LINEAR NARRATIVE -FLOWCHART TEST

(tool)

Brief description

Create a process flowchart that clearly depicts the steps and tasks to be performed (in general or in detail). Present it to key users to get feedback on pains or opportunities within the process or new ways of doing it.

Step

Prototype Improvement

Input

Processes that can benefit from representation and user feedback

Output

Documented process flow diagram

Comments and lessons learned

Time

Preparation, high

Execution, 20 min to 45 min

Analysis, high

Difficulty

3/5

People

2-6 (participants giving feedback)

1-2 (coordinators of the experiment)

Quick Guide

Identify and determine your process and which topic you want more information or validation on.
Decide whether it will be a specific or general flow and identify the steps or tasks involved in the process and arrange them in chronological order.
If necessary, interview key users within the process to complete your information.
Organizes information by type and corresponding form (process, decision, data, inputs or outputs).
Draw the flowchart using shapes and lines to represent the process from start to finish.
Gather individually or in a small group (2 to 3) key users of the process and explain the objective and what you will do.
Present your flowchart and walk through all the steps or activities with them.
After presenting it, use pre-determined questions to elicit reactions and information.
After getting feedback, analyze the information and make decisions about your flowchart (modifications or validation).

Benefits

It allows you to validate if your process actually fits the users’ context (interactions, relationship, flow and decisions to be made along the way, goals).
It helps you identify non-value-adding steps or activities in a process and start having conversations about them to make it more efficient or add value.
It allows you to map complex processes more clearly, to aid interpretation and collaboration of key users.
It helps you map the current state of the process and identify the next activities to design.

Helpful Tips

It identifies the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “how” of the process and analyzes the “why”.
Highlight the moments that need the most attention in the process.
When making your diagram draw inspiration from similar existing processes and observe the behavior of the people involved in the process.