book

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

by Austina De Bonte, Drew Fletcher

December 2014

Intermediate to advanced

576 pages

20h 1m

English

Microsoft Press

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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
A car storyMore data about meMy criteriaThe experienceWhat do you recommend?The common threadThe reality checkUseful, usable, and desirableUsefulUsableDesirablePutting it togetherNeed more proof?Summary
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

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
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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
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?
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
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
Business strategyDesign thinkingObservation and customer researchStorytellingMetrics and measurementInnovation, creativity and brainstormingPrototyping and sketchingA/B testingUsability testingInteraction and user interface designAgile developmentLeanManaging change
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

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

Appendix B. The Fast Feedback Cycle

On the following page, you’ll find a simple illustration of the Fast Feedback Cycle. Please feel free to print or copy it, and then give it to friends and colleagues or hang it on the wall as a poster. It’s useful as a daily reminder of some of the principles we present in this book.