Exploratory Research for AI Implementation
Project Overview
With the rise in AI and other emerging technologies, I was tasked with conducting exploratory research within a specific segment of my company to determine the value of AI technology replacing manual tasks. Though there was a recognition of the need to increase efficiency within this segment of the company, it was a question of where this technology would be feasible and most beneficial. As a researcher, I was brought in to lead the charge on interviewing internal employees, develop blueprints, and lead brainstorming sessions to identify solution spaces.
Exploratory Interviews
After reviewing available documentation on the company process, I conducted 6 interviews in which I interviewed individuals who were involved within different parts of the operation. Ultimately, I wanted to observe these individuals as they conducted daily work. I asked them to verbalize decisions they made and discuss what they were completing as they went. I was looking to understand where employees faced pain points or difficulties with their work so that we might discern where the process could be improved.
After completing interviews and observations, I used affinity mapping to identify themes and findings across employees in our digital workspace, Miro.
Service Blueprint & Work Flow Development
Along with conducting interviews, I determined that development of a service blueprint would help us to better understand what this complex unit of the business looks like. Parts of this operation are client facing, while other parts are internal. However, there was no existing map to help someone easily understand the tasks. Using a service blueprint, I was able to bring stakeholders a visual representation of the work completed in front of and behind the scene. I also modified the existing service blueprint model to include a row that shows tangible outputs from each step, as this was a request from stakeholders in order to help individuals unfamiliar with the business unit understand the type of work completed. Given time constraints, we were not able to identify all interactions and processes involved, but this blueprint brought individuals a clearer way to visualize problem and solution spaces.
Additionally, I helped build out a work flow diagram that provided a more detailed look at each step involved within this process. While the service blueprint was used to help stakeholders understand interactions between different parts of the operation, the work flow helped us build out a flow that identifies teams, systems, and vendors involved during each segment. The work flow also helped us to denote key times when a decision needed to be made that altered the project’s progression.
Opportunity & Problem Space Mapping
The final deliverable I developed was an opportunity diagram that highlighted key steps of the process that hold potential for efficiency improvement. I lead a brainstorming session in which a few involved individuals used the service blueprint to visually showcase problems identified or solution concepts. Using the service blueprint as a guide for brainstorming helped the team to easily recall each part of this complex process, as well as provided a template for easily reviewing the areas we view as most problematic or with the most potential.
Potential Impact & Value Added
Based on stakeholder feedback, my research uncovered 5 - 10 main findings which helped guide effectively identifying several problem spaces and opportunity areas for the product team to start evaluating. Providing a research-backed path forward provides the business with an opportunity to increase efficiency and speed for clients during this process, which will ultimately increase possible revenue.
Personal takeaways include experience deep diving into a business segment I was entirely unfamiliar with, discerning the types of visuals and data deliverables that would best serve our stakeholders, and piecing together a user story that is understandable to those outside of the problem space.