A Strategy Designer is working with a financial services client who wants to 'increase mobile app adoption by 20%.' The designer realizes this is a business objective, not a user problem. Which 'How Might We' (HMW) statement best reframes this into a user-centered design challenge?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
This option correctly reframes the business goal (adoption) into a user-centered problem (accessibility and security on the go). Effective HMW statements should focus on the user's need or friction point, opening up the solution space rather than embedding the solution (the app) as the only path.
Question 2
A healthcare organization is launching a new patient portal on Experience Cloud. The Strategy Designer needs to define success metrics. Which of the following represents a leading indicator of long-term patient engagement?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Weekly active logins are a leading indicator because they predict future engagement and habit formation. Call center volume and retention rates are lagging indicators; they tell you what has already happened after a significant period. Leading indicators allow for quicker pivots.
Question 3
During a discovery workshop, a key stakeholder insists on a solution that captures extensive user data without clear consent, arguing it will help personalization. The Strategy Designer identifies this as a potential ethical risk. What is the most appropriate framework to use to facilitate a conversation about this risk?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Consequence Scanning is an agile practice used to identify potential intended and unintended consequences of a product or feature. It provides a structured, non-confrontational way to surface ethical concerns like privacy and data usage, allowing the team to mitigate harms.
Question 4
A Strategy Designer is conducting stakeholder mapping for a digital transformation project. They identify a 'Skeptical Gatekeeper' who has high power/influence but low interest in the project's success. According to standard stakeholder mapping strategies, how should this stakeholder be managed?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Stakeholders with High Power but Low Interest must be 'Kept Satisfied'. They have the power to block the project if they become annoyed or perceive risk, but they don't care enough to be actively involved. The strategy is to meet their basic requirements and avoid giving them reasons to use their power negatively.
quadrantChart
title Stakeholder Mapping Matrix
x-axis Low Interest --> High Interest
y-axis Low Power --> High Power
quadrant-1 Manage Closely
quadrant-2 Keep Satisfied
quadrant-3 Monitor
quadrant-4 Keep Informed
"Project Champion": [0.9, 0.9]
"Skeptical Gatekeeper": [0.15, 0.85]
"End User": [0.8, 0.2]
"Observer": [0.1, 0.1]
Question 5
Case Study: GlobalRetail Inc.
GlobalRetail Inc. is suffering from high customer churn. Their support agents use Salesforce Service Cloud but complain that they have to switch between five different legacy systems to find order status, shipping details, and loyalty points. The CIO believes the solution is to 'build a custom UI in React' to replace Salesforce.
As the Strategy Designer, you conduct user research and find the root cause is data fragmentation, not the UI itself. You want to propose an alternative that leverages Salesforce capabilities.
Which recommendation best addresses the user need while maximizing platform value?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
This solution addresses the root cause (data fragmentation/swivel-chair interface) by integrating the data sources and displaying them within the existing Salesforce Service Console. This leverages the platform's integration and UI capabilities (MuleSoft + Lightning Platform) rather than building a high-maintenance custom app outside of the core workflow.
Question 6
When defining success metrics for a new partner portal, a client suggests tracking 'Total Number of logins per month'. The Strategy Designer suggests this is a 'vanity metric' and proposes tracking 'Partner Deal Registration Rate' instead. Why is the second metric superior for strategy design?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Deal Registration Rate measures an outcome that drives business value (revenue pipeline), whereas login counts only measure activity. A user might log in and do nothing. Strategy Design metrics should always tie back to the realization of the business objective.
