Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/482881
Q U A L I TAT I V E R E S E A R C H C O N S U LTA N T S A S S O C I AT I O N 35 one year in the future (i.e. "the gold expe- rience"). In Round 2, they were to take the other pair's story to "the next level," assuming capabilities available to eBay five years in the future (i.e. "the platinum experience"). Using this approach, we were able to gather a range of short- and long-term ideas. After Round 2, each pair had the opportunity to share their stories with the entire team. Lessons Learned We learned valuable lessons in our first attempt to use journey lines for both data collection and brainstorming. First, we gained insight into the power of visual communication. The journey line format enabled both consumers' stories and team members' ideas to be easily distributed and understood. They preserved context and transitions in a way that words on a sticky note cannot. We noticed that the journey lines that incorporated simple sketches (e.g., a mobile phone, a house, a store, and a person) were especially easy to understand. Looking back, we wish we'd encouraged participants to focus more on sketches and less on wordy descriptions. Though we didn't want to cause discomfort to those who lacked confidence in their artistic abilities, we saw that within the context of storytelling even the simplest of sketches can have a big impact. Second, we learned a lesson about time management in brainstorm facilitation. We designed the brainstorm session to take just one hour to make it a manage- able time commitment for busy team members. However, we forgot that story- telling can be a passionate and, therefore, time-consuming activity. Though we fin- ished within an hour, it was clear that participants wished they had more time to discuss the stories of that they were so proud of. If time is a scarce commodity for your team, we recommend holding multiple sessions with smaller groups. Finally, we were reminded of the importance of fun in collaborative story- telling. Swapping stories in order to take them to the next level yielded a healthy balance of cooperation and competition. The atmosphere was spirited and positive because Round 2 involved building on others' ideas for a less constrained future. There was a sense of anticipation and fun, both in creating stories and in seeing how others would develop them. From this experience, we witnessed the power of stories in helping people under- stand a problem, conceive solutions, and communicate those solutions. We hope that other researchers learn from and build on our approach to using the simple but mighty journey line tool for uncover- ing insights and guiding ideation. Need Insights? QRCA. One click. 1000+ qualitative experts. Visit www.QRCA.org/FindAResearcher