Page - 165 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

Embracing Qualitywith Design Thinking 165 centered design approach. A critical objective is to understand users and their objectives, needs, and impediments as they relate to what is being designed. Design is iterative and eventually converges on a final design by repeating the pattern of learning-making-evaluatingas well as the pattern of divergent thinking– convergent thinking. The design team implements multiple alternative designs and allows users to experience these alternatives. The team adopts user insights as the design progresses. Design thinking relies heavily on the team’s ability to work, explore, fail, and learn together. An underlying assumption is that initial designs are somehow wrong. Each design alternative is a good guess, but only a guess to which the team should not be overly committed.The principle “fail faster, succeed sooner” (attributed to David Kelley) is inherent in design thinking [8]. Teams should recognize the limits of analysis and rely on experimentation to achieve understanding. These experiments utilize prototypes that progress in fidelity from paper drawings, Lego blocks, and pipe cleaners to functional product as the team approaches itsgoalofdeliveringa productor servicedesign. 3.2 Design ThinkingResources Innovation is necessary for nearly all businesses, but it is not guaranteed to occur for all. Fundamentally, innovation is finding a viable solution to a problem for the first time.Adesign teammaynotbe thefirst to try.However, if theyare successful, they will be the first to discover a previously unknown answer. Innovation using design thinking results from a clever fusion of resources. People, place, parts, and partnershiparenecessary fordesign thinkingto thrive. In practice, designing innovative products and services requires a team of designers. In this context, the term “designer” is a role, not a designation, resulting from training in the design fields. Each member should be an expert in relevant technologies or fields of study or areas of the business. Diversity among members enablestheteamtoproposeavarietyofandidentifypotential incandidatesolutions. Each member needs to possess or be willing to develop the qualities of being observant, empathetic, attentive, and humble. These qualities are essential for each teammember to learn throughout thedesignprocessaswell as for the teamtoform commonunderstandings. Withlanguageandspeechbeinglimitedformsofcommunication,visual thinking is an essential skill when communicating concepts and relationships that linear- vocabulary-boundcommunication struggles to convey. Pictorial communication is lesshinderedbydifferences inpersonalhistory,culture,and language. There will be mistakes and misunderstandings. It is important to “fail fast,” learn,andadapt.Theteamshouldencouragethoughtfulrisk taking.Eachmember’s contribution has the potential to tip the effort into a successful direction. The converse is also true in that suggestions may prove to send the effort astray. Therefore, the team needs to provide a safe supportive environment and be able towork togetherwith sharedpurpose,flexibility, andurgency.