Wicked problems require a different approach, one that involves creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
In this project, I worked with Sandra Möeck, Felix Schweizer and Rosanna Nardelli. We’re a group of creative souls who decided to jump into de UX/UI world and we survived our first project experience by using design thinking. We manage to learn how to approach the problem with empathy, creativity, and a willingness to iterate and refine our solutions based on feedback from the users.
Wicked problems require a different approach, one that involves creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
In this project, I worked with Sandra Möeck, Felix Schweizer and Rosanna Nardelli. We’re a group of creative souls who decided to jump into de UX/UI world and we survived our first project experience by using design thinking. We manage to learn how to approach the problem with empathy, creativity, and a willingness to iterate and refine our solutions based on feedback from the users.
What was our problem to solve?
Since the 1970s, museums and other public institutions have been suffering a profound crisis. The purpose of this type of institution, is to make heritage accessible to everyone.
“How might we help museums and other public institutions fulfilling their mission of preserving cultural heritage while making it accessible to a wider audience?”
Since the 1970s, museums and other public institutions have been suffering a profound crisis. The purpose of this type of institution, is to make heritage accessible to everyone.
“How might we help museums and other public institutions fulfilling their mission of preserving cultural heritage while making it accessible to a wider audience?”
Methodology
Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that is well-suited for addressing wicked problems. It is a human-centered approach that focuses on understanding the needs of the people affected by the problem, and developing solutions that are responsive to those needs.
How do we start to get into this adventure? We empathize with our user.
Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that is well-suited for addressing wicked problems. It is a human-centered approach that focuses on understanding the needs of the people affected by the problem, and developing solutions that are responsive to those needs.
How do we start to get into this adventure? We empathize with our user.
First step: Secondary Research
While doing my Secondary Research, I discovered Museum Next, a leading network for those working in museums. With numerous items to dust off, I came across the section of articles related to Marketing, especially one titled “How Can Museums Attract More Visitors?”. And rightly so, I’m sure that heading was going to give me valuable information for this project.
"Making your collections searchable online, giving clear descriptions of upcoming and current exhibitions along with online previews not only helps people understand what they will be entering into but also allows people to imagine themselves in that environment."
This is only an excerpt from Carly Straughan’s very comprehensive and detailed article (you can read the complete article here). She explains very eloquently the generational changes, new features and demands of users who live with a whole world in the palm of their hands.
After collecting all our findings during our Secondary Research, we decided to tackle this complex problem with a qualitative research methodology, with 4 user interviews. Why? Because it’s time to understand our potential user first-hand.
"Making your collections searchable online, giving clear descriptions of upcoming and current exhibitions along with online previews not only helps people understand what they will be entering into but also allows people to imagine themselves in that environment."
This is only an excerpt from Carly Straughan’s very comprehensive and detailed article (you can read the complete article here). She explains very eloquently the generational changes, new features and demands of users who live with a whole world in the palm of their hands.
After collecting all our findings during our Secondary Research, we decided to tackle this complex problem with a qualitative research methodology, with 4 user interviews. Why? Because it’s time to understand our potential user first-hand.
After collecting all our findings during our Secondary Research, we decided to tackle this complex problem with a qualitative research methodology, with 4 user interviews.
Why? Because it’s time to understand our potential user first-hand.
We decided to design an interview with open-ended questions, focused on understanding the needs of this new generation of users, their concerns and interests in order to devise a solution for our Wicked Problem. Our user were interviewed in a Google Meeting, for 40min and they were between the ages of 25 and 35 years old.
After collecting all our findings during our Secondary Research, we decided to tackle this complex problem with a qualitative research methodology, with 4 user interviews.
Why? Because it’s time to understand our potential user first-hand.
We decided to design an interview with open-ended questions, focused on understanding the needs of this new generation of users, their concerns and interests in order to devise a solution for our Wicked Problem. Our user were interviewed in a Google Meeting, for 40min and they were between the ages of 25 and 35 years old.
Affinity Diagram & Empathy Map
Affinity Diagram & Empathy Map
Affinity Diagram & Empathy Map
As a researcher or designer, I find that conducting interviews with target users or audiences can provide valuable insights into their needs and preferences. I record the interview data and then analyze it to identify common themes and patterns using an Affinity Diagram. Next, we develop an Empathy Map to help me understand the user’s perspective and feelings based on the interview data.
As a researcher or designer, I find that conducting interviews with target users or audiences can provide valuable insights into their needs and preferences. I record the interview data and then analyze it to identify common themes and patterns using an Affinity Diagram. Next, we develop an Empathy Map to help me understand the user’s perspective and feelings based on the interview data.
User Persona
Then we create a User Persona, which is a fictional representation of a typical user, based on the interview data. This helps us better understand the user’s needs, goals, and pain points.For our project, the social factor has been a determining factor, which is why our User Persona has these characteristics. A friendly personality and with needs highly connected to their personal relationships and activities to socialize and relate to their environment.
Then we create a User Persona, which is a fictional representation of a typical user, based on the interview data. This helps us better understand the user’s needs, goals, and pain points.For our project, the social factor has been a determining factor, which is why our User Persona has these characteristics. A friendly personality and with needs highly connected to their personal relationships and activities to socialize and relate to their environment.
User Journey Map
Social Sam is invited to the museum by a friend but feels overwhelmed by the information he gets on the internet. He decides to go anyway, and at first he feels bored of the visit because they don’t find anything interesting. However, they come across something that catches their attention, and this makes them more interested in the exhibits. As they continue exploring, they become increasingly engaged and start to enjoy themselves.
By the end of the visit, they feel happy that they came to the museum and learned something new. This user journey shows how someone’s experience can change from negative to positive with the right discovery, engagement, and enjoyment. It also emphasizes the importance of having something that appeals to the user’s interests and needs, which can make a big difference in their overall experience.
Social Sam is invited to the museum by a friend but feels overwhelmed by the information he gets on the internet. He decides to go anyway, and at first he feels bored of the visit because they don’t find anything interesting. However, they come across something that catches their attention, and this makes them more interested in the exhibits. As they continue exploring, they become increasingly engaged and start to enjoy themselves.
By the end of the visit, they feel happy that they came to the museum and learned something new. This user journey shows how someone’s experience can change from negative to positive with the right discovery, engagement, and enjoyment. It also emphasizes the importance of having something that appeals to the user’s interests and needs, which can make a big difference in their overall experience.
When creating a problem statement for a project, we first start by identifying the specific problem that needs to be addressed. This problem should be something that the project can realistically solve or improve. Then, we need to define the problem in clear, concise terms that are easily understandable for the project team. It’s important to make sure the problem statement is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).
After going through all this empathy journey, as a team we came up with this Problem Statement:
When creating a problem statement for a project, we first start by identifying the specific problem that needs to be addressed. This problem should be something that the project can realistically solve or improve. Then, we need to define the problem in clear, concise terms that are easily understandable for the project team. It’s important to make sure the problem statement is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).
After going through all this empathy journey, as a team we came up with this Problem Statement:
Problem Statement
Curious, socially-minded millennials seek out engaging and entertaining museums and exhibitions that match their interests, desiring to be educated in history, art, and culture, whilst remaining engaged and free from boredom.
Curious, socially-minded millennials seek out engaging and entertaining museums and exhibitions that match their interests, desiring to be educated in history, art, and culture, whilst remaining engaged and free from boredom.
Ideate time
Ideate is a crucial stage in the design thinking methodology, where we aim to generate as many ideas as possible to solve the problem we have identified. This stage is all about thinking creatively and critically to come up with innovative solutions that can address the user’s needs and pain points.
During the Ideate stage, we use a range of ideation techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, and sketching to generate ideas and concepts.
The "Cultural Wizard" app enhances museum visits for millennials. Users choose their city and interests, and get recommendations on the top 5 most visited museums, short videos of weekly/daily highlights, and reviews from other users. The app has a social component, where users can view Instagram posts/reels from the museum, find a guide, or a friend. After selecting a museum, users can see photos, videos, event descriptions, availability, and get tickets. The app also provides a map to the museum. Overall, "Cultural Wizard" helps millennials discover new museums, stay updated on events, and connect with like-minded people in a fun way.
Ideate is a crucial stage in the design thinking methodology, where we aim to generate as many ideas as possible to solve the problem we have identified. This stage is all about thinking creatively and critically to come up with innovative solutions that can address the user’s needs and pain points.
During the Ideate stage, we use a range of ideation techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, and sketching to generate ideas and concepts.
The "Cultural Wizard" app enhances museum visits for millennials. Users choose their city and interests, and get recommendations on the top 5 most visited museums, short videos of weekly/daily highlights, and reviews from other users. The app has a social component, where users can view Instagram posts/reels from the museum, find a guide, or a friend. After selecting a museum, users can see photos, videos, event descriptions, availability, and get tickets. The app also provides a map to the museum. Overall, "Cultural Wizard" helps millennials discover new museums, stay updated on events, and connect with like-minded people in a fun way.
Low-Fidelity & Concept Testing
The user found the concept and user flow to be well thought out and intuitive. They navigated the design easily and did not encounter any major usability issues during testing. The prototype felt polished, and the user could easily see themselve using the product in the future. Overall, the user was impressed with the prototype and thinks it has the potential to be a valuable tool for its intended audience.
After concept testing with a low-fidelity wireframe, creating a mid-fidelity wireframe is the next step in the design process. Creating a mid-fidelity wireframe was an important step in the design process because it allows us to refined design, testing of more complex functionality, and gathering feedback from our users.
The user found the concept and user flow to be well thought out and intuitive. They navigated the design easily and did not encounter any major usability issues during testing. The prototype felt polished, and the user could easily see themselve using the product in the future. Overall, the user was impressed with the prototype and thinks it has the potential to be a valuable tool for its intended audience.
After concept testing with a low-fidelity wireframe, creating a mid-fidelity wireframe is the next step in the design process. Creating a mid-fidelity wireframe was an important step in the design process because it allows us to refined design, testing of more complex functionality, and gathering feedback from our users.
Next steps
In conclusion, on this project we used design thinking to solve a wicked problem through an iterative process of research, ideation, prototyping, and testing. By focusing on the user, we were able to gain insights and empathy that informed our design decisions throughout the project. Our final mid-fidelity wireframe reflects the culmination of this process, incorporating user feedback and refining the design based on our learnings.
We believe that our digital solution has the potential to make a real impact in addressing the wicked problem we set out to solve. Through this project, we have gained a deep appreciation for the power of design thinking in addressing complex problems and creating meaningful solutions.As a designer and researcher in this project, I can say with propriety that I have learned to design and execute an interview fluently. I learned to empathize with the user through a close and friendly communication, always with the research objectives and the problem to be solved in mind.
Through all the stages of the Design Thinking process I was able to understand more deeply the needs of our User Persona, this profile that reflects everything we learned in our research.
It has been a great challenge to put together all our ideas as a team, accepting the challenge of solving a Wicked Problem has this degree of complexity, there are too many possible scenarios and the secret is to learn to focus on a manageable portion of the problem.
In conclusion, on this project we used design thinking to solve a wicked problem through an iterative process of research, ideation, prototyping, and testing. By focusing on the user, we were able to gain insights and empathy that informed our design decisions throughout the project. Our final mid-fidelity wireframe reflects the culmination of this process, incorporating user feedback and refining the design based on our learnings.
We believe that our digital solution has the potential to make a real impact in addressing the wicked problem we set out to solve. Through this project, we have gained a deep appreciation for the power of design thinking in addressing complex problems and creating meaningful solutions.As a designer and researcher in this project, I can say with propriety that I have learned to design and execute an interview fluently. I learned to empathize with the user through a close and friendly communication, always with the research objectives and the problem to be solved in mind.
Through all the stages of the Design Thinking process I was able to understand more deeply the needs of our User Persona, this profile that reflects everything we learned in our research.
It has been a great challenge to put together all our ideas as a team, accepting the challenge of solving a Wicked Problem has this degree of complexity, there are too many possible scenarios and the secret is to learn to focus on a manageable portion of the problem.
