HCD for finding the right aha moments & needs to drive ideation
Lean for prototyping
Agile principles & documentation for team work / management
Behavioral economics (& psychology) design for successful iterating
Prototyping
Qualitative Research
Synthesis
Reflective insights-gathering
Freeform writing helps clear the mind. Figuring out what assumptions and preconceptions I have walking into a project helps shape my questions and early-stage prototyping. It’s important to test assumptions early on; what you discover may surprise and change the direction of a project. Working on a product you have very little personal experience with (say, a product for first-time parents of a toddler).
Co-design with stakeholders
Stakeholders include the end-user, but also those channels a product must navigate to reach said end-user (such as, for instance, a parent in the case of a child). Working in Germany with a wooden toy maker gave me insight into how Ursula Wunsch reflected parents decision-making process in presenting her toys for children.