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Updated by Wieland Lindenthal about 2 years ago
# Session overview
This is the output of our **workshop/ideation session around Open Points** on Friday (3 May 2024). This is also a test of a newer, more structured way of designing a feature by following a UX-led approach.
**Present:**
* <mention class="mention" data-id="42086" data-type="user" data-text="@Wieland Lindenthal">@Wieland Lindenthal</mention>
* <mention class="mention" data-id="72513" data-type="user" data-text="@Parimal Satyal">@Parimal Satyal</mention>
* <mention class="mention" data-id="72512" data-type="user" data-text="@Marc Alcobé">@Marc Alcobé</mention>
#### We worked on identifying:
* Perceived problems
* Benefits and added value
* Feature ideas
* Usage scenarios
#### **Next steps:**
Next: core feature team will work through the produced material in this document, including ones added by others after the session. This will involve:
* Rewriting and consolidating scenarios (if necessary)
* Identify those benefits, problems and scenarios that we want Open Points to address
* Introduce constraints (time, effort, money, resources, tech stack)
* Work on specification + visuals based on the above
# Raw output
## **Perceived problems**
* **Intimidating large scope:** When I see specs, I get stressed because the topic is too large. Hard for me to give a simple answer; need to first create a (mental) envelope to give it space. Need to think larger to give even a smaller answer.
* I would like for it to be easier to answer certain questions. To make the problem smaller, more container.
* **Cognitive load:** I find it cognitively hard for short-term memory people (like managers), to be able to respond to a multi-question prompt and not miss important details. Long texts are stressful. If \*I\* send four questions, I know for example that I might not get all the answer.
* **Lack of focus:** If there are multiple topics, I get stressed; for example, if a second topic comes up before a first one has been resolved.
* **Spread out:** Not great when information gets spread out in the application (OP); it's costly to get everything together.
* Need to choose project
* Choose assignee
* The thing goes out, and nobody responds (or misses the notification)
* Prioritising becomes harder
* Slows down resolution as a result (async is great, but syncing to find resolution to everything is complicated)
* **Unbalanced spread of work:** Organisation vs. work is usually done by one person, others check what's assigned for them and do work.
* Does not allow for collective definition of specs or topics to be addressed.
* **If something is not time-boxed** (and I think it can take a long time), I might pick a tool that I know will go faster, like Element. But this has other problems (documentation, shared info etc).
* **Lack of structure**/**objective**/**scope**: If we have a meeting to discuss 3 topics, some of them require more discussion than others. Without structure, we can have interesting or good ideas, but it doesn't move forward. There might be divergent state, but lack of convergence means that the topic remains open. For topic A, the discussion needs:
* Context (why we are talking about it)
* The problem (what needs a decision or a resolution)
* People (who needs to be involved)
* Action: What can be do about it (discuss it now, decide to disucss it later, create a separate meeting)
* **Structural difficulty with expression/context:** Can't express myself properly sometimes with just text; easier if I have some visual cues, photos, sound, geolocation, measurements, categorisation.
## **Benefits and added value**
How are things going to be better compared to today?
* **Reduce Stress**: no longer need to remember stuff, not forget something, by knowing I'll back to it later
* **Reduce mental load:** I can unload a thought from my head to a system; it's not lost, there's some sort of follow-up
* **Actionable list:** By organising things into individual elements (each that are actionable, or "closable"), it makes it easier to keep track and organise questions
* **Distributed specification:** Because multiple people can identify issues and they become separate threads, single people don't become bottlenecks.
* When results are visible in one place, easier to find important answers without necessarily reading the whole conversation around it. (But it's available if someone wants to look it up if needed)
* **Track progress/readiness status:** to mark certain topics as needing attention, and is there not ready, not "done". Example: if I could see a little "3" next to a topic, I'd know, there are three resolved issues getting in the way of it being closed.
* **To do checked effect:** Seeing threads that are closed would also make me feel better, show me the progress I've made, users feel useful rather than see a bunch of open things.
* Not necessarily "done", "done for me" = doesn't require my attention anymore.
* **Draft**: Write something down (perhaps even in a rough form) to not forget it and be able to get back to it in the future.
## **Feature ideas**
Interesting ideas that we think might improve current workflow/experience
* **Snoozing:** When I know that something requires my attention, but it's not immediate (but I also don't want to lose trakc of it): Option to add a reminder to a thread (eg. "Remind me next week").
* **Better facilitating:** I can define what needs to be discussed, and also get to a certian finality or closures (decision/discussion/add to second meeting/ignore).
* I can then easily identify/know if there _isn't_ a closure.
* **Timer/time-boxing**: items are timed, when the previous one is closed, it triggers the timer for the next one.
* **Democratisation/Voting**: Each participant gets to pick 3 items (or has 3 votes that can be distributed amongst multiple items).
* **Checkmark** (done): Like in GitHub issues, makes it easy to mark things are done or not needing my attention anymore. (Personal, not on my desk anymore)
## **Usage scenarios**
**Task**: Imagine scenarios (temporal/procedural), where an open points feature would improve your life. Use the following format:
> When I...
> I want...
> So that...
<figure class="table op-uc-figure_align-center op-uc-figure"><table class="op-uc-table"><thead class="op-uc-table--head"><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p">Existing FEATURE requests</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr that</strong></p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> am writing specs for a feature and am unsure about a certain behaviour</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to be able to note down that question and tag a relevant person</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I can continue working on other things, forget about it for now, and easily get back to the uncertain topic at a later time.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr time.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> am in a meeting and topics come up that are interesting, but that we don't have time to discuss at the moment</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to be able to write them down</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> we can move on without ignoring the issues, but that we don't actually forget about it, and there's a concrete step.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr step.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> receive a notification on a topic I'm working on that requires multiple decisions form my side</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to divide these decisions and organise the timeline for me to work on them</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I have a clear sense of structure and priority in my workday.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr workday.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> write a message on a certain topic, and I know that the other person is acting on it right now</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to be aware of this</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I can stay with the topic and save a costly context switch in my head.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr head.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> interact with a message that I just received</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to communicate/not give the expectation that I want to answer it immediately, but that I'll get back to it eventually</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> this does not create false expectations between me and the other people, and that there's a process that both can trust.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr trust.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> want to get an overview of lack of clarity that's slowing down work within the scope of a release, a version, a phase...</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to be able to quickly see the actual issues that need resolving</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I get a better sense of what the blocks are and what we can do about it.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr it.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> have a number of different questions, on a number of different topics for the same person</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to be able to write down those questions (and tag the relevant person) and then easily access that list later</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> when I have a meeting with that person, we can go through the questions and address them one by one (almost like an automatic agenda list for my meeting).</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr meeting).</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> am working on an external tool (like Figma), and I am taking a decision that needs to be reflected in a work package</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to bring this decision need into OpenProject</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> the person who needs to make that decision is informed about it, so I know that the item doesn't get lost/ignored.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr lost/ignored.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> am in a conversation with someone where a decision has been taken</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to have this be noted down somewhere, ideally with an existing place where the topic lives (e.g., work package)</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> other people who might be working on this topic are informed, aware of this decision without my needing to manually communicate this to them (time-consuming).</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr (time-consuming).</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> see there's a decision that I'm not entirely happy with (because we've not discussed it properly, given it enough time, or considered important topics)</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to document reservations or questions that were ignored</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I don't feel like important topics that were ignored are forgotten ("I told you so") and those topics can be addressed at a later date ("let's handle this later if needed").</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr needed").</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> want to express a complex thought</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to have the space to write, add drawings, annotate with other objects like sound, etc.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I can clearly express my thoughts without structural limits.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr limits.</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> am working on my daily tasks and going on my lovely day</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to know if my attention is requested by someone or some topic</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> when I address it, I know it's done and off my plate (and I can go skateboarding).</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"></p></td></tr><tr skateboarding).</p></td></tr><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong> work on a topic and I discover that there are sub-topics that we need to work on separately (or in parallel)</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong> to quickly be able to break it down and document that structure</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong> I can turn a big topic into manageable chunks that can then be assigned to different people and reveal/express the complexity that we've identified.</p></td><td class="op-uc-table--cell"><p class="op-uc-p">##54730</p></td></tr></tbody></table></figure> identified.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>
This is the output of our **workshop/ideation session around Open Points** on Friday (3 May 2024). This is also a test of a newer, more structured way of designing a feature by following a UX-led approach.
**Present:**
* <mention class="mention" data-id="42086" data-type="user" data-text="@Wieland Lindenthal">@Wieland Lindenthal</mention>
* <mention class="mention" data-id="72513" data-type="user" data-text="@Parimal Satyal">@Parimal Satyal</mention>
* <mention class="mention" data-id="72512" data-type="user" data-text="@Marc Alcobé">@Marc Alcobé</mention>
#### We worked on identifying:
* Perceived problems
* Benefits and added value
* Feature ideas
* Usage scenarios
#### **Next steps:**
Next: core feature team will work through the produced material in this document, including ones added by others after the session. This will involve:
* Rewriting and consolidating scenarios (if necessary)
* Identify those benefits, problems and scenarios that we want Open Points to address
* Introduce constraints (time, effort, money, resources, tech stack)
* Work on specification + visuals based on the above
# Raw output
## **Perceived problems**
* **Intimidating large scope:** When I see specs, I get stressed because the topic is too large. Hard for me to give a simple answer; need to first create a (mental) envelope to give it space. Need to think larger to give even a smaller answer.
* I would like for it to be easier to answer certain questions. To make the problem smaller, more container.
* **Cognitive load:** I find it cognitively hard for short-term memory people (like managers), to be able to respond to a multi-question prompt and not miss important details. Long texts are stressful. If \*I\* send four questions, I know for example that I might not get all the answer.
* **Lack of focus:** If there are multiple topics, I get stressed; for example, if a second topic comes up before a first one has been resolved.
* **Spread out:** Not great when information gets spread out in the application (OP); it's costly to get everything together.
* Need to choose project
* Choose assignee
* The thing goes out, and nobody responds (or misses the notification)
* Prioritising becomes harder
* Slows down resolution as a result (async is great, but syncing to find resolution to everything is complicated)
* **Unbalanced spread of work:** Organisation vs. work is usually done by one person, others check what's assigned for them and do work.
* Does not allow for collective definition of specs or topics to be addressed.
* **If something is not time-boxed** (and I think it can take a long time), I might pick a tool that I know will go faster, like Element. But this has other problems (documentation, shared info etc).
* **Lack of structure**/**objective**/**scope**: If we have a meeting to discuss 3 topics, some of them require more discussion than others. Without structure, we can have interesting or good ideas, but it doesn't move forward. There might be divergent state, but lack of convergence means that the topic remains open. For topic A, the discussion needs:
* Context (why we are talking about it)
* The problem (what needs a decision or a resolution)
* People (who needs to be involved)
* Action: What can be do about it (discuss it now, decide to disucss it later, create a separate meeting)
* **Structural difficulty with expression/context:** Can't express myself properly sometimes with just text; easier if I have some visual cues, photos, sound, geolocation, measurements, categorisation.
## **Benefits and added value**
How are things going to be better compared to today?
* **Reduce Stress**: no longer need to remember stuff, not forget something, by knowing I'll back to it later
* **Reduce mental load:** I can unload a thought from my head to a system; it's not lost, there's some sort of follow-up
* **Actionable list:** By organising things into individual elements (each that are actionable, or "closable"), it makes it easier to keep track and organise questions
* **Distributed specification:** Because multiple people can identify issues and they become separate threads, single people don't become bottlenecks.
* When results are visible in one place, easier to find important answers without necessarily reading the whole conversation around it. (But it's available if someone wants to look it up if needed)
* **Track progress/readiness status:** to mark certain topics as needing attention, and is there not ready, not "done". Example: if I could see a little "3" next to a topic, I'd know, there are three resolved issues getting in the way of it being closed.
* **To do checked effect:** Seeing threads that are closed would also make me feel better, show me the progress I've made, users feel useful rather than see a bunch of open things.
* Not necessarily "done", "done for me" = doesn't require my attention anymore.
* **Draft**: Write something down (perhaps even in a rough form) to not forget it and be able to get back to it in the future.
## **Feature ideas**
Interesting ideas that we think might improve current workflow/experience
* **Snoozing:** When I know that something requires my attention, but it's not immediate (but I also don't want to lose trakc of it): Option to add a reminder to a thread (eg. "Remind me next week").
* **Better facilitating:** I can define what needs to be discussed, and also get to a certian finality or closures (decision/discussion/add to second meeting/ignore).
* I can then easily identify/know if there _isn't_ a closure.
* **Timer/time-boxing**: items are timed, when the previous one is closed, it triggers the timer for the next one.
* **Democratisation/Voting**: Each participant gets to pick 3 items (or has 3 votes that can be distributed amongst multiple items).
* **Checkmark** (done): Like in GitHub issues, makes it easy to mark things are done or not needing my attention anymore. (Personal, not on my desk anymore)
## **Usage scenarios**
**Task**: Imagine scenarios (temporal/procedural), where an open points feature would improve your life. Use the following format:
> When I...
> I want...
> So that...
<figure class="table op-uc-figure_align-center op-uc-figure"><table class="op-uc-table"><thead class="op-uc-table--head"><tr class="op-uc-table--row"><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>When I</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>I want</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p"><strong>So that</strong></p></th><th class="op-uc-table--cell op-uc-table--cell_head"><p class="op-uc-p">Existing FEATURE requests</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr