Design Thinking In Leadership

Designing Better User Journey Maps (+ Figma/Miro templates). Helpful guides and starter kits to design effective journey maps that generate insights ↓ ✅ We create user journey maps to visualize user’s experience. ✅ Their purpose, however, is to generate meaningful insights. ✅ We start by choosing a lens: current state vs. future state. ✅ Then, we choose a user who experiences the journey. ✅ We capture the situation/goals that we are focusing on. ✅ Next, we list high-level actions users are going through. ✅ We start by defining first and last stage, and fill in-between. ✅ You might start from the end to explore alternative routes. 🚫 Don’t get too granular: list key actions needed for next stage. ✅ Add user’s thoughts, feelings, sentiment, emotional curves. ✅ Add user’s key touchpoints with people, services, tools. ✅ Map user journey across mobile and desktop screens. ✅ Transfer insights from other research (e.g. customer support). ✅ Fill in stage after stage until the entire map is complete. ✅ Then, identify pain points and highlight them with red dots. ✅ Add relevant jobs-to-be-done, metrics, channels if needed. ✅ Attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, Figma files. ✅ Finally, explore ideas and opportunities to address pain points. As Stéphanie Walter noted, often user journeys start way before users actually start interacting with our product — so always consider non-digital touchpoints as well. Users might even need to consult other tools and services as they interact with yours, so keep track on them, too. Personally, I found it remarkably useful to map user journeys against specific mobile and desktop screens that designers have been working on (Spotify model). Not only does it visualize user’s experience *in* the product — it also maps key actions to key screens that the teams must relentlessly focus on. ✤ Useful resources: Guide To Customer Journey Mapping (+ Free Template), by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e-emkh5A Complete Guide To User Journey Maps + Free Templates (Miro, PDF), by Stéphanie Walter https://lnkd.in/erheegtf End-To-End User Experience Map (Figma), by Justin Tan https://lnkd.in/eAV_h-hY Designing Interactive UX Maps, by Megan Brown Article: https://lnkd.in/ehrSi67B Template: https://lnkd.in/eZ6weHhp Ultimate Guide to Experience Mapping, by Joshua Zak, Mackenzie Mitschke https://lnkd.in/epN4zmAu User Journey Maps vs. Service Blueprints (+ Templates), by yours truly https://lnkd.in/e-JSYtwW Useful Miro Templates For Designers, by yours truly https://lnkd.in/eQVxM_Nq #ux #design

Most reps don’t give problem statements the time and attention they need. It should feel like you spent *way* too much time on the problem. Especially in a complex deal, where you need lots of people to agree on: [1] The Problem’s Framing. e.g. “Are MQL’s dropping because return on ad spend is down? Search ranking is dropping? Not capturing organic traffic?” [2] The Problem’s Cost. e.g. “Is this really something we want to spend * that * amount of money on right now?” [3] The Problem’s Priority Level. e.g. “Yes, that’s frustrating, but it’s not really a ‘problem’ because it’s not blocking any type of strategic project.” Here's an example. Say we're thinking about capturing leads on a website. [1 + 2] Start with costs + framing: "Every month, at least 50,000 visitors hit our site, but only 1% convert on our site forms, vs. our target of 2%, costing us 500 conversations per month. (Roughly $2.5 million in ACV based on the current sales funnel.) ^ Not every problem is that "measurable." But the overall framework is: "Every [ frequency ], at least [ reach ] are affected by [ frame the problem ], costing us [ cost ]." [3] Next, layer in consequences to a strategic priority: "Which means we’re spending more on paid ads to hit our targets, driving up our CAC. If this isn’t addressed by the start of Q1, we’ll miss both our revenue and our CAC targets — forcing us to raise at a lower valuation in an already tough capital market." ^ Notice the key phrases here: "Which means... [ negative outcomes]. If that’s not addressed by [ timing ], then, [ it gets worse ]." If you can’t frame a high-cost, high-priority problem, your deal will stall. It’s just a matter of time. If you can write a clear problem statement everyone agrees on, you’ll win. It’s just a matter of time.

😤𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬. Ever wonder why some services feel smooth and seamless, while others leave you frustrated and stuck? It’s not just about technology, it’s about how the organization behind the service is designed. Here’s the kicker: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Most leaders focus on headcount, budgets, or shiny new tools. But the truth is, the 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 of your organization, the 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, and 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 paths, has the biggest 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 on how your 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦. Why? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐫𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧: 🚶♂️ 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: Simple changes take forever. 💥 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: Miscommunications and unclear ownership wreak havoc. 💸 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬: Incidents escalate, damaging your reputation and bottom line. 🍝 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬: Your architecture ends up as tangled spaghetti. 𝐒𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲. By focusing on how users (internal or external) interact with your services, you can: 🔗 Identify pain points in team handoffs. ✂️ Simplify dependencies and ownership. 🤝 Design a structure that supports collaboration, not chaos. 💡 Remember: 𝐀 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. To build reliable services, we need to think bigger than micro-optimizations like CI/CD or TDD. The key lies in designing organizations that enable seamless collaboration and robust system reliability. #Organization #Systemreliability #ConsumerJourney #Leadership #DigitalTransformation

💡User Journey Map vs User Flow: When & how to use tools Understanding how users interact with your product is critical for creating engaging experiences. User journey map and user flow are two essential tools for this purpose . While both tools help visualize user interactions, they serve different purposes. 🍎 User journey map A user journey map visualizes the user's experiences & emotions while interacting with a product or service. It highlights pain points, motivations, and touchpoints across the entire journey, from awareness to post-purchase. Components of user journey map: ✔ Stages: Different phases a user goes through (e.g., awareness, consideration, decision, purchase, retention). ✔ Touchpoints: Interactions between the user and the product or service (e.g., visiting a website, contacting support). ✔ Actions: Actions the user takes at each stage (e.g., filling out a product request form) ✔ Emotions: How user feel at each touchpoint (both positive and negative emotions) ✔ Pain Points: Challenges faced by the user ✔ Opportunities: Potential areas for improvement Use cases for user journey maps: ✔ Identifying user pain points and areas for improvement in customer experience   ✔ Aligning teams on user-centric strategies (putting strong focus on user) 📺 How to design user journey map in FigJam (YouTube): https://lnkd.in/djJR6by8 🍏 User flow A user flow diagram focuses on the specific steps and interactions a user takes to complete a particular task within a product or service. Components of user flow: ✔ Entry point: How the user begins the flow (e.g., landing on the homepage of an online shop). ✔ Steps: Sequential actions the user takes to complete the task (e.g., browsing product categories, adding a product to cart, checking out). ✔ Decision points: Moments where the user must make a choice (e.g., selecting a payment method). ✔ Exit point: The end of the flow where the user accomplishes their goal (e.g., order confirmation). Use cases: ✔ Designing and optimizing specific user tasks (e.g., checkout flow) ✔ Facilitating usability testing and feedback (prioritizing test cases for the flow) 📺 How to design user flow in FigJam (YouTube): https://lnkd.in/dcCnAH6R 📕 3 Key Differences between user journey and user flow: 1️⃣ Scope: User journey map: Broad, covers the entire user experience across multiple touchpoints and stages. User flow: Narrow, focuses on specific tasks and interactions within a product. 2️⃣ Focus: User journey map: Emphasizes user emotions, pain points, and overall experience. User flow: Emphasizes efficiency and logical progression of tasks. 3️⃣ Aim: User journey map: Ideal for understanding the user's holistic experience and identifying strategic opportunities for improvement. User flow: Ideal for designing and refining specific features or processes within a product. #UX #UI #design #uxdesign #uidesign #productdesign

Are you generating enough value for users net of the value to your company? Business value can only be created when you create so much value for users, that you can “tax” that value and take some for yourself as a business. If you don’t create any value for your users, then you can’t create value for your business. Ed Biden explains how to solve this in this week's guest post: Whilst there are many ways to understand what your users will value, two techniques in particular are incredibly valuable, especially if you’re working on a tight timeframe: 1. Jobs To Be Done 2. Customer Journey Mapping 𝟭. 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲 (𝗝𝗧𝗕𝗗) “People don’t simply buy products or services, they ‘hire’ them to make progress in specific circumstances.”  – Clayton Christensen The core JTBD concept is that rather than buying a product for its features, customers “hire” a product to get a job done for them … and will ”fire” it for a better solution just as quickly. In practice, JTBD provides a series of lenses for understanding what your customers want, what progress looks like, and what they’ll pay for. This is a powerful way of understanding your users, because their needs are stable and it forces you to think from a user-centric point of view. This allows you to think about more radical solutions, and really focus on where you’re creating value. To use Jobs To Be Done to understand your customers, think through five key steps: 1. Use case – what is the outcome that people want? 2. Alternatives – what solutions are people using now? 3. Progress – where are people blocked? What does a better solution look like? 4. Value Proposition – why would they use your product over the alternatives? 5. Price – what would a customer pay for progress against this problem? 𝟮. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 Customer journey mapping is an effective way to visualize your customer’s experience as they try to reach one of their goals. In basic terms, a customer journey map breaks the user journey down into steps, and then for each step describes what touchpoints the customer has with your product, and how this makes them feel. The touch points are any interaction that the customer has with your company as they go through this flow: • Website and app screens • Notifications and emails • Customer service calls • Account management / sales touch points • Physically interacting with goods (e.g. Amazon), services (e.g. Airbnb) or hardware (e.g. Lime) Users’ feelings can be visualized by noting down: • What they like or feel good about at this step • What they dislike, find frustrating or confusing at this step • How they feel overall By mapping the customer’s subjective experience to the nuts and bolts of what’s going on, and then laying this out in a visual way, you can easily see where you can have the most impact, and align stakeholders on the critical problems to solve.

Prototyping has always been where things get real. It’s that moment when your idea leaves the whiteboard and starts taking shape in the hands of a team. It’s messy. It’s iterative. It’s essential. And it’s where I’ve seen AI unlock something truly powerful. Not in theory. In practice. The prototyping phase is full of pressure — timelines, resources, testing, approvals. And yet, so much of it is still held back by manual, slow, fragmented processes. That’s where AI comes in. AI can generate design options in minutes. It can simulate user behavior before a product even exists. It can help you test, fail, and refine without burning months of budget. But here’s what I keep telling leadership teams: AI isn’t a shortcut. It’s an accelerator. And if your team isn’t ready to move faster and think differently, it won’t stick. This is why change management matters. When you bring AI into something as high-impact as product development, it affects everything — how teams collaborate, how decisions are made, how success is measured. It shifts the dynamics. That shift needs structure. Trust. Communication. Leadership. At AI-First Mindset™, our organizational transformation consulting helps you do exactly that. We work across five core areas — from leadership engagement to skill development and cultural change — to make sure your team is aligned, equipped and confident. Because adopting AI in product development shouldn’t feel risky. It should feel like progress. Learn more about using AI to accelerate prototyping and drive innovation by following me on LinkedIn. #AIProductDevelopment #InnovationThroughAI #AIInProductDesign

"You (or your thinking) aren't strategic enough." Here are 7 actionable steps to help you address this TODAY: (Prioritize #6 - others can't read your mind) 1. Seek Specific Examples ↳How: Approach the feedback with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Ask your manager or key stakeholders for specific instances where you could have been more strategic. Frame these conversations around seeking advice rather than just feedback. Mentors can also help here. ↳Why: Helps you focus your efforts on the appropriate next step(s). 2. Understand the Business Strategy ↳How: Dive deep into your company's strategy. This can be done through reviewing formal strategy documents, participating actively in strategy meetings, or having one-on-one discussions with key leaders. ↳Why: A deep understanding of the overall strategy will provide context for your actions and decisions. It also signals to others that you are ingesting the necessary inputs. 3. Link Your Work to the Strategy ↳How: Explicitly connect your current projects and initiatives with the broader business strategy. When communicating about your work, balance the focus between immediate outcomes and future implications. ↳Why: This showcases your long-term thinking and impact, beyond what is being delivered in the near-term. 4. Scale your Work ↳How: Identify ways to expand the impact of your work, either horizontally across different areas of the business or vertically by adding more value to functions you already serve. ↳Why: Scaling your work demonstrates a strategic mindset that thinks beyond the immediate scope. 5. Propose New Opportunities ↳How: Put forward new ideas for the organization, regardless if they may be immediately pursued or not. ↳Why: This shows initiative and a strategic approach to business growth. 6. Expose Your Thought Process ↳How: When in meetings or preparing documents, go beyond presenting results. Articulate the thinking behind your decisions and actions. ↳Why: This helps showcase your strategic thinking to others. 7. Communicate at the Right Altitude ↳How: Tailor your communication to your audience, especially when dealing with senior leaders. Start with the main message ('the punchline') and the first level of detail. ↳Why: This approach ensures that your communication is concise, focused and effective in strategically aligning with the interests and concerns of your audience. PS: Strategic thinking requires mental space, create time for it in your schedule. ----- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

🎨One of the most critical skills to build 0 to 1 products both at a startup or inside a large company is the art of prototyping.🎨 I call it art and less of science because it involves a lot of creativity to get to a working model with the least amount of time and cost and there is quite literally no standard repeatable process. Great product managers and product companies however have managed to create the right prototypes repeatedly rather scrappily by truly understanding what really matters the most. One of my favourite examples is of how Google Books was born. In 2002, Larry Page began wondering if it was possible to make every published book ever published searchable online. As the cofounder, Larry could have assigned a team of engineers to the problem and given them a nice budget. Instead he got a digital camera, rigged it to a tripod and set the contraption up on a table in his office. He pointed the camera at the table, turned on a metronome to pace his movement and starting snapping pictures whilst Marissa Mayer turned the page. Based on this crude prototype, they were able to estimate what it took to digitise a book. Google Books was born. There are numerous such examples. ✴️Airbnb was born over a design conference weekend when the founders put up their single airbed on a static website and got some guests validating their hypothesis. ✴️Netflix knew it was possible to rent dvds over mail because they could mail themselves a dvd and it came back to them intact. ✴️Ubers prototype was users would text their location and behind the scenes they used phone calls to despatch black town cars. ✴️The iPhone’s very first prototype was a phone module rigged to an iPod. If one were to abstract the key guiding philosophies that go into making great prototypes, it would be 👉 Not thinking of scale first. This is what kills most new products. Instead of validating value with a few people and then think of gradually scaling, big companies especially think scale first and inevitably spend a monstrous amount of time to build an unproven hypothesis at scale to immediately deliver business value. Inevitably when it fails, management has no further motivation to pursue given the huge cost already incurred. 👉Use existing infrastructure to quickly put together something to prove the concept works and users love it. Almost often no custom tech solutions are built but rather reusing existing solutions to make a scrappy contraption. 👉 A sense of urgency. Almost often these scrappy contraptions were put together in a very short time frame to quickly test the hypothesis. A word of caution here is that these guiding principles may not work for all industries say such as health care where human life is at stake. So be mindful of absolute non negotiables when defining your prototypes. #productmanagement #prototyping #productcraft #zerotoone

Are You Solving the Right Problem? As leaders & professionals, we're often under pressure to act quickly when challenges arise. Our instinct—or perhaps muscle memory—is to dive straight into solution mode. But over the years, I've found that one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is: Are we solving the right problem? Consider the hybrid workforce. Organizations often roll out solutions like employee engagement activities, gift cards, virtual celebrations, enforcing video-on policies during calls, or hosting virtual team-building sessions. While these seem like good ideas, they may serve as quick fixes that don't address the real issue. So, what's the actual problem? ❓Is it a lack of engagement? ❓A drop in productivity? ❓Struggles with team cohesiveness? ❓Or could it be something deeper, like communication barriers? ❓Disconnect between leadership and employees? ❓Or even more fundamental issues like trust and culture? Getting to the heart of the problem is crucial. 🛠️ 3 Steps to Identify the Right Problem: Observe and Listen: Start by carefully observing the symptoms. What are the visible signs that something's not working? Gather data and listen to feedback from your team. This will help you understand the nature of the issue. Ask Deep Questions: Go beyond surface-level explanations. Use techniques like the "5 Whys" to dig into the root causes. If engagement is low, ask why—several times over—to uncover the core issue. The real problem often lies beneath the symptoms. Understand the Context: Consider the broader organizational environment, team dynamics, and culture. What seems like an issue in one area might be a symptom of a deeper problem elsewhere. Context is critical to accurate diagnosis. Once the right problem is identified, solving it effectively requires careful consideration. 💡 3 Considerations When Solving the Problem: Engage Multiple Perspectives: Involve diverse voices from across the organization. Different perspectives can reveal angles you might miss and lead to more robust solutions. Collaboration ensures broader acceptance and better outcomes. Resist the Quick Fix: It's tempting to go for quick solutions, but they often only address symptoms. Focus on sustainable solutions that tackle the root cause. This may take more time, but the long-term benefits are worth it. Reflect and Iterate: After implementing a solution, reflect on its impact. Did it address the problem effectively? Be prepared to iterate and adjust as needed. Continuous improvement is essential for long-term success. The most successful leaders don't just jump to solutions—they take the time to define the problem accurately. By doing so, they create a foundation for meaningful, lasting change. So, before you dive into solving what seems like an urgent issue, ask yourself: Am I truly solving the right problem? #Leadership #OrganizationalDevelopment #ProblemSolving #HybridWorkforce #Culture

For most in the product world, the idea of experimentation or testing immediately conjures up the idea of A/B testing. But A/B testing is really only possible under very specific circumstances. You typically need high volumes of traffic, simple UX choices and clear, measurable metrics. For example, it lends itself well to marketing website content driving conversion, but not to intricate product features inside apps that are meant to encourage product usage. So a great many product managers reject the idea as impossible and resort instead to just blindly building and launching whatever gets requested. But A/B testing is merely one very specific tool. It does not equal the concept of experimentation. True product experimentation is very simple: 1> You come up with ideas and theories (hypotheses) about customer problems or needs, ideally based on feedback and observation. 2> You ideate and build a very basic solution concept for that hypothesis. 3> You validate that concept with customers. 4> Based on the validation, you iterate, pivot or reject the concept. 'Validation' does not mean A/B testing. It does not need to be perfect. Furthermore, A/B testing is itself very far from perfect anyway. There are some very significant technical, methodological and maturity issues which mean that the vast majority of people using these tools are not seeing what they think they are seeing. No, the objective is simply to find the best possible way you have to sense check the solution with the market, and for that to be appropriate effort and cost for the stage of development of the idea. An initial rough prototype could be tested by asking some staff members to try it. Slightly more developed ideas could be tested by using surveys. B2B product prototypes can be tested by asking 2-3 customers. These are all perfectly acceptable forms or validation and 'testing'. Any kind of validation that takes you outside of your own opinions and bias is better than none. #product #productmanagement #productexperimentation #productdiscovery #productstrategy #digitalexperience #ecommerce