Blake Copenhaver

Research and design are critical in software development. They help manage risk and ensure that the right thing is being delivered to customers. More importantly, design is a mechanism for communicating your thoughts and ideas. Good communication results in mutual understanding, harmony, and action. Poor communication wastes time and resources, hinders goal accomplishment, and sours relationships. Effective communicators provide a clear message that is understood by everyone in the audience. However, no design or effective communication will help you deliver the right thing if you get the problem wrong: Garbage in, garbage out. Einstein said “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” How well you define a problem determines how well you solve it. In other words, the quality of the solution you generate is in direct proportion to your ability to identify the problem you hope to solve.