Reflection 1: Frameworks

During class we looked at three different frame works for thinking about various ideas and projects.

The first, the POEMS framework, was interesting in its own right. I feel as though it allows a group to really nail down what the important factors in their success are. There is very little room for being vague using each of the five sections, People, Objects, Environment, Message and Service. This could definitely be useful in any group I am in, as the rigidity focuses the users on figuring out exactly how their project will interact with the team and its users in various ways. Although, I felt that 'message' lacked the qualities of the others and had a little too much room for interpretation. Rather than message, I feel METHOD might be more useful: how will you deliver the product,  how will it be made, how will your service be better than others, and in general HOW WILL IT SUCCEED?

Back to the second in a moment.

The third, the user journey, was what we spent most of class toying with. From only a few minutes of using it, I really felt like I got inside the 'customer's' head better than I had ever before. You really have to think like your users, and figure out what might be difficult for them, why they would want your services, and how you can make your product better for the only person that matters, the user. Many different paths can come out of the user journey, and it might still be difficult to find all of the intricacies of your user base, but the more tools you have, the better you will understand your market.

The second one, though, was the one that really made me think. We didn't go over the 5 Why's in class as much as the user journey, but more than anything else I found the 5 Why's an incredibly intelligent way to get to the root of the problem. It is not enough to ask why you want some service or product to be made, you must understand why your users would want it, and to know that, you need to know what causes their need, and why it hasn't been fixed and why and why and why ad infinitum. The 5 Why's made me really think about getting to the very heart of a need; it focuses on the reasons for something rather than the something, so that the creator can understand and tweak their offering (or, if used for personal use, understand their problem).