4 Shape a Winning AI Play from Text

• Structuring exploration for impactful AI involves playing with solutions.

Agenda Key Takeaway

• The agenda guides participants in creating impactful AI plays through focusing on problems, learning from successes, and iterating solutions.

Agenda Key Talking Points

• Maintain focus on well-defined challenges, keep problem clarity
• Explore proven strategies for inspiration, learn from giants
• Refine solutions using iterative experimentation by testing assumptions
• Encourage team discussions and shared learning via collaborative efforts
• Align all efforts with measurable results, stay outcome-driven

Agenda Caveats

• Avoid overwhelming participants with too much information at once
• Clarify the connection between each agenda point
• Address potential concerns about activity time constraints
• Highlight opportunities for follow-up sessions to deepen understanding

What Products Have Inspired Past Solutions?

• Identify previous inspirations to spark new ideas.

Past Solutions Key Takeaway

• Reflecting on past product inspirations encourages participants to leverage analogous plays and proven strategies for current challenges.

Past Solutions Key Talking Points

• Discuss examples that have influenced solutions
• Highlight inspiration from outside the domain using cross-industry insights
• Use proven strategies to spark new ideas through innovation through adaptation
• Encourage participants to share diverse perspectives during team sharing
• Use past wins to inform current AI strategies, building on success

Past Solutions Caveats

• Avoid limiting inspiration to direct competitors
• Clarify the value of looking beyond the industry
• Address potential reluctance to share personal examples
• Highlight the importance of translating inspiration into actionable ideas

Inspirational Plays definition

• Leveraging successful strategies for innovative problem-solving

Inspirational Plays Takeaway

• Inspirational plays involve studying existing solutions to address similar challenges and provide a foundation for innovation and creativity.

Inspirational Plays Talking Points

• Build on proven strategies to address analogous problems by learning from success
• Use existing solutions as models for new innovations using strategic adaptation
• Draw inspiration from prior successes across industries, historical context
• Encourage reinterpretation and adaptation of ideas as creative problem-solving
• Apply to diverse challenges for maximum impact, broad application

Inspirational Plays Caveats

• Avoid direct copying without adapting to the context
• Clarify that not all successful strategies are universally applicable
• Address potential resistance to using others' ideas as inspiration
• Highlight the iterative nature of refining borrowed concepts

Inspirational Plays

• Using external insights to drive internal innovation

Inspirational Plays Takeaway

• Cross-industry inspiration, current approaches, and creative adaptation are key to developing effective AI solutions.

Inspirational Plays Talking Points

• Borrow ideas from adjacent industries for fresh perspectives, cross-pollination
• Study and improve on existing user solutions using current approaches
• Learn from effective AI user interfaces and experiences, AI UX best practices
• Tailor external ideas to fit unique challenges with creative adaptation
• Confirm that analogous plays work effectively in the defined context, validation

Inspirational Plays Caveats

• Avoid assuming external strategies will work without testing
• Clarify the importance of customizing borrowed ideas
• Address concerns about the relevance of cross-industry plays
• Highlight the role of team collaboration in refining ideas

Questions to Ask

• A framework for exploring problems and selecting AI plays

Questions to Ask Takeaway

• Asking strategic questions helps clarify challenges, workflows, and play types, ensuring alignment with user needs and goals

Questions to Ask - Talking Points

• Define the core challenge to solve, problem focus
• Clarify whether the focus is repetitive tasks or decision-making workflows, task vs. workflow
• Match problems with play types like automation or personalization, play types
• Identify existing AI plays that address similar issues, real-life inspiration
• Ensure selected plays deliver measurable benefits, outcome alignment

Questions to Ask - Caveats to Consider

• Avoid skipping essential questions that clarify focus
• The need to align plays with user priorities requires clarification
• Address challenges in mapping tasks to play types
• Iterate refinement is very important

How Picking Inspirational Plays Plays Out

• Examples of successful AI plays in real-world scenarios

Picking Inspirational Plays Takeaway

• Inspirational plays across fields like automation and personalization showcase the potential for impactful AI applications

Picking Inspirational Plays Talking Points

• Examples like Path Robotics automate hazardous tasks in system optimization
• AI like Olive accelerates healthcare workflows aiding workflow efficiency
• Tools like Duolingo adapt learning experiences dynamically using human-centric solutions
• Systems like ABB's Octopus provide real-time insights to improve decision support
• Diverse sectors can apply plays across industries for broader impact with cross-industry relevance

Picking Inspirational Plays Caveats

• Avoid generalizing success without context-specific adjustments
• Clarify the importance of validating plays in the specific industry
• Address potential resistance to implementing unfamiliar strategies
• Highlight the need for ongoing evaluation and improvement

Picking AI Plays and Playing Fields

• Select inspiring plays to focus the AI strategy

Picking AI Plays Takeaway

• Identifying and selecting plays that align with the problem space to offer creative, impactful solutions

Picking AI Plays Talking Points

• Choose 2-3 inspiring plays when addressing challenges in your activity goal
• Discuss play options as a team using Mural using a collaborative review
• Plays must align with identified user needs and be connected to the problem space
• Plays should adjust as new insights emerge promoting iterative exploration

Picking AI Plays Caveats

• Prepare to share selected plays and the rationale behind them when presenting
• Avoid rushing decisions without team consensus
• Clarify how selected plays align with desired outcomes
• Avoid ignoring potential disagreements on play selection
• Highlight the importance of linking plays to broader goals

Positioning Your Product

• Effectively communicating the AI product's unique value

Positioning Your Product Takeaway

• Product positioning involves articulating unique benefits and market differentiation to resonate with the target audience

Positioning Your Product Talking Points

• Highlight the key benefits the product delivers as a value proposition
• Tailor messaging to resonate with specific user segments and the target audience
• Emphasize what sets the product apart from competitors to ensure market differentiation
• Position the product as a solution to unmet needs using strategic framing
• Use clear, concise language to communicate value using crisp messaging

Positioning Your Product Caveats

• Avoid vague or generic positioning statements
• Align messaging with user priorities
• Address potential challenges in identifying unique differentiators
• The role of feedback is important in refining positioning

Product Positioning Definition

• Framing the product to win in the minds of users

Product Positioning Takeaway

• Product positioning defines how users perceive a product's value and differentiation, ensuring alignment with market needs

Product Positioning Talking Points

• Strategic placement involves identifying and targeting key market segments
• Highlight benefits that resonate with user goals when framing value
• Position effectively against competitors, competitive context
• Frame the product as the ideal solution framing the consumers mindset
• Use language that's relatable and impactful to ensure messaging clarity

Product Positioning Caveats

• Avoid overcomplicating positioning with unnecessary details
• Clarify continuous testing and adjustment needs
• Address skepticism about the value of positioning work
• Effective positioning drives adoption and loyalty

Anatomy of a Positioning Statement

• Crafting effective positioning with audience, value, and differentiation

Positioning Statement Takeaway

• Includes the target audience, value proposition, and market differentiation to convey unique benefits effectively

Positioning Statement Talking Points

• Specify who the product is designed for and the target audience
• Define the product's unique benefits and advantages as the value proposition
• Highlight how the product stands out from competitors using market differentiation
• Keep statements concise and impactful with clarity and brevity
• Ensure the positioning aligns with overall strategy and broad goals throughout the entire alignment

Positioning Statement Caveats

• Avoid vague or overly broad audience definitions
• Test value propositions with real users because this is important
• Address potential resistance to prioritizing differentiation
• Iterate the nature of crafting positioning statements

Value Proposition & Differentiation

• Communicating benefits and standing out in the market

Value Proposition & Differentiation Takeaway

• Clearly communicate tangible benefits highlighting unique advantages that set the product apart

Value Proposition & Differentiation Talking Points

• Address the most critical user challenges by addressing target key needs
• Showcase specific, measurable outcomes for users displaying tangible benefits
• Link benefits directly to user objectives, goal Alignment
• Focus on features and results competitors can't replicate, focusing on unique outcomes
• Align messaging with what matters most to users targeting audience priorities

Value Proposition & Differentiation Caveats

• Avoid generic value propositions that lack specificity
• Validate differentiation through research
• Address challenges in finding unique competitive advantages
• Be concise and compelling

Positioning Statement Activity

• Develop a concise, impactful message for the AI product

Positioning Statement Takeaway

• Crafting a strong positioning statement ensures the AI product communicates its value clearly to engage users and stakeholders

Positioning Statement Talking Points

• Create an impactful positioning statement using templates and tools, activity goal
• Using Mural to brainstorm and refine ideas as a team aids, collaborative effort
• Generate and compare AI-assisted and manual iterations, multiple versions

Positioning Statement Caveats

• Focus on what matters most to the target audience, user-centric messaging
• Iteratively test and improve the statement's clarity and impact via refinement process
• Avoid overly technical language that alienates users
• Test positioning statements with real users
• Address potential team disagreements on final messaging
• Concise messaging is better than long explanations

Agenda - Key Focus areas for shaping AI solutions and strategies

AI Solutions and Strategies Takeaway

• Understanding data considerations, crafting winning solutions, and iterating for optimal AI outcomes are key objectives

AI Solutions and Strategies Talking Points

• Highlight unique data requirements for AI success, data importance
• Align solutions with clearly defined goals focusing on strategic alignment
• Emphasize testing and refining ideas for better results to promote iterative process
• Ensure all efforts are geared toward delivering measurable impact with outcome orientation
• Always encourage active participation in discussions and activities because team collaboration matters

AI Solutions and Strategies Caveats

• Glossing over complex topics like data considerations is ill-advised
• Clarify how each agenda point builds on the previous ones
• Recognize potential concerns about time constraints for activities
• Give opportunities for follow-up and deeper exploration