Day 3: Final advice

We began our day late, but with two boxes of suzyQ donuts. I think donuts are a Canadian culture thing (hem, Tim Hortons) as we were all really excited about it but I wonder if Noel and Aaron got that. Anyway we made a plan for the day and tried our best to stick to it.

Today's takeaway:
1. When communicating, especially when not in person, double check your english.
- Make sure it is clear with simple sentences
- Use point form when you can so items can be easily addressed
- Don't put multiple questions in one sentence

2. When testing protoypes and getting feedback from users...
- Keep in mind that they will point out the obvious before understanding the nuances of the product
- Compare initial perception of product with how long they get to try the product
- Fit and finish (or lack thereof) can be distracting

3. Try to explain what you do in eight words or less
- Look at your general context and narrow it to a focal context
- Link people with processes
- Line up assumptions and list your unknowns

We also took the trikes out for a final joy ride and photos, before taking it apart and packing it back to San Francisco. I was excited to take it apart because when I first saw it I didn't understand what all the parts meant. Now I can see everything in isolation mode. In about an hour we stuffed everything back into the box, taped it together and said adieu. Until next time!






One of our group members took advantage of the short time we had and turned the trike into an impromptu vendor cart trying to sell coffee to passerbys just to get an idea for what it may feel like.

The past three days have been exhausting but really great. Noel and Aaron are wonderful mentors. They are really great listeners and are open and accepting. I also think that's what makes them good at what they do. Having the two of them together was super. One brought a 'How to design and think in this context' mindset while the other provided a 'this is how it is built and why' angle to the table. The marriage of their expertise from experience was really valuable to our team. It was like a knowledge and support power boost! Many thanks to Noel and Aaron for coming up here to Ottawa!