Alen Faljic on Soft Data and Design Thinking (Full Interview)

Summary

In this insightful discussion, Alan, an expert in design thinking from a business perspective, shares his knowledge on how to blend qualitative and quantitative data to better understand customers. He emphasizes the importance of empathy and starting with ill-defined problems to innovate effectively. Alan's experience with IDEA, a company that specializes in design thinking, highlights the value of customer-centric approaches and the power of soft data in crafting impactful solutions. He offers practical advice on conducting interviews, synthesizing findings, and creating actionable prototypes to validate ideas before full-scale development.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Design Thinking is a methodology that starts with an ill-defined problem and works inductively to find solutions, focusing on customer empathy and qualitative data.
• 🔍 Empathy in business is crucial for understanding customers' emotional and functional needs, providing a competitive advantage through better product and marketing strategy design.
• 💡 Soft data, or qualitative data, is less academic and more about understanding the 'why' behind customer actions, which is often missed in hard data analytics.
• 🗣️ Engaging with customers through interviews is essential for gathering insights that cannot be obtained through quantitative data alone.
• 📍 Defining customer profiles and conducting 10-12 interviews helps in understanding the target audience and their perspectives on problems and potential solutions.
• 🎁 Offering compensation for interview participants can increase response rates and willingness to share insights, even if it's non-monetary like a gift or discount.
• 🌐 When targeting a specific market, it's vital to conduct interviews with local people to understand cultural nuances and context.
• 📝 Keeping detailed notes from interviews is critical for later analysis and identifying patterns in customer feedback.
• 🔄 Using prototypes to test assumptions and validate ideas with potential customers before fully developing a product or service is a cost-effective approach.
• 🔍 Both qualitative and quantitative testing methods have their place; qualitative for initial insights and quantitative for validating larger trends and assumptions.
• 🚀 Learning from customer feedback should lead to actionable insights that guide product development, marketing strategies, and business decisions.

Q & A

What is the core concept of Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a way of thinking that focuses on solving business challenges through empathy and understanding the end-user's perspective. It starts with an ill-defined problem and works inductively to find solutions, always putting the customer at the center.

How does Alan define 'soft data' in the context of Design Thinking?

Alan refers to 'soft data' as qualitative data that comes from understanding customers on a deeper level. It involves gathering insights through conversations and interviews, which help in grasping the emotional and functional needs of the customers.

What is the significance of empathy in Design Thinking?

Empathy in Design Thinking is crucial as it allows one to understand another person's feelings and thoughts. It moves beyond analytics to a human level, focusing on the customer's experience and needs, which ultimately leads to designing better products and services.

How does Alan suggest overcoming the fear of rejection or embarrassment when talking to potential customers?

Alan suggests framing the interaction as a conversation rather than an interview. He advises starting with casual questions to make the person feel comfortable, and emphasizing that the goal is not to sell anything but to have a discussion.

What is the importance of local research when targeting a new market?

Local research is vital because culture varies greatly from one place to another. Understanding the local culture and community is essential to gain insights into the target market's needs and behaviors, which can significantly influence the success of a product or service.

How does Alan recommend conducting interviews to gather qualitative data?

Alan recommends defining the questions to be answered and the profiles of people to be interviewed. He suggests setting up 6 to 12 interviews, compensating participants for their time, and using both online platforms and in-person meetings to gather diverse perspectives.

What should one do with the learnings gathered from Design Thinking interviews?

The learnings should be actionable, meaning they should direct changes in the product or marketing strategy. They can be used to create prototypes, which can then be tested and refined based on feedback from the interviews.

How does Alan approach the challenge of potential bias in qualitative research?

Alan acknowledges that qualitative research can be subjective and biased. To mitigate this, he advises not discussing the solution until the end of the interview, using extreme examples to test reactions, and focusing on understanding the 'why' behind customer needs rather than their responses to a specific idea.

What is the role of online communities and reviews in gathering customer insights?

Online communities and reviews can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and pain points. By observing discussions and reading reviews of competitors' products, one can learn about what customers like and dislike, which can inform product development and marketing strategies.

How does Alan suggest using the insights from customer interviews?

Alan suggests using the insights to create and test prototypes. These prototypes can be presented to interviewees or a wider audience to gather feedback. The goal is to validate assumptions and ensure that the product or service aligns with customer needs and desires.

What are the next steps after conducting Design Thinking interviews?

After conducting interviews, one should synthesize the data to identify patterns and insights. These learnings should then be used to create actionable design principles that guide the development of prototypes, which can be further tested and refined based on feedback.