Graham MacDougall

How Design Thinking can help teams collaborate better and build better

Presentation Synopsis:
Have you ever started a project and realized that you are not entirely sure why certain features are being built or how they will create benefit?

Have you ever created something for a client that, when they review it in a near-finished state, you learn there are large gaps between what it is and their expectations?

Does your team struggle to be aligned around what needs to be built?

If you said yes to any of these questions, Design Thinking can help you, your team and your clients work together faster to build better.

Why Design Thinking? It achieves all three of these advantages at the same time:

It is a user-centered process - It starts with user data, creates design documents to illustrate how real user needs could be met, and then tests those assumptions with real users.
It leverages your team's collective expertise and establishes a shared language and buy-in.
It encourages innovation by exploring different ways to solve a problem.

In this session, Graham will explore how the design-thinking framework can be adapted for almost any situation to help teams work together effectively in order to develop a shared understanding of a problem, creative ways to solve it and have fun in the process!

Speaker Biography: Graham is a Senior Consultant and Service Design Practice Lead with Barrington Consulting with 25 years of experience in a variety of digital product and services leadership roles, including service design, research, strategy, development, and operations. As a skilled digital media leader and certified UX Master, Graham has led teams and projects across a number of sectors, developing and launching digital products that have brought growth and transformation to organizations in both Canada and the USA. His expertise in both building digital products and in user experience (UX) research help him understand business needs, facilitate change, and create impact.