book

Scenario-Focused Engineering: A toolbox for innovation and customer-centricity

Name: Scenario-Focused Engineering: A toolbox for innovation and customer-centricity
ISBN: 9780133967241

by Austina De Bonte, Drew Fletcher

December 2014

Intermediate to advanced

576 pages

20h 1m

English

Microsoft Press

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Title Page
Copyright Page
Praise for Scenario-Focused Engineering
Contents at a glance
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Who are you?Our storyWhat we discoveredWhere did SFE come from?About the SFE workshopWhat will you get out of this book?Organization of this bookHow to read this bookContact usAcknowledgmentsErrata, updates, & book supportFree ebooks from Microsoft PressWe want to hear from you
Part I: Overview
Chapter 1. Why delight matters
A car storyMore data about meMy criteriaThe experienceWhat do you recommend?The common threadThe reality checkUseful, usable, and desirableUsefulUsableDesirablePutting it togetherNeed more proof?Summary
Chapter 2. End-to-end experiences, not features
What’s wrong with features?Think end to endWhat job is your product actually doing?Optimizing features doesn’t make an experienceLess—it’s the new moreEasy, seamless, pain freeRemember the ecosystemCradle to graveGetting the details rightWhat if there is no GUI?Ruby—a love storyThe things developers sayDon’t forget what you already knowSummary

Chapter 3. Take an experimental approach
Designing a new mouseThe Fast Feedback CycleTarget customerObserveFrameBrainstormBuildRepeat: Observe customers again to get feedbackKeep iteratingLooking deeperHaven’t I met you somewhere before?The scientific methodMix and match your toolboxSummary
Part II: The Fast Feedback Cycle
Chapter 4. Identifying your target customer
Why you need a target customerYou need to focusYou can’t optimize for everyoneCarryover gives you focus and breadthA tale of two can openersHow does carryover work?It’s a complex ecosystemWhat is a customer, exactly?Getting specific about customersHow many target customers do I need?Identify stage: Tools and techniquesDevelop a business strategyMap out your ecosystemStrategies for maximizing carryoverEmpower the team with a North StarWhat if you pick the wrong North Star?Target customer stage: How do you know you’re done?
Chapter 5. Observing customers: Building empathy
You are not the customerBuilding empathyWhat customers won’t tell youUnearthing unarticulated needsGenerating insights about customersThe power of direct observationNeeds versus insightsThe multiple dimensions of customer researchGenerative versus evaluative researchDo as I SAY, or as I DO?QUANT versus QUALUsing complementary research approachesWhere do I find customers?How many customers should I study?Do I need an expert?What is the engineering team’s role in research?Observe stage: Key tools and techniquesData-gathering techniquesSecondary research sourcesTurning the corner: Synthesizing data into insightsDeep dive: Creating an affinity diagramPreparationStep 1: Initial sortingStep 2: SummariesStep 3: Read out and re-sortStep 4: Tape it upStep 5: Look for insightsObserve stage: How do you know when you are done?
Chapter 6. Framing the problem
Articulate the problem you want to solveGet everyone on the same pageMaintain customer focus throughout the projectThe basics of framingCapture the end-to-end experience with storiesKeep framing implementation-freeMetrics set the bar for how good the solution needs to beBig stories and small storiesFrame stage: Key tools and techniquesTools that help you capture key metricsTools that help you tell the customer’s storyTurning the corner: Tools to help you prioritize your list of workDeep dive: Writing scenariosA good scenario is SPICIERAnatomy of a scenarioScenario tips and tricksFrame stage: How do you know when you are done?
Chapter 7. Brainstorming alternatives
Where does innovation come from?Patterns of successful innovationInnovation does not happen all at onceExplore lots of alternativesThe power of blendsThe math behind innovationThe problem with tunnel visionMitigating tunnel visionGood ideas come from the strangest placesDiverse people create more diverse ideasEmbrace the cousinsEncourage lateral jumpsSuspend disbelief about wild ideasMarinatingExplore stage: Key tools and techniquesVisualization techniquesBrainstorming techniquesSupercharging your idea generationTurning the corner: Deciding which ideas to move forwardDeep dive: Group brainstormingFollow the ground rulesFacilitating a group brainstorming sessionConcluding a brainstorming sessionBrainstorm stage: How do you know when you are done?
Chapter 8. Building prototypes and coding
Experimentation: Make data-driven decisionsExperimentation with rapid prototypesPrototypes come in many flavorsBuild multiple prototypes in parallelRough prototypes stimulate more valuable feedbackPrototyping: More than just a feedback toolWhat makes a good prototype?Go from low fidelity to high fidelityWhere do I focus my experiments?I don’t have a GUI, why prototype?When to transition from prototypes to production codeWhere are you in the project?What is the nature of the problem you are trying to solve?Which skills or tools are your team members most comfortable with?Throw away code or production?Building code in slicesBuild stage: Tools and techniquesPaper prototypingSoftware for rapid prototypingThree-dimensional prototypesPrototyping with skitsPrototyping an APIPrototyping with codeDeep dive: Paper prototypingBuilding a paper prototypeBuild stage: How do you know you’re done?
Chapter 9. Observing customers: Getting feedback
Why get feedback?User testing comes in many flavorsTesting whether you fully understand the customer needTesting whether you’ve got the right solutionTesting whether your solution works wellFine-tuning the details of your solutionTesting real-world usage over timeFormal versus informal testing approachesTesting for improvement versus confirmationThe Zen of giving and receiving feedbackHow to listen for feedbackAsk open-ended questionsPresent multiple optionsHow to give feedback (to teammates)Observe stage (feedback): Key tools and techniquesScenario interviewLean Startup “fake homepage” approachConcept testing and focus groupsSurveys and questionnairesCognitive walk-throughHeuristic evaluationWizard of Oz testInformal testing and observationUsability testingEye trackingCard sortingA/B testingBig data, usage telemetry, and continuous feedbackDeep dive: Usability testingDiscount usability testingFormal usability testingHow many people do I test?Biases of usability testingGetting feedback: How do you know when you are done?
Chapter 10. The importance of iteration
What does (good) iteration look like?Iteration is a feedback systemIterate quicklyIterate throughout the entire project life cycleIterate in a funnel shapeHow many alternatives are enough?Unpacking the Fast Feedback CycleUnderstand versus createExternal versus internalDiverge versus convergeThe sawtoothTurning the cornerPhases of iterationNeeds phaseSolution-tradeoffs phaseDetails phaseWhat about small projects?Final thoughts on iteration
Part III: The day after
Chapter 11. The way you work
Shift from doing many things to focusing on a fewShift from milestones to sprintsShift from work-item lists to scenario hierarchiesStory hierarchiesWork-item tracking systemShift from ad hoc user testing to regular customer touch pointsShift from bug counts to experience metricsThree kinds of metricsMeasuring customer experienceThe science of summative dataCapturing benchmarksTrending key metrics over timeExperience scorecardsShift from building components to building experience slicesShift from upfront specs to alternatives, prototypes, and documentationThe alternatives (alts) docThe prototypeFunctional specsShift from component reviews to experience reviewsHow leaders can helpShift from individual focus to team focusWhat doesn’t change?
Chapter 12. Lessons learned
Getting startedGetting to aha isn’t enoughThis isn’t paint by numbersYou don’t have to do everythingDon’t overindex on scenariosDon’t forget about the end-to-end experienceTeam dynamicsEngineers are natural skepticsCollaboration isn’t everybody doing everything togetherIt’s difficult to predict who will shine or whereSemantics matterThe role of leadersLeaders: What got you here, won’t get you thereYou can’t fake a business strategyYou can’t overcommunicateThe way to convince an executive . . .Managing changeTeams with sustained focus from leaders make bigger changesMiddle managers are the hardest to bring onboardHarness champions as change agentsYou can’t grow a foot overnightPilot with a small team firstThe change is bigger than you think
Appendix A. SFE capabilities roadmap
Define direction: Drive customer excellence from the topWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapDefine direction: Choose target customers strategicallyWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapCustomer focus: Extract deep insights from diverse dataWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapCustomer focus: Continuous learning with customer feedbackWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapCustomer focus: Cultivate a long-term customer relationshipWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapComplete experiences: Define complete experiencesWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapComplete experiences: Deliver complete experiencesWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapComplete experiences: Track and react to specific metricsWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapIterative habits: Envision multiple experiencesWhat great looks likeTypical roadmapIterative habits: Learn fast through deliberate experimentationWhat great looks likeTypical roadmap
Appendix B. The Fast Feedback Cycle
Appendix C. Further reading
Business strategyDesign thinkingObservation and customer researchStorytellingMetrics and measurementInnovation, creativity and brainstormingPrototyping and sketchingA/B testingUsability testingInteraction and user interface designAgile developmentLeanManaging change
Appendix D. Selected case studies
Case study: Scenarios set the course for a drifting projectCase study: Visual C++ 2012Caution and enthusiasmStrugglesWaving the white flagReboundRecoveryAddressing scenario gapsShipping Visual C++ 2012SFE process scorecardThe importance of timingUsing temporary stopgapsBeyond 2012
Appendix E. Desirability Toolkit
Index
Code Snippets

Overview

Blend the art of innovation with the rigor of engineering

Great technology alone is rarely sufficient to ensure a product’s success. Scenario-Focused Engineering is a customer-centric, iterative approach used to design and deliver the seamless experiences and emotional engagement customers demand in new products. In this book, you’ll discover the proven practices and lessons learned from real-world implementations of this approach, including why delight matters, what it means to be customer-focused, and how to iterate effectively using the Fast Feedback Cycle.

In an engineering environment traditionally rooted in strong analytics, the ideas and practices for Scenario-Focused Engineering may seem counter-intuitive. Learn how to change your team’s mindset from deciding what a product, service, or device will do and solving technical problems to discovering and building what customers actually want.

Improve the methods and mindsets you use to:

Select a target customer to maximize carryover

Discover your customer’s unarticulated needs

Use storytelling to align your team and partners

Mitigate tunnel vision to generate more innovative ideas

Use experimentation to fail fast and learn

Solicit early and ongoing feedback

Iterate using a funnel-shaped approach

Manage your projects around end-to-end experiences

Build a team culture that puts the customer first

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