Page 122 - The Design Thinking Playbook

1. Test preparation

The best way to start is to define clear-cut learning goals or hypotheses that we want to test:

• What do we want to learn?
• What do we want to test?
• With whom do we want to conduct the test, and where?

In the end, the test should show what parts of an idea we should keep, what we should change, and
what we should discard. In the early phases, the goal might also be to understand the problem. Before
embarking on the actual test series with various users, an initial test with one person should be carried
out to exclude any errors. We leave enough time to implement improvements after the first test prior to
conducting more tests.

Define question maps
We formulate simple, clear, and open questions that we can explore in greater depth at the end. They
should not be hypothetical but tie in to the real situation of the test person. We do not ask many questions,
but rather focus on the core about which we want to gain insights. Courage and focus are important. Less
important stuff can be omitted, so we don’t overload the tests. We let the user talk about his experience.
As the moderator, we can ask follow-ups when suitable; for example, “Tell us what you think while you do
that.”

Determine the test scenario
We reflect on the exact sequence of the test and the situation of the test person and describe it. We
provide as much context as necessary and explain it as simply as possible. We let the user experience our
prototype and deliberately refrain from explaining the thoughts and considerations behind our prototype.
Particularly in phases of the design thinking process in which there are still many iterations, the issue is
not, for instance, to find out how much the customer would be willing to pay for a product. Instead, we try
to find out whether our idea matches the context and life of our user and, if so, how does it fit.

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