Page - 166 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

166 M.F. Tannian Where this work is performed is integral to the process. This space is ideally well lit and flexible in terms of furnitureand work surfaces. The workspaceshould facilitate collaboration and immersion. While onsite team members are actively working on the project, they should work in this space in order to be present for informal and possibly spontaneous exchanges. Having a stable location allows the team to place various project artifacts (e.g., prototypes, charts, drawings) in proximity to each other. Working in this space allows team members to recall and dwell on previous outcomes as they progress further along in design development. Prototype assembly and evaluation often takes place in this room. Specialized equipment may require prototype subassemblies to be constructed elsewhere. This may be a place where cooperating users meet with design team members. Depending on which design thinking techniques are used, it is helpful at times to have a space in which to assemble a gallery of ideas for collaborating colleagues and users to explore and consider. Anchoring the gallery in the team’s designated spacewill likely improveactivity logistics. There is a strong drive within design thinking to “do” or “make.” This mindset reinforces “fail faster, succeed sooner.” When one is exploring the unknown, multiple quick experiments may quickly yield useful signals that will guide the designtosuccess. Inordertomake, the teamneedsparts,materials, toolsandtalent. The talentcomponent is addressed in partwhen formingthe team;however,certain specialties may not be in-house or are not available for extended commitments to the project. Given the need for speed, variety, and volume of prototypes, the fidelity of the prototypes change as the design progresses. Fidelity is a term that relates to a prototype’s approximation of a final finished product or service. A low-fidelity prototype focuses on large conceptual questions and often consists of rough drawn ideas or simple three-dimensional mockups. There is quite a bit of engineering undone at low fidelity. As the team makes deeper commitments to design alternatives the degree of fidelity increases, which is reflected in the level ofengineeringinvestmentandoperationalsophisticationof theprototype. The team must consider the tradeoff between sophistication and conceptual agility as fidelity increases. Design thinking’s goal is a user-centered nuanced understanding and design, and often the result is not a market-ready product or service. The team may realize significant shortcomings exist as user consultations progress. Investments in sophistication that does not directly influence the user experience or their task objectives are unlikely good design thinking prototype features. Inmanycases,design thinkingyieldsmaturematerializedor implemented user requirements, but not necessarily a final product or service. Manufacturing engineering and production-gradesoftware development processes are expected to follow. Partsandmaterialsareoftengenericorarerepurposedstore-boughtitems.Large formatpaper,whiteboards,coloredpensandmarkers,paints, stickers, stickynotes, pipecleaners, andLegoblocksareoftenusedat lowfidelity.Softwaredevelopment may start earlier than other technical disciplines because of the flexibility of programingandcomputingplatforms.Theteammayseektotestafinaldesignunder close to real-worldconditionsprior tosubmitting thedesignandclosing thedesign-