As a management consultant, I want to add value in every interaction with my clients. I specialize in technology solutions, which is a very broad field. Its easy to add value when the client has a need that is very familiar. Yet every client is unique, and even after over fifteen years working in the web applications technology sector, I am constantly facing new situations. It is much more fruitful to rely on ability – approaching an opportunity from sound fundamentals – than relying on past experience.
For example, I recently had three simulaneous but independent tasks to improve searches within websites. Working through the process of understanding how users would benefit from using each search, it got comfortable rolling the various phrases off the tongue.
It could have been possible to propose the same solution for each client. As each search consisted of helping potential patients locate a healthcare professional, then proceed to a booking, there are certainly common elements to the search, and an experience-based cookie cutter approach would lead to a workable result for each client.
Instead, I approached each search from the basics.
- Who is the user (potential patient)?
- What are they seeking, and in what context?
- What is the desired outcome of the search?
- What tools (data, technology, etc) do we have available, or could we obtain, that we can use to deliver the search?
As a result, each search is designed somewhat differently, and I believe each will be more useful to the client and their users for being so.