098 Weighted Matrix

Identify and prioritize the most promising opportunities from multiple design concepts

• It creates a forum for conversation and shared decision-making and can help overcome the common biases on multidisciplinary teams.

• The underlying concept is simple but powerful: the matrix ranks potential design opportunities against key success criteria.

• The “criteria” represents the primary measures of product success rated on a scale, as defined by the product team and organizational stakeholders.

• A listing of “opportunities” represents the design ideas that elicit the most serious interest from the team.

• Once there is an agreed upon recommended list, another creative “deep dive” can now refocus on newly agreed-upon design ideas.

• The method provides a structured process for team conversations, shifting decision-making to a process grounded in success criteria, not personal opinions.

See also   Design Charette • KJ Technique • Parallel Prototyping

A weighted matrix provides a way to manage potential design options by evaluating each design opportunity against business criteria as opposed to personal preferences.