Frameworks & Thinking Tools

Different questions need different structures.

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  Journey Mapping

  Map how people move through an experience across phases, contexts, touchpoints, and perspectives.

  When I use it

  I construct journey maps when teams are over-optimizing one part of an experience without a shared view of the broader experience around it.

  What it reveals

  Creates a shared model that surfaces experience gaps and clarifies where teams need to better align around the human experience.

  Used in: DocuSign ↗

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  Ecosystem Maps

  Map the people, relationships, institutions, teams, and operating conditions shaping an experience.

  When I use it

  I use ecosystem thinking when the immediate product team is too narrow a frame, considering the people, relationships, teams, institutions, and operating conditions shaping the work.

  What it reveals

  Surfaces relational and operational friction, gaps in communication or ownership, and who else needs to be connected for the work to gain traction.

  Rooted in: Social Work · Applied in Tech

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  Mental Models

  Make visible how people understand a problem, form expectations, and organize information.

  When I use it

  I use mental model research when teams are treating self-referential assumptions about how people think or behave as established fact.

  What it reveals

  Builds an evidence-based picture of the associations, expectations, boundaries, and contextual factors shaping how people understand an experience, including what they do and do not consider relevant.

  Used in: Premium Gboard ↗

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  Jobs to Be Done

  Clarify what people are trying to accomplish and the outcomes they are seeking beyond a specific feature.

  When I use it

  I use Jobs to Be Done when teams are over-focused on features and do not yet have a clear view of the broader jobs people are trying to accomplish, regardless of the product or tool they use.

  What it reveals

  Clarifies the core job and supporting sub-jobs so teams can evaluate whether the current feature, a different approach, or even another product is actually the best way to meet the need.

  Used in: DocuSign ↗

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  Opportunity Mapping

  Structure evidence into a clear view of where a product, research program, or team should focus next.

  When I use it

  I create opportunity maps when teams have many possible directions but lack a coherent way to compare them, prioritize investment, or understand how separate workstreams contribute to a larger opportunity.

  What it reveals

  Makes tradeoffs visible by organizing opportunities around the dimensions that matter for the problem, such as user value, audience needs, feasibility, existing investment, or evidence gaps.

  Used in: Tablet Multimodal Inputs ↗ · Premium Gboard ↗

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  Experience Principles

  Translate research into clear principles that describe what an experience should enable, support, or protect.

  When I use it

  I develop experience principles when teams are generating solutions without a clear, shared point of view on what the experience should enable, prioritize, or protect.

  What it reveals

  Translates research into a small set of experience requirements that ground product and design decisions and create a shared standard for evaluating concepts.

  Used across multiple studies