There is no such thing as a saving grace methodology
Values linked to research activity work better than clinging to a specific method or a particular tool as the only option.
Being observant and learning from the experiences of other people, share thoughts and communicate as a team or being capable of getting excited about new projects are values linked to research activity that, according to our experience, work better than clinging to a specific method or a particular tool as the only option.
A few weeks ago MAGMA team took part in #6SCD, an event that lasts three days, in which some of the best studios and well-known designers from around the country gather around and meet in the city of Sevilla. We imparted a Workshop about ‘Research and Design in Agile Contexts,’ and our first challenge was to be dynamic and capable of squeezing all that we wanted to transmit in the 4 hours that the workshop lasted. We chose to limit the spectrum of possible subjects to address suggesting two specific challenges related with alimentation, which the participants had to face to develop different prototypes:
- How can we redefine the experience of cooking in the year 2030? (physical product with digital interactions)
- How can we re-imagine the experience of consuming food? (service based on an App)
Agile software development is defined as a group of production methodologies based on iterative implementation, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organized multifunctional teams.
There are lots of agile methodologies available nowadays: design thinking, lean, scrum, kanban, etc. All of them arise when companies start having an interest in structured design processes as an opportunity to increase the setting of the market with new products, services, and experiences.
However, we did not want to impose one way or the other, but to boost the research process and to walk along the participants in their thought process. We believe that the important thing is to learn to work collaboratively, manage the uncertainty of innovation projects focused on people, and adapt to each situation because according to our experience no methodology per se can solve all problems.
We do not sell a saving grace method, on the contrary, we believe in research and experimentation as a way to face challenges to set out an optimal solution.
We grouped the attendees in four teams, and we helped them to describe facts, identify desires, needs, obstacles, and hopes to establish the emotional attributes and functionalities of the product and service that they needed to make a prototype in the second phase of the workshop. They had a wall filled with information that provided them with hints about the latest research, trends and threats/challenges that surround the subjects presented. On this same wall, each team hung their thoughts and progress regarding the theme. We used the findings from the research phase to set the challenges and make the prototypes of a service or product during the second phase.
The results were surprisingly good for the short amount of time that we had: A vending machine associated with a wearable, a smart surface that interacts with the food you are going to cook or a search engine of markets with a Green profile. But we wanted more. So much more, that we even though about the possibility of extending the time of the workshop up to 16 hours to try to help the entrepreneurs or the owners of consolidated companies to understand specific tools and help them to appreciate the viability of their ideas.
Where is the market opportunity? What am I designing makes sense? Does someone need my product? We want to know the answers to these questions based on an investigation that can be carried out in an agile way. But we want to know it from the honesty that gives us the experience of knowing that no methodology is perfect. Why? Because it is necessary to understand the context, the limitations, and barriers of use, as well as the needs, desires, and aspirations of the people with whom we work and to whom our product is directed, before deciding to apply a specific (and saving) tool.
