Problem Identification in Digital Projects

We’ve all been in situations where a solution is presented to a problem but something seems wrong. A user is taking an action that we aren’t expecting aren’t really sure why or a client is asking for a certain feature but we aren’t too sure what problem it solves for the user. All of these leave us asking “But what’s the real problem?”

Join us on March 25th to unpack several ways of tackle identifying what the real problem.

We will have three speakers and a Q&A panel that will discuss this topic from an agency, SASS and human-centered design perspective.

Our talks for the evening:

Speaking In Semaphore: Finding and Fixing Red Flags in Client Communication- Ian Phillipchuk, Team Lead at Punchcard Systems

Ever fired off a super important email to a client, only to receive a terse reply back that didn’t even contain the information you were looking for? Having people tell you one thing only to tell your coworkers another? These problems are fixable with a focus on identifying the root causes of client communication issues, and with a bit of work you can cut through all the chatter and focus on the critical signals, communications and touch-points you can use to resolve the situation.

Project delivery that focuses on people and solving the right problem- Sheldon Bauld, Assistant Director of User Experience for the Government of Alberta

You are already a problem solver, you just need the time and space! Using two examples from my previous work, I’ll show you how you can uncover root problems by taking a human-centered approach. I’ll also explain how project structure paves the way for more opportunity and better problem solving.

A Tried and True Classic: The Power of User Interviews - Asha Gupta, Senior Product Manager at Jobber

We've heard it a million times, "get out of the building", "talk to users". How can users help define what problems to solve? How do we prevent these conversations from rabbit-holing into a thousand other topics? What should we expect and not-expect to learn from users? I'll share an example of user research I did at early Venmo that helped transform the design of the app and contributed to Venmo's growth.

Speaker Bios

Ian Phillipchuk is a Team Lead working at Punchcard Systems to turn his talents as a Sr. Developer and his passion as a Technologist to help transform people's businesses by using Data, Process and Development to truly unleash the powerful human resources in every company. Through native and hybrid Mobile Apps, Desktop and Web Apps, he helps companies move from being frightened and uncertain by technology, to viewing and harnessing it as empowering force for their business and their employees.

Sheldon Bauld is currently the Assistant Director of User Experience for the Government of Alberta. He is a seasoned design practitioner, with over 18 years of experience in designing digital experiences. Using a human-centered approach to design, he works hard to improve the interaction between people and the organizations that serve them. Sheldon is an avid cyclist, husband, and father of two.

Asha Gupta is a Senior Product Manager at Jobber on the Platform and Integrations Team. Prior to Jobber, Asha built and shipped product at Squarespace, Etsy and Venmo, and has over 10 years experience in tech. Asha started as a front-end engineer, then moved into UX and finally found her home in Product Management. Asha studied human-centered design at Stanford under IDEO founder, David Kelley. Ask her about why she moved back to Edmonton after 17 years abroad!