๐ฏ What You'll Complete:
- โ
Master the art of testing prototypes effectively
- โ
Learn how to gather and use feedback
- โ
Understand when to iterate and when to pivot
- โ
See the complete Design Thinking journey
- โ
Create your action plan for real-world application
๐ The Netflix India Story
๐ฌ Testing Their Way to Success
The Challenge: When Netflix came to India (2016), they had to compete with free pirated content
and cheap local streaming services. Would Indians pay for Netflix?
Their Testing Journey:
- Test 1 - Pricing: Tried US prices (โน800/month). Result: Too expensive!
Indians balked. Lesson learned: Different market needs different pricing.
- Test 2 - Content: Offered only international shows. Result: People wanted
Indian content! Lesson: Can't just copy-paste from other countries.
- Test 3 - Mobile Plan: Launched cheap mobile-only plan (โน199). Result: BOOM!
Subscriptions exploded. Lesson: Indians love mobile and value.
- Test 4 - Local Shows: Created Sacred Games, Lust Stories. Result: Massive success!
Lesson: Quality Indian content was missing in the market.
- Ongoing Testing: Constantly test dubbed content, regional shows, different price points.
๐ก Each test taught them something. They didn't give up after the first failure.
They adapted based on feedback. That's Design Thinking!
๐งช What is Testing in Design Thinking?
Testing is putting your prototype in front of real users and learning from their reactions.
It's NOT about proving you're right - it's about learning what works and what doesn't!
๐ข Testing Mindset:
โ Wrong Mindset: "I hope they like my idea!"
โ
Right Mindset: "I hope I learn something valuable from this test!"
Remember: Failure in testing is SUCCESS in learning!
Better to fail in testing than after launching to millions of customers!
๐ฏ 5 Ways to Test Your Prototype
1. ๐ฅ User Testing Sessions
What: Watch users interact with your prototype.
How:
- Give them a task
- Don't help or explain!
- Observe where they struggle
- Ask "why?" after
Ideal: 5-7 users
2. ๐ Surveys & Feedback Forms
What: Collect structured feedback from many people.
Best Questions:
- What did you like most?
- What confused you?
- Would you use this?
- What's missing?
Ideal: 50+ responses
3. ๐ A/B Testing
What: Test two versions, see which performs better.
Example:
- Version A: Red button
- Version B: Green button
- Measure clicks
Best for: Digital products
4. ๐ช Pilot Testing
What: Launch to a small group before full rollout.
Example:
Test new process in one department before whole company.
Reduces risk massively!
5. ๐ Analytics & Metrics
What: Measure actual behavior.
Track:
- Time spent
- Completion rate
- Drop-off points
- Return rate
Numbers don't lie!
๐ฌ The Right Questions to Ask
During Testing Sessions:
โ
Good Questions:
- "What are you thinking right now?"
- "What would you do next?"
- "What confused you here?"
- "Tell me about your experience."
- "Why did you click that?"
โ Bad Questions (Leading/Biased):
- "Don't you think this is easy to use?"
- "You like the blue color, right?"
- "Isn't this better than competitors?"
- "This is clear, isn't it?"
โ ๏ธ Common Testing Mistakes:
- โ Testing only friends/family (they're too nice!)
- โ Explaining how it works (users won't have you there in real life!)
- โ Defending your design when criticized
- โ Testing only once
- โ Ignoring negative feedback
๐ After Testing: Iterate or Pivot?
๐ง Iterate = Small Changes
When feedback says:
- "I like it but..."
- "This button is confusing"
- "Make this faster/easier"
- "Add this feature"
Action: Improve and test again!
๐ Pivot = Big Change
When feedback says:
- "I don't need this"
- "This solves wrong problem"
- "I'd never use this"
- "Competitors are better"
Action: Go back to Define/Ideate!
๐ฎ๐ณ Example: Flipkart's Pivot Story
Flipkart started as a price comparison website (like Google Shopping). After testing:
- Feedback: "We don't trust online shopping. Who will I complain to if there's a problem?"
- Learning: Indians needed trust, not just price comparison!
- Pivot: Became an e-commerce store with cash-on-delivery and returns
- Result: This pivot made them India's biggest e-commerce company!
๐จ The Complete Design Thinking Journey
You've Learned It All! Here's Your Journey:
Remember: It's not a straight line! You might go back and forth.
That's perfectly normal and encouraged!
A Real Project Timeline Example:
Week 1-2: Empathize ๐ฅ
- Conducted 15 user interviews
- Observed 10 users in their environment
- Sent survey to 200 people
- Created empathy maps
Week 3: Define ๐ฏ
- Team workshop to analyze findings
- Created problem statement
- Wrote "How Might We" questions
- Got stakeholder alignment
Week 4: Ideate ๐ก
- Brainstorming session - generated 150 ideas
- Used SCAMPER and other techniques
- Narrowed down to top 5 ideas
- Selected best idea for prototyping
Week 5: Prototype ๐ ๏ธ
- Day 1-2: Paper prototypes
- Day 3-4: Digital mockups
- Day 5: Clickable prototype ready
Week 6-7: Test & Iterate ๐งช
- Tested with 20 users
- Found 5 major issues
- Fixed and retested
- Ready for development!
๐ Your Action Plan: What's Next?
Ready to Apply Design Thinking at Work?
Week 1: Start Small
- โ
Identify ONE workplace problem
- โ
Talk to 5 colleagues about it (Empathize)
- โ
Write a problem statement (Define)
Week 2: Create Solutions
- โ
Run a 30-minute brainstorm session (Ideate)
- โ
Create a simple prototype (even on paper!)
- โ
Show it to 3 people and get feedback (Test)
Week 3-4: Improve & Pitch
- โ
Refine based on feedback
- โ
Test again
- โ
Present to your manager
๐ก Pro Tip: Don't wait for perfect. Start with small problems.
Even fixing meeting schedules using Design Thinking is a great start!
๐ Continue Learning Resources
๐ Books
- Change by Design - Tim Brown
- Sprint - Jake Knapp
- The Design of Everyday Things
๐ Online Courses
- Stanford d.school free resources
- IDEO U courses
- Coursera Design Thinking
๐ ๏ธ Tools
- Miro (Online whiteboard)
- Figma (Prototyping)
- Notion (Documentation)
๐ฅ Communities
- Local Design Thinking meetups
- LinkedIn DT groups
- Company innovation teams