Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
The Problem Space
Summary
Over 3 decades of software design and development, we have seen the creation and proliferation of tools that help our teams be great at the solution space - diagramming, sketching, prototyping, tracking, measuring. How might we make ourselves better at working in the problem space? In this videoconference, we brainstorm and explore the topic, and maybe even inspire someone to build that perfect tool.
Key Insights
-
•
There is a wide variety of prototyping tools, but tooling for early problem space research is underdeveloped.
-
•
UX researchers spend significant time manual coding and synthesizing interview transcripts without much tool automation.
-
•
Language mapping using natural language processing could help extract user narratives and keywords to better understand user thinking.
-
•
Data repositories across organizations often fail due to tool complexity and lack of cross-disciplinary accessibility.
-
•
Collaborative tools like Mural facilitate real-time brainstorming and affinity mapping in remote teams.
-
•
Hypothesis definition is a largely social and iterative process, reliant on team communication rather than technical tooling.
-
•
Mapping assumptions from user and business outcomes supports prioritizing testable prototypes early.
-
•
Tooling that connects research questions, assumptions, tests, and outcomes could provide critical ‘glue’ for the research process.
-
•
Research approaches differ greatly depending on context, from startups to established enterprises requiring flexible tooling.
-
•
Remote work increases reliance on digital collaborative tools but also surfaces challenges in managing distributed inputs and synthesis.
Notable Quotes
"We have eight million prototyping tools but not many tools that help us spend more time in the problem space."
"I suspect there are specific tasks we could support more effectively with dedicated tools."
"Langauge is what shapes us, and extracting keywords helps us create narratives to understand how people think."
"Data repositories often fail because of the complexity in cataloging and who can access the information."
"We still do a lot of coding transcripts by hand, and I’m not sure where the ideal digital intersection is."
"The hardest thing with hypotheses is looking for the disconfirming evidence, not just the confirmatory."
"I’d love a tool that combines research questions, assumptions, tests, and outcomes all in one place."
"Different organizations need different approaches; it’s hard to generalize research tooling needs."
"Tools like Mural are great for remote real-time sticky note brainstorming and affinity mapping."
"Once you have a testable prototype, you can validate and iterate quickly, which makes a broad early approach useful."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We want you to leave feeling like all those missed Slack messages and emails are worth it."
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
October 3, 2023
"Check-outs and reflections normalized pausing and being honest about what we don’t know."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"On lower layers, research spaces are limited and focused, while at higher layers, problem spaces are ambiguous and require holistic approaches."
Cornelius RachieruHandling Complexity: Framing a Scale of Design
June 9, 2021
"Designing for the largest audience possible means including people with temporary or situational impairments."
Megan Clegg Michael Haggerty-Villa Alexis MorinSpace for Everyone: Reframing Accessibility Through a Wider Lens
June 10, 2021
"These islands of design were close together or far away; our map brought them all closer."
Saara Kamppari-MillerCartography for Design Communities
September 10, 2025
"High-level leadership changes in government often result in shifts in organizational moods and priorities."
Kara KaneTheme One Intro
November 16, 2022
"Studio Thick’s name refers to thick value — qualitative research with more depth than simple messages."
Natalia RadywylCo-Designing New Power in Australia's Public Sector
November 16, 2022
"People in some countries are three times more likely to buy a product if it’s localized in their language."
Nancy DouyonWe'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex
June 15, 2018
"There’s a lot of steps behind the scenes to make conversations useful and safe."
Peter Van DijckBuilding the Rosenbot
June 4, 2024
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What task scope limitations should be considered when working with AI for code generation or design assistance?
How can emerging communities of practice support designers and facilitators working with social complexity?
What does research say about humans' accuracy in judging AI's assistance in tasks?