LearningJar has been a part of perfect storm with 4 parts hard work and 1 part luck. We found each other through a shared friend and a week later came together in SF to find a way to bring the vision to life and in scope for our first release. I came armed with sticky notes and sharpies a plenty, in three days we had scaled the business model, focused our audience and sketched core interactions.

As a part of Imagine K12 LearningJar has had the perfect environment to nurture, grow and be released. Winner at this year’s SXSWedu it’s easy to see why this product will be a smashing success.

Below is a part of the design vision for LeaningJar’s BETA release. Enjoy and never stop learning!

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1. Get creative.

Problem solving starts with imagination. Children are limitless thinkers because they have no experience to tell them a cow won’t jump over the moon. Then we tell them a cow cannot safely make the trip – a monkey already did it – and that we no longer go to the moon. Creativity can be taught and untaught. Survivors will have to learn to forget in order to imagine solutions that don’t yet exist.

How can we produce more problem solvers by perpetuating creative thinking?

2. Make connections.

Designing a sustainable future requires the ability to compare the effects of our actions against the impact they will have on people tomorrow – including ourselves. Data reveals exactly what we do, where we are, and who we influence. What, and how we learn from it determines our direction.

How can we design interfaces that help people understand their role in establishing connections?

3. Know your data.

Solutions are discovered by investigating information. The intent with which information is written and disclosed influences its interpretation. The quantity of data that information contains is variable, but we digest it without question. It informs our decision making. It shapes what we do, what we don’t do, and what we want. Building knowledge based on data and not information allows us to be free.

How can we empower people to extract their own data?

4. Take back public space.

The evolution of successful ideas depends on where, when and how they live. Physical public spaces – once centers for learning, gathering and sharing – are being displaced by digital ones. A loss of physical public space creates a void. Protect public spaces by adapting and enhancing their ability to provide service.

How can we curate the content of physical and digital public spaces in order for them to remain relevant?

5. Do it now.

Success depends on how quickly we act. Actions reflect the imagination we retain while making connections to data we can freely access from public spaces. Design and support systems that are responsive and adaptive to how, when, where and from whom we learn from.

What will we do to influence action right now?

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Can User Experience save the world? The folks at Manifest Digital think so. That’s why they put together the first ever design competition of its kind, UX for Good. I was fortunate enough to come together with a team of 9 other designers to work with the Third Teacher in attempt to re-imagine the public school. A pretty lofty goal for 48 hours. None the less, we came out on top. It was a pleasure to work beside so many talented people. Congratulations to all who were involved with this event. Hope to see you again at UX for Good in the Gulf 2012.

I run into this a lot in my work. A developer, a project manager, a CEO, a designer, a client, they just want the answer, they just want you to get to the answer so they can continue the project, write the code, bill the client. I’ve become better and better at trusting the process, and at asking more questions. I know that a solution will be reached. And a solution is more than an answer. It’s a plan, it’s alive and beaming with opportunity.

Trust the process. Ask more questions. Even if you don’t know the answers, they will guide you to a solution.

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This process is based on the book Mental Models Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior
By Indi Young. Rosenfeld Media, February 2008.
ISBNs: paperback (1-933820-06-3); digital editions (1-933820-19-5)

How is it Created?
A Mental Model is created by talking and more importantly, listening directly to customers to understand their process, motivations and feelings. Once all of the interviews are completed they are transcribed and combed to identify specific tasks and actions. Then they are grouped by identifying patterns between all of the participants and tasks. Once grouped we build the accumulated Mental Model of the customer. It’s organized by the audience segments, the natural tasks that were identified and the voice of each tasks (how many people of a certain group thought this). The diagram is organized in a visual timeline of towers (the higher the tower, the more detail and complex the task or idea). This creates the top half of the model, our overall big picture of our clientele. The bottom half is created by mapping current product offerings to the Mental Space. This allows us to identifying gaps in offerings and services and in return provides context to align a design strategy to the product for the next year quarter by quarter.

What it Provides
• Direct Connection with your Customer Base
• Helps to Identify New Audience Segments
• Reveals Gaps in your Offerings
• Unlocks Potential Revenue Opportunities
• Provides Confidence in Design Decision Making
• Informs Decision Making on Product Offerings
• Road map for Long Term Strategy

Mental Model Projects to Date
• CareerBuilder.com Mental Model of Job Seekers
• Duo Consulting Internal Mental Model of a Consulting Firm