Creating an Experience-Driven Strategy: full 2011 UPA presentation

CREATING AN EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN STRATEGY

Creating and using capstone statements to articulate, evangelize, and adhere to your strategy.

presented byDante Murphy and Georgia Spangenberg

Creating an Experience-Driven Strategy :: Dante Murphy and Georgia Spangenberg2

BACKGROUND

Introduction: the evolution of a process for social change


THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH

Many strategic initiatives include diverse information sources…> primary and secondary research> domain knowledge and subject-matter expertise> established constraints and conventions> project and organizational history

…and a wide network of contributors…> designers> strategists> stakeholders> technologists

…who fail to achieve their potential because…> information is siloed> communication is intermittent> meetings do not foster innovation


OBJECTIVES OF THE SYNTHESIS FRAMEWORK

Consolidate information sources> focus on information relevant to the project> leverage the contextual knowledge of the presenter> provide a common baseline of understanding

Facilitate collaboration> ensure equal opportunity to contribute> strengthen commitment through collective decision-making> maximize efficiency and timeliness

Deliver executable innovation> apply “idealized design” tactics across the environment > align with the needs and values of key customers> achieve significant, extensible ROI


BREAKING OUT OF THE SILOS

Why does information that is clearly critical to the success of the project stay locked in a silo?> There are too many meetings, and not every participant can

make all of them> It is impractical for a domain expert to share all of her

knowledge and experience> Information is consumed and interpreted differently by

individuals on the project team

An idealized process…> Eliminates iteration by developing the strategy in a single

unified flow> Enables experts to share their knowledge contextually and

efficiently> Activates an effective “group mind” that ensures mutual

understanding and agreement through consistent and open participation


REPLACING COMMUNICATION WITH COLLABORATIONWhat stymies effective communication?

> Most media do not convey emotional, contextual, and temporal information effectively

> Participants are fearful of being perceived as foolish, frivolous, or impertinent

> Agendas and alliances divide participants into factions

An idealized process…> Allows communication to happen in real time, face to face> Encourages a volume of ideas and a diversity of perspective

that is inclusive and tolerant> Facilitates consensus and sustainable agreements> Attributes all outcomes to the team


INNOVATING IN REAL TIME

Why are meetings and presentations unsuitable vessels for innovation?> Neither generally promotes divergent thinking> Most involve a single dominant presenter or a Q&A format> Participants frequently do not know what is expected of

them> Short meetings preclude immersion, and long meetings

invite fatigue

An idealized process…> Involves divergent, emergent, and convergent thinking> Requires full and active participation from every attendee> Presents an actionable, directional objective that may evolve

during the course of the session> Is a contiguous, activity-oriented event with a finite time

requirement


PROCESS CAPSTONE STATEMENT

The resulting process…

…maximizes the accessibility and value of all available information...… through progressive disclosure…… and transparent collaboration, that…

…requires equal and active participation……from experts across many disciplines..…with diverse professional and personal perspectives, that…

…triggers a thematically aligned suite of innovative concepts…

…to emerge and evolve……in real time, that…

…represents meaningful value……to client business objectives……and customer goals, that…

…results in a plan……that is accurately prioritized……and meaningfully phased.


SELECTED CASE STUDIES

Healthcare professional online services platform for global healthcare client> Our client came to us asking for a company portal. Our instincts and anecdotal

observations told us this was not what their audience wanted. The research supported us…but what should we propose as an alternative? We needed a quick way to generate a new idea. This was the origin of the strategy statement and the prioritized release plan.

Global digital marketing strategy for global healthcare client> The size and scope of this project necessitated an approach that thrived on

complexity, context, and collaboration. We added structured notes and the synthesis framework to our existing process, distilling over 11,000 observations into a single volume of planning, design, and execution guidelines.

Social media research and partnership plan for global healthcare client> Exploring the possibilities afforded by social media in a heavily regulated

environment required an approached designed to deliver innovation. Adding the knowledge market as the final piece of the process enabled the inclusion of a greater variety of research inputs and unified the synthesis process.


TODAY YOU WILL…

> take meaningful notes that will enrich research observation and facilitate innovation

> collaborate to synthesize observations into insights using an integrated, flexible process

> use storytelling to elicit features and behaviors

> craft a capstone statement that defines specific tactics, addresses target audiences, and articulates a unified strategic objective

> present your strategy and tactics for constructive critique


TAKING STRUCTURED NOTES

Section 1: get more out of your research observations


OBSERVATION IS NOT A PASSIVE ACTIVITY

Active observation yields a lot more data> A focused acuity that keeps participants energized and vigilant> A greater volume of observations applies a quantitative veneer

to qualitative research> There is no inherent success metric to standard note-taking

Our minds are inherently editorial> Most note-takers only write down what they think is important

or meaningful at the time it happens> Thinking interferes with observation

Our observations often have meaning to others> In a collaborative process, you owe it to the group to record

everything you see so that others can respond to it based upon their expertise, experience, perspective, and personality


THE CATEGORIES

Functional Needs> “I need to make Thanksgiving dinner for my in-laws.”

Emotional Drivers> “I am afraid they will be disappointed by my cooking.”

Current Behaviors> “For big events, I usually call a caterer.”

Desired Experiences> “I wish I had an experienced chef to help me.”

Ideas and Solutions> Maybe she could do what she is an expert at…a personal

favorite recipe, or decorating, or dessert, and put the focus on that…


STRUCTURE CAN BE FLEXIBLE

Most observations can align with one of the listed categories> Accuracy is less important than capturing as many observations as

possible

The template provides a consistent language and shorthand> The template reminds us of the elements of an experience-driven strategy> Column labels enable most observations to be recorded much more

quickly

An example:> Full text (42 words):

• “Doctor Jones needs to get the correct dosing for the drug, but doesn’t use the manufacturer’s website because they require him to register before he can see that information and he doesn’t want to get a lot of SPAM, so he uses Medscape instead.”

> Structured template (7 words):• Functional Need: “dosing”• Emotional Driver: “fear of SPAM”• Current Behavior: “Medscape”• Desired Experience: “no login”


THE TEMPLATE

Functional Needs Emotional Drivers Current Behaviors Desired Experiences Ideas and Solutions

The more you use structured notes, the more natural it becomes. Let’s start by practicing now.


THE COLLABORATIVE SYNTHESIS FRAMEWORK

Section 2: refine observations into insights


THE ELEMENTS OF THE FRAMEWORK

> Knowledge Market presentations by subject-matter experts

> Affinity Mapping observations into insight groups

> Delphic Sort of insight groups into coherent themes

> Story-Plotting tactics for key audiences

> A Capstone Statement that aggregates key tactics into a unified strategy


THE KNOWLEDGE MARKET

Subject-matter experts share key knowledge with the entire core team, providing all participants the same baseline information while understanding and internalizing each others’ perspectives

> Each presenter shares information such as customer personas, business metrics, technology constraints and brand guidelines

> Presentations are short (10-20 minutes each) and focused only on information of immediate relevance to the project

> Participants record their observations into a structured template• Functional needs• Emotional drivers• Current behaviors• Desired experiences• Individual ideas and impressions

> Observations are numbered and carried forward into subsequent activities

• Time estimate: 1-2 hours


AFFINITY MAPPING

Participants group and apply labels to their collected observations using printed sheets that make the collected wisdom of the group visible and tangible

> Each observation from the knowledge market is printed on a single sheet of paper in random order

> Sheets are distributed to participants in equal-sized stacks> Participants create or find clusters and apply labels that

describe a common thread to the collected insights> The activity is led by a facilitator, who encourages active

discussion and editing, combining, or splitting clusters> When a participant gets stuck, she trades stacks with

another participant> Every observation must be placed and every cluster must

be given a label

• Time estimate: 30 minutes


DELPHIC SORT

Participants review initial clusters through two rounds of review and revision, ensuring distribution of perspective

> Each participant selects a cluster and goes through observation, shifting observations between clusters, creating new clusters, or modifying the label of the cluster

> The facilitator encourages open discussion, tracks the progress of the activity, and urges action over analysis

> Once a participant has completed a cluster, he initials the cluster label and moves on to another cluster

> Activity continues until each cluster has been reviewed and initialed by two different participants

> Any cluster which represents a theme that is beyond the scope of the project can be excluded, but only by unanimous consent of the group



STORY-PLOTTING

Participants create stories that articulate the realities of the current situation for a cluster and describe idealized solutions that represent possibilities or address fears for specific audiences

> The facilitator distributes the completed clusters among the participants, mindful of the relative “weight” of each

> For each cluster, a “story-plot” cover sheet is distributed> Participants map each observation to a quadrant of the

story-plot> Individually, participants draft a brief narrative about their

cluster that describes the situation and offers an innovative design solution for a specific targeted audience

> Participants report their stories to the group> Group members respond with constructive or additive

feedback> The activity continues until every cluster has been reported

• Time estimate: 60-90 minutes


THE CAPSTONE STATEMENT

The team works together to craft a single sentence that defines the expected outcome and audiences of the project

> The facilitator may display a “mad-lib” template to use as a starting point

> The facilitator projects the working draft onto a screen for all to see

> The group works together to formulate, modify, and finalize the strategy statement

> The statement indicates: • the overarching objective of the project• the key tactics it contains• the audiences it serves• the benefits those audiences will derive from it• the timing of its completion



TIMING AND EFFORT

The process can be as short as a single day, but should never take more than a week

> Sample timeline:• Pre-requisite: collect or complete all inputs• Knowledge Market on morning of Day 1• Print all observation sheets over lunch break on Day 1• Complete all activities through strategy statement afternoon of

Day 1• Project management team drafts phased release plan on Day 2• Team re-convenes on Day 3 to finalize plan


GROUP EXERCISE

Using the provided sets of observations…

> Affinity map the observations into clusters• Announce new clusters as you create them• Verbalize your process• Don’t over-think it, just get it done

> Delphic sort each cluster• Aim for coherent themes• Get help and give feedback


USING STORYTELLING

Section 3: apply innovation and vision to problems and opportunities


WHAT IS STORYTELLING?

Storytelling uses the story triangle to activate the collective experience, expertise, and imagination of the team

> The storyteller interacts with the story, modifying it based upon his perceptions of the audience and his prior experience

> The audience interacts with the story, interpreting it and visualizing details based upon their own experiences

> The audience and the storyteller interact, responding to literal, contextual, and non-verbal feedback

Storytelling resource> Storytelling for User Experience

• by Kevin Brooks and Whitney Quesenbery


PLOTTING THE INSIGHTS

At this stage of the process, you will have around 15 stacks of insights labeled with unifying themes.

> The facilitator places a story-plot template on top of every stack

> Each participant assigns the numbered observations in the stack to a position on the grid• Brief notes should accompany each unique concept on the grid

to facilitate the creation of the narrative later in the activity• Duplicate or similar observations can be clustered or arranged

to represent a continuum

Let’s take a few minutes to do this with the stacks you’ve been provided.


DERIVING MEANING FROM INSIGHTS

Group insights by theme and time

> Grouping illustrates the “density” of an observation> Position determines whether a solution is literal or requires

discovery

Once all observations are placed, the participant adds another layer of analysis and meta-information

> Identify areas of opportunity for innovation or differentiation> Articulate tactics that deliver meaning or value> Attribute the story elements to a customer profile or

persona


A SAMPLE COMPLETED STORY-PLOT


FRAMING OUT THE NARRATIVE

Drive to action in the future

> The strategy and resulting design live in the near future• defined by today’s capabilities• focused on today’s issues• contextualized by today’s cultural and regulatory realities

Realize possibilities, avoid fears and anxieties

> Focus not only on what your product or service can do, but what customers can and will do for themselves• start with customer goals• work back to the enabling content, tool, service or feature

> Understand that as a product or service market matures, features give way to usability and desirability


TELLING THE STORY

Stories are about real people doing real things

> Every story must align with a specific customer profile or persona

> Avoid “magic bullet” stories that are more representative of the dreams of the client than of the goals of the customer

> Stories do not have to be complete narratives; vignettes are usually best to illustrate a tactical opportunity

How many stories do you need?

> Every cluster of observations has at least one meaningful story> Only tell multiple stories when each one illuminates a unique

customer goal or design element> The goal of each story is to provide fodder for group discussion

and ideation, not to represent an articulated solution


GROUP EXERCISE

Create your narrative> Plot insights against the grid> Analyze the plot and develop themes> Outline a real story about a real customer

Present the story to the group> Use the medium most comfortable to you> Don’t worry about how an idea will work, only that it is

meaningful> Telling the story is “putting the ball in play”> Invite and encourage teammates to enrich and evolve your

story

Capture compelling elements> Rich opportunities> Differentiating tactics> Unanticipated customer profiles


CREATING A STRATEGY STATEMENT

Section 4: unify your project team


ELEMENTS OF THE CAPSTONE STATEMENT

The capstone statement…

…describes key tactics, such as content, tools, services, and features…

…aligned with measurable objectives and articulated goals…

…of existing and prospective business and customer audiences.

A template helps to align and unify the many elements derived from the storytelling phase

> Different types of elements> Different levels of detail> Different priorities


SAMPLE TEMPLATE

The <thing you are creating> will…

…provide <a specific kind of value>…

…to <a targeted customer segment>…<or two>…<or three>…

…by providing <tactic one>…<tactic two>…<tactic three>…

…<at some specified time>…

…<under some specific conditions>…

…that <achieves some business objective>…<and another>…

…supporting <the client’s>…<position in the market>.


WHO WRITES THE STATEMENT?

Collaborative writing> Project a template and live-edit> Use a whiteboard> “Magnetic poetry” method

The role of the lead strategist> Alternately, an experienced strategist can draft a strategy

statement to present to the group for critique and refinement

The most important thing is that only one statement is in play; the goal is for the team to be unified.


SAMPLE :: US HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION PLATFORMThe e-Services Platform is…

…a common set of content and tools that provide services and information to physicians in support of their patients and practice…

…and enhances their relationship with <client>…

…available on the physician section of each <client> brand website,

…and accessible by mobile devices…

…with content and services organized according to their timeliness…

…supported by a physician profile which grows over time…

…informed by explicitly stated preferences, search terms entered and acted upon, and other online patterns of use…

…designed to provide increasingly personalized content and tools, based on the evolution of the physician profile…

…which can be accessed on each individual brand site, or can be aggregated in a personal, customizable physician landing page…

…that includes personal messages and alerts, physician-specified links to content and tools, and access to information that does not have a dedicated brand website or outlet.


SAMPLE :: GLOBAL DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGYThe Global Online Customer Experience Strategy…

…informs and recommends up-to-date content, usable tools and timely services that are…

…validated, corroborated or aggregated from multiple sources…… able to be annotated, rated, shared or provided by HCPs or HCCs……transparent in source and genuine in intention……localized with regard to language, standards of practice and care, cultural conventions

and regulatory guidelines……responsive to the evolving boundary of where digital interactions are welcome……and are quickly and easily accessible across prevalent online channels and digital

devices, including mobile.

…enables trusting and collaborative relationships between and among……healthcare professionals…including pharmacists, nurses, medical assistants, and other

practice extenders……and healthcare consumers…including caregivers and those who manage care for

others……merging live and digital interactions, inclusive of human contact……while recognizing and supporting the emotional needs of patients, caregivers and

families.

…articulates the value of treatment and prevention to improving patient outcomes…

…by clarifying the benefits of treatment and prevention versus the risks of unchecked progression of disease…

…through enhanced communication, education, and monitoring……designed for individuals with diverse learning styles and levels of understanding……that uses approaches that enhance engagement and retention……and personalized for the specific concerns and context of each audience.

…facilitates partnership in the healthcare relationship……enabling healthcare consumers to become more proactive in managing their own

health……and enabling healthcare professionals to maximize their contribution to patient care.

…evolves a relationship of value and trust with <client>……that is cognizant of the time limitations faced by all HCPs and HCCs……and is conscious of the financial pressures faced by patients and payers.


SAMPLE :: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY FOR PHARMA MANUFACTURER

Social Media is…

…the confluence of peers and information…

…influencing attitudes and behaviors…

…by amplifying immediacy, plurality, breadth, and depth of interaction…

…characterized by an elastic mix of transient and enduring relationships…

…that can be shaped and controlled by the user.


LET’S TRY ONE…

The <thing you are creating> will…

…provide <a specific kind of value>…

…to <a targeted customer segment>…<or two>…<or three>…

…by providing <tactic one>…<tactic two>…<tactic three>…

…<at some specified time>…

…<under some specific conditions>…

…that <achieves some business objective>…<and another>…

…supporting <the client’s>…<position in the market>.


PRESENTING A DETAILED STRATEGY

Section 5: formulate a meaningful, executable plan


GETTING TACTICAL

The divergent and emergent thinking about the strategy is now, for the most part, complete. The rest of the creativity will happen during design. To get there, you need a tactical plan.

> Identify and list each unique tactic> Rate each tactic on

• Customer value• Business value• Feasibility

> Develop weighting formula> Modify formula and ratings until consensus is reached> Group list segments into releases and apply timing> Create a tactical map


EXTRACTING THE TACTICS

Most of the tactics by now have been described, either in the project brief or as part of the storytelling or capstone exercises.

> Each tactic should be • Independent• Finite• Aligned to a customer• Traceable to its origin

Feature Comments

On-going user analytics tool required

Traffic monitoring requiredPrepared 3rd Party Advertising Partnership Agreements required

Customer Master Integration required

Online Information Monitoring Tool required

Partnerships / deals with Non-medical Social Networking Sites

Content Management required

Dosing and administration look-up a,b,c,d

Side effects profile a,b,c,d

SEO a,b,c

eSampling a,b,c,d

Brand Site Templates d

Print Stylesheet for all content d

Contact MSL a,b,c,d


RATE THE TACTICS

Use a group rating exercise to help determine priority of each tactic

Feature

Average Brand Rating

Customer

Rating

On-going user analytics tool 5.0 n/a

Traffic monitoring 5.0 n/a

Prepared 3rd Party Advertising Partnership Agreements 4.3 n/a

Customer Master Integration 3.7 n/a

Online Information Monitoring Tool 4.7 n/a

Partnerships / deals with Non-medical Social Networking Sites 2.7 n/a

Content Management 4.3 n/a

Dosing and administration look-up 3.7 5.0

Side effects profile 4.0 5.0

SEO 4.7 5.0

eSampling 3.0 5.0

Brand Site Templates 3.7 5.0

Print Stylesheet for all content 3.5 5.0

Contact MSL 4.3 4.7

> Keep business and customer ratings separate• It’s OK to have multiple

ratings for any audience type

• Just remember that you have to come up with a formula, so don’t make ratings any more complex than they have to be

> Rate from 1-5, where 5 is highest

> Don’t haggle over decimal points

> Do a first pass, then go back and re-calibrate


CREATE THE VALUATION FORMULA

Creating a valuation formula will help articulate the criteria you are using and provide direction on items that are unclear or in contention

> Your formula can include conditional clauses

> Use exponents to give specific factors greater influence

> Use subtraction to zero to establish baselines

> Iteratively modify the formula and your ratings until the list looks right

> The purpose of the formula is to explain prioritization that you believe is correct

Average Brand Rating

Customer

Rating

Composite Weighted Ranking

5.0 n/a 65.0

5.0 n/a 65.0

4.3 n/a 65.0

3.7 n/a 65.0

4.7 n/a 65.0

2.7 n/a 2.8

4.3 n/a 65.0

3.7 5.0 43.2

4.0 5.0 48.0

4.7 5.0 58.7

3.0 5.0 32.0

3.7 5.0 42.7

3.5 5.0 40.0

4.3 4.7 45.6

CWR=((CR-1)^2) * (ABR-1)* If required, CWR=65* If no customer rating, CWR=(ABR-1)^2


ALIGN TACTICS TO CATEGORIES

At any time during the process you can begin aligning specific tactics to meaningful categories

Offering FeaturePersonalized Experience RecommendationsPersonalized Experience Popularity metricsPersonalized Experience Comment on or annotate contentPractice Support Formulary Change UpdatesPractice Support EMR IntegrationPractice Support Tech. Service DemosUtilities XML / RSSUtilities Print Stylesheet for all contentUtilities ChatUtilities Tool Apps DownloadableUtilities Sharing Assets, Pages, Site

Access & RegistrationSpecify rate of profile enhancement (cumulative profile)

Access & Registration Tiered authentication and featuresAccess & Registration Keyword-based opt inAccess & Registration Previews / demos of protected contentAnalytics & Insight On-going user analytics toolAnalytics & Insight Traffic monitoringClinical Information Drug Safety Monitoring – AE ReportClinical Information Side effects profileClinical Information Contact MSL

> Phases in a timeline

> Modules in a system

> Project teams> Audiences> Geographies


CREATE A TACTICAL MAP

To gain approval from the client or key stakeholders, it may help to create a conceptual overview of the strategy.

> Represents all of the key tactics> May also include constraints or guidelines> Aligns tactics with audiences> Represents priority or scheduled release


SAMPLE TACTICAL MAP :: E-SERVICES PLATFORM


SAMPLE TACTICAL MAP :: GLOBAL ONLINE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


FINALIZING THE STRATEGY

The creation of the tactical map signals clear consensus among project team members on direction and execution.

> Where possible, prioritization and phasing should be done with the whole project team present

> If not, remember to get their feedback before presenting the strategy to stakeholders

In the time remaining, feel free to practice any of the techniques we’ve covered and ask any questions you might have.

Also, please be sure to fill out a session evaluation, and sign our mailing list for updates and additional resources related to this material.


“ASK…WHAT TOGETHER WE CAN DO FOR THE FREEDOM OF MAN.”

Closing

THANKS!

Dante MurphyGlobal Experience Director, Digitas [email protected]

Georgia SpangenbergSenior Information Architect, Razorfish Health@247ux

Design

Creating an Experience-Driven Strategy: full 2011 UPA presentation