Posts Tagged ‘funding’

Decision Makers Don’t Have Time for Wireframes

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

The people who make the funding decsions don’t have time to read and “understand” the usual documents such as use-cases, detailed wireframes, and PRDs.  Some common situations are:

  • No one has the time to print out let alone read the use-case document, AKA use-case book.
  • The wireframes are too detailed to follow for those who don’t live and breath them.
  • The PRD is really just a cut&paste from a previous PRD.

What can you do? Take a look at the Function-Structure-Process Diagram.

Function Structure Process Diagram

 

 

The goal of this diagram is to do five things.

  1. Show a clear understanding of the goals (function) of the business or organization.
  2. Show a clear understanding of the process (activities) for the users and how they change over time. Change over time could involve learning something (as in this example), building brand awareness or loyalty, or conquest of new customers.
  3. Show the overall structure of the solution you are proposing which could be a web presence or web application.
  4. Show which specific parts of the structure you are proposing support which functions (goals.)
  5. Show which specific parts of the structure you are proposing support which processes (activities) that the users are engaged in. 

References and Further Reading (esoteric warning)

Yes, this is systems thinking with plurality.

Design and Philosophy by Peter Kroes, Pieter E. Vermaas, Andrew Light and Steven Moore