TECHNOPRENEURSHIP

The Design Thinking Process

Customer-Centered Design
03 Custome-Centered Design

Today’s
1 Design Thinking
Agenda
2 Customer’s Jobs to be Done

3 Talking to Customers

4 How Might We Exercise

5
Learning Objectives

• Understand how to speak to potential customers to better

understand and pre-empt their needs.
• Define Customer Profile/Persona.
• Understand the design Thinking Process to validate problem
and Define how best to solve it.
• How to scope Challenges and Turn them to Opportunities
through “How Might We” questions.
Source: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-reasons-top/
We focus on products and
features too much and not
on how we create value for
customers.
We often end up making
stuff nobody wants, despite
our good ideas and good
intentions.
 Design
Thinking: A
Non-Linear
Process

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG
 Divergent:
Generate lots of ideas!
• Forget Quality (for now)
• Quantity is the key
• All ideas are valid
• Crazy ideas are encouraged
• No debating, questioning

Convergent:
Categorize, Vote and
Decide

https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/
Understanding
Your
Customers…
Jobs to be
Done
Jobs to be Done, Clayton Christensen
Jobs to be Done, Clayton Christensen
Jobs to be Done, Clayton Christensen
Discover
through
Empathy

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG
Customer Discovery techniques
4 main techniques for testing
the market
Type Cost Time Reliability Timing
• Surveys
• Interviews Survey M M L
• Focus Groups
• Simulated Sales
Interview L M M-H Early
Consider the trade-offs for each
• Cost
Focus Group M M H
• Time
• Reliability
• Timing Simulated Sale H H H Late

Oxentia 2020
Ground Rules for
Interviewing
It is an art to conduct good interviews that provide relevant insights for
value proposition design. Make sure you focus on unearthing what matters
to (potential) customers rather than trying to pitch them solutions.
Follow these rules to conduct great interviews.
How to talk to customers
Most people misinterpret conversations and take the wrong conclusions as
validation
You: Mom, I have an idea for a business — can I run it by you?
Mom: Of course, dear.
You are my only child and I am ready to lie to protect you.
You: You like your iPad, right? You use it a lot?”
Mom: Yes.
You led me to this answer, so here you go.
You: Okay, so would you ever buy a cookbook app for your iPad?
Mom: Hmmm.
As if I need another cookbook at my age.
You: And it only costs $40, cheaper than those on your shelf.
Mom: “Well...
Aren’t apps supposed to cost a dollar?
Mom: “That sounds amazing. And you’re right, $40 is a good deal. Will
it have pictures of the recipes?”
I have rationalised the price outside of a real purchase
decision, made a non-committal compliment, and offered a
feature request to appear engaged.
You: “Yes, definitely. Thanks mom — love you!”

Oxentia 2020
How to talk to customers
A more effective approach

You:
• Mom, when did you last use your ipad?
• For what?
• Do you ever use it in the kitchen?
• Have you ever bought an app? Which one? How much was it?
• When did you last use your cookbooks?
• Do you use them often?
• Is there anything you dislike about them?
• How much did the last one cost you?

Oxentia 2020
A Day in the Life Dive deep into your (potential) customers’ worlds to gain insights
about their jobs, pains, and gains. What customers do on a daily

Worksheet
basis in their real settings often differs from what they believe
they do or what they will tell you in an interview, survey, or focus
group.
objective
Understand your customer’s world in more detail outcome Capture the most important jobs, pains, and gains
Map of your customer’s day of the customer you shadowed

Time Activity (what I see) Notes (what I think)

www.strategyzer.com/vpd
Strategic Focus
What is the area of life you are interested in changing?
Write down why it matters. Is it:

• Time
• Money
• Nuisance
• Social Cost
• Economic Cost

Who does it affect?

Why would you choose this path?
What would you want to accomplish?
Define

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG
Problem Statement - WOW
Choose a Problem Statement to work on using
RWW
Ideate

INTERACTION-DESIGN.ORG
The “How Might We” Questions
The Skills of re-framing
Converging
Converging
Converging
Converging
Customers… are…
Don’t take this literally – but it’s a good place to start

SELFISH
It’s all about them. You need to convince them that you your product or technology matter!

VAIN
Make them look good using it!

LAZY
Don’t make them work for it. Make it easy to adopt and use

KISS
Keep it Simple - Stupid

If you don’t deliver clear and concise reasons to choose your product…they won’t and you may not
reach your full market potential

ECE 307: TECHNOPRENEURSHIP

 We Start with Why…
… as not many customers buy the How

WHY
Technology
This is the least important thing to most customers… it rarely
WHAT focuses on them

Features
HOW These are the cool things in your product that you get excited
about… customers don’t really care

Needs /Outcomes
These are the problems customer have and will be prepared to
pay someone to resolve them

Who Created/Adapted the Technology First?

Source: Simon Sinek, Start with Why
Any Questions?