During Tiger Challenge, you will move fluidly between multiple roles as you investigate problems, make sense of complex information, create prototypes, and collaborate with your team. Below are four roles that highlight different ways of approaching design work: facilitator, detective, archivist, and interpreter.

Read the descriptions, then complete the creative exercise below.

FACILITATOR
Mindset: Human-centered, supportive

The facilitator has two high-level objectives.   The first is to be a filter between the user and the team.  They are listening to teammates ideas and suggestions and doing their best to think in terms of "what would our user want?"  They must keep the team in a user-centered mindset.

Their second objective is to keep all team members engaged and connected to the task at hand.  They keep the time on timed exercises.  This is a leadership role where the style of leadership is to encourage everyone around them to thrive and engage.  It is not about telling people what to do.

At the start of any session, the facilitator makes sure the team gets focused on what they are looking to accomplish at this moment.  Get the team to quickly establish goals for the session. Any thoughts and topics that are important but not critical at this point should be noted by the archivist.

At the end of the session, it is the facilitator's role to wrap up the activity by comparing what was accomplished to the initial goals.  Ensure everyone on the team knows what they need to accomplish and by when.  Make sure the team is pushing to accomplish all they can, and that goals are attainable but not too easy. 

DETECTIVE

Mindset: Curious, observant

The detective has two key objectives.  The first is to push the boundaries and introduce alternate perspectives based on knowledge of the user and/or knowledge of other businesses/solutions/examples that can inform the team's decisions.  This keeps the team asking healthy questions along the way and challenging their ideas to be the best they can be.

Their second objective is to look for the gaps in the team's knowledge.  Find any uncovered assumptions that are being made and call them out for the interpreter and archivist to capture.

ARCHIVIST

Mindset: Attentive, productive

The archivist has the critical objective of documenting the session.  They are not responsible for recording a word-for-word transcript but rather capturing the key information to document how the team is advancing.  They are capturing the steps of the journey for the team to reflect upon and reference when making decisions.

The archivist should be capturing the goals set at the beginning, the next steps established at the end, and any pertinent information or conversations that occurred during.  This can include but isn't limited to, new assumptions uncovered, key gaps in knowledge that require follow-up, supporting information on decisions that were made, along with alternate choices that were not chosen and why.

They are responsible for making sure this information is captured, catalogued, and disseminated to the team shortly after the session.  They work closely with the facilitator to ensure everything is captured and that everyone is aligned on where the team is going, and individual responsibilities to ensure the team gets there.

INTERPRETER

Mindset: Creative, connective

The interpreter plays a critical role in any team.  The entire Design Thinking process is based on being visual.  This is the interpreter's job.

They are ensuring that everything being discussed is being translated into a visual.  In this process, they are making up details that were either implied or even overlooked.

They are also looking at the information as it builds and working to make connections, interpreting the information as they collect it.  They make sure the team is also working to understand and make connections so that the team can make strategic decisions on how to advance.

Create something that answers the questions above in a playful and expressive way. You can draw, collage, record a short video, write a song, design a simple game, or produce anything else that helps you communicate your thinking. Do not write an essay. Set a timer and spend 60 minutes or less on your unpolished response. Have fun with this.