We as a team found this phase of our project to be equally challenging and rewarding. The team went into this phase of the project overloaded with information from all of the background research and interviews conducted. There was a point where it felt as if there was no direction in sight. The affinity diagram of our problem space helped the team group together all of this information we had into more specific and focused areas. By doing this, the team was able to identify the main problem areas and put aside some of the ineffective information acquired. The product specifications chart was then centered around the these main problem areas.
The team did still have trouble with some areas of ambiguity. We had trouble identifying the infrastructure root problems and problem statements (and they still might not be correct). Infrastructure is such a complex issue that it was difficult to narrow down specific problems without being too vague. We also had trouble defining problem statements without having a certain solution in mind. Something the team learned from the product specifications chart was to not focus and fall in love with a certain problem area. The team could have just solely focused on the safety aspect since it was the most common theme from the background research, but we may have missed where another problem area may have overlapped with safety. With the product specifications chart, the team has something to fall back on and review in case new information or a new development in the project presents itself.
This activity helped bring clarity because we were able to define specific problems within certain areas. The team now has direct problem statements to base new research of information off of, instead of parsing through pages of interview notes and research. The team can also stack up each problem statement and review them based off the metrics assigned to them. This will give the team more of a quantitative benchmark for each problem area. The team is excited to move forward with the project, but one area of ambiguity that remains is the mechanical aspect of the scooters. We have not been able to visit and tour the Lime warehouse yet (cancelled on Nov. 13, rescheduled for Nov. 27). The team could run into an issue if project changing information is acquired from this visit (doubtful, but could happen), but we now have a better understanding of our problems areas (product specifications chart) and users (personas) to adequately take in the information and move forward.