging post-its. Which statements remain true, and which might be reframed or wholly changed?
- Brainstorm new ideas based on your findings.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Consider as many perspectives as possible - customer beliefs, technological boundaries, steps in the process, etc.
- Think beyond your comfort zone and question everything you consider true - from essential steps to optional elements.
Don't
- Do not try to hold on to current beliefs and “ways of doing things” - embrace change to reach the best outcome!
¶ Tools needed
- Whiteboard (virtual)
- White and coloured post-its, paper, and pens (virtual)
- Insight Statements