Wizard of Oz
What
Wizard of Oz is a way of bringing a technical solution to life by having it run on ‘people power’.
Why
With Wizard of Oz you can make a technical solution easy and fast to experience. This makes it possible to evaluate and improve the solution at an early stage of its development.
How
- Reflect on how you could simulate the solution using ‘people power’. Which functionalities does the solution have? How could a person achieve these functionalities? Which resources are needed for this?
- Collect or make the required resources.
- Appoint a ‘wizard’ – the person carrying out the solution – and practise the solution’s implementation.
- Ask a group of people to assess the solution by taking on the role of the solution’s target group (which they may actually be). You could give them an assignment that obliges them to explore the solution’s functionalities.
- Have the participants assess the solution and make observations. How do they approach the solution? How does it appear to work for them? Ask the participants to think out loud.
- Afterwards, reflect on the solution with them. What did they think of it? How did it work for them? What went well? What could be improved? What should be taken into account during the continued development of the solution? Also discuss remarkable observations.