Service Design | Journey Mapping | Alstarr75 Human-centered Product & Service De

INTERVIEWS

Stakeholder interviews breathe life into your systems map, enriching it with depth, detail, and empathy. They anchor your understanding of the system in the lived experiences and stories of the individuals you're designing for.

Consider a scenario where your company has recently prioritized Diversity & Inclusion, with onboarding identified as a critical avenue for fostering a sense of belonging. As part of the research team, your task is to comprehensively map the current state of the system. So, what's one of the most effective methods to achieve this? Interviews.

Zooming in, zooming out...

In-depth interviews are indispensable for cultivating empathy. They allow you to delve into the system on a profoundly human level, paving the way for more meaningful solutions. However, it's essential to strike a balance between zooming in and zooming out. Zooming out enables you to grasp the broader picture, simplifying intricate connections, but it risks reducing individuals to mere nodes in the system, obscuring their humanity.

To maintain a holistic perspective, it's crucial to oscillate between the systems viewpoint and the human perspective. Stakeholder interviews serve as a conduit for this dynamic interchange. They not only animate your systems map but also deepen your comprehension of the system's dynamics, infusing it with layers of intricacy and texture.

When zooming in during interviews, ask foundational questions that penetrate beyond the surface, unraveling the stakeholders' experiences, aspirations, and challenges within the system. For instance, inquire about their roles, backgrounds, and daily routines to glean insights into their individual motivations and perspectives.

For example, let's revisit the onboarding scenario and suppose you interview Meena, a senior HR manager deeply invested in diversity initiatives. She shares her passion for fostering inclusion and her desire to enhance the onboarding experience for others, drawing from her positive experiences.

Conversely, when zooming out, pose relational questions that transcend individual experiences, situating stakeholders within the broader system. Probe into their professional networks, collaborations, and connections to grasp the interplay between various stakeholders and departments.

Continuing with the example, you discover that Meena collaborates closely with multiple teams but desires closer ties between recruiters and hiring managers. This revelation guides your subsequent interviews and illuminates potential areas for improvement.

Using your systems map as an interview tool offers tangible benefits. You can solicit feedback on the map's accuracy or ask stakeholders to contribute by completing or creating sections of the map themselves. These approaches foster collaborative exploration and uncover diverse perspectives.

In conclusion, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to stakeholder interviews. Tailor your approach based on the context and objectives, always viewing the system through a human lens. By understanding the system's impact on individuals, we can design solutions that authentically meet their needs and aspirations.

Cultivate empathy...

Cultivating empathy can be a transformative practice, not only enhancing interpersonal relationships but also significantly impacting problem-solving, decision-making, and learning processes. Here are five techniques to help reframe complex problems, stimulate innovative thinking, and uncover unexpected solutions.

Humanize the Problem: One of the most potent strategies for reframing a problem is to humanise it. By shifting the focus to the individuals impacted by the issue, deep-seated needs within the system often come to light. For example, in addressing challenges within a high school setting, staff members gained fresh insights by viewing issues through the lens of students rather than departmental structures. Centering student experiences led to the realization that reorganizing support systems around student needs could yield more meaningful and effective solutions, ultimately enhancing students' journey towards a brighter future.

Consider Multiple Perspectives: In complex systems, it's crucial to consider the diverse needs and motivations of all stakeholders involved. Examining a situation from various angles offers a more comprehensive understanding and fosters a holistic view of the problem. By embracing multiple perspectives, one can approach challenges from different vantage points, potentially unveiling novel insights and innovative solutions.

Draw Inspiration from Parallel Industries: Broadening your perspective to include other players in your industry can spark inspiration and creativity. By widening your aperture to encompass the broader systems surrounding your domain, you open up new avenues of exploration and discovery. For instance, the challenges faced by fast fashion retailers amidst shifting consumer trends and environmental concerns present an opportunity for reframing. By considering alternative business models such as clothing rentals, inspired by analogous industries, retailers can reimagine their approach, better serve their customers, and mitigate environmental impact.

Explore Analogous Industries: Another effective strategy for expanding your viewpoint is to draw inspiration from analogous industries. By examining organizations outside your immediate sector that navigate similar complex operations, you can glean valuable insights and innovative approaches. For instance, professionals in education might find inspiration in hospitality practices, while those in healthcare could draw lessons from transportation systems. Studying the systems, processes, and approaches of analogous industries can provide fresh perspectives and stimulate creative problem-solving.

By employing these techniques to cultivate empathy and broaden perspectives, individuals and teams can unlock new dimensions of understanding, generate innovative ideas, and navigate complex challenges with greater insight and agility.

Leverage Points...

A leverage point within a system is a strategic location where implementing a small change can yield a disproportionately large impact compared to the effort expended. Once you've crafted the initial iteration of your systems map, the quest for leverage points begins. While teams adeptly create maps, uncover insights, and reframe challenges, pinpointing leverage opportunities often poses a challenge.

Identifying a leverage point demands a keen understanding of the system's intricacies and interconnectedness. It's akin to searching for keys under a street lamp, as illustrated by a famous parable. Like the man who chooses to search where the light is best, we're prone to seek leverage points closest to the problem's symptoms. However, the most potent leverage opportunities are often obscured, requiring a deeper understanding of the system's dynamics.

The analogy of curing a headache by putting a pill in the stomach underscores the importance of comprehending complex systems. Similarly, in a project aimed at reshaping school culture, you may target school leaders as leverage points. Spotting leverage points demands a blend of intuition and systematic exploration. Here are some strategies tailored to different types of systems maps:

Network Map: Identify gaps, pain points, or influential hubs within the network. Foster new connections and relationships to amplify leverage points.

Process Map: Pinpoint bottlenecks, redundancies, or points of diversion within the process. Intervening further upstream enhances the potency of leverage points.

Problem Map: Delve into underlying structures and mindsets shaping behavioural patterns. Addressing root causes magnifies the impact of leverage points.

Effective leverage points often evoke resistance or friction, signaling their potential significance. While complex systems may initially resist change, persistence and strategic pressure can catalyze transformative shifts. Just as a fulcrum strategically positioned can move a heavy object, identifying and activating leverage points can precipitate system-wide change.