Innovating in Business: Class Roadmap

1. Innovating in Business: Class Roadmap

2. Two overlapping approaches to innovative thinking. Define (needs statement) Clarify the situation Wish Fact find reframe Generate ideas Develop Solutions 1. Identify 2. Improve Implement plans Empathic observation Ideate Test/Refine Prototype

4. Your challenge Redesign the gift giving experience….for your partner. Important: • You are NOT designing a gift for them • You are designing something to improve their experience of finding/selecting/buying/giving gifts.

5. Step 1: gain empathy The Logistics: • Partner A interviews Partner B for four minutes • Partner B interviews Partner A for four minutes Suggested starting point: • Talk about the last time the person gave a gift…to whom? Why was it meaningful? How did they come up with the idea? What was difficult about finding/giving the gift.

6. Step 2: digging deeper Follow up on what intrigued you. • Dig for stories, feelings, emotions. • Ask why? Why? Why? You are searching for their needs, their wishes, their challenges…. • what they say – and don’t say • What it triggers for you – in terms of understanding and insight

7. Step 3: Capture findings Individually: • Synthesize your learnings into two groups: • Goals and wishes • Insights • Use verbs to express goals and wishes. • “My partner wants to feel connected to the gift recipient” • “My partner feels unsure his gift is meaningful” • Insights = discoveries, connections, ideas that you might use when creating a solution • “My partner views handmade gifts as more meaningful and personal.”

8. Step 4: Your point of view The lynchpin of the process • Statement of challenge – what you are going to address • Make it juicy and actionable. • Examples: “Janice needs a way to celebrate holidays in a way that is right for her family surprisingly she wants to hold on to traditions AND she wants to be unique.” “Arthur wants to express his care and love for his friends. Surprisingly he thinks about his appreciation often but his friends don’t know about it.”

9. Step 5: Generate alternatives • Rewrite challenge statement at top. • Create solutions to the challenge • Go for volume. • Remember the Rules: • Go for quantity • Be wild. Be crazy. • No judgment • Find connections • Be visual!

10. Step 6: Share solutions; get feedback Partner B shares first ( 5 minutes); then switch. Guidelines: • This is not a test! • This is an opportunity to learn more about your partner’s (Client’s) feelings and worldview. • Fight the urge to explain and define. • Listen to your partner’s reactions and questions. • Note likes/dislikes and builds. • Listen for new insights.

11. Step 7: Iterate Think what you have learned about your partner AND the initial solutions you generated. From this sketch a new idea. • Could be variation on idea; could be new. • Remember: still addressing the challenge statement AND you can refine that to incorporate new insights. • Provide as much detail and color around idea as possible. • How might this solution fit into the context of your partner’s life?

12. Step 8: Build Create a physical prototype of your solution – something your partner can engage and interact with. • Not a scale model. • An experience your partner can react to. • One aspect your idea – or all of it. Your choice • If it’s a service or system, create a scenario that allows your partner to experience this innovation. • Move with urgency and intention!

13. Step 9: Share and get feedback Share your prototype; let your partner play with it. • Let go of it physically and emotionally. It is not precious. • Listen to the feedback and what worked. • Don’t defend and explain; see how your partner uses and misuses it. • Jot down what worked; what could be improved; questions; ideas.

14. Step 10: DebriefSit quietly for 5 minutes and write down your reactions… Think about what this means going forward…. 1. Think about what we did: • Your conversation with your partner • Synthesizing the conversation • Writing the challenge statement • Coming up with initial ideas • Discussing ideas • Prototyping • Getting feedback to prototypes Think about what the experience was like and what you learned from it: • What was easy for you? Why? • What was challenging? • What hung you up? How did you get around it? • What are your insights about design thinking?

15. Step 10: DebriefSit quietly for 5 minutes and write down your reactions… 1. Think about what we did: • Your conversation with your partner • Synthesizing the conversation • Writing the challenge statement • Coming up with initial ideas • Discussing ideas • Prototyping • Think about your reactions: • What you liked? • What was challenging? • What was successful? What wasn’t? • Think about what happens next • What happened tonight that will inform your next experience? • What do you see or do or feel differently?

16. What are core values of design thinking? Hallmarks: • Empathy • Experimentation and prototyping • Bias toward action • Show don’t tell • Power of iteration

17. Design Thinking 1. inspiration Define (needs statement) Empathic observation Ideate Test/Refine 3. implementation 2. Creation Prototype

18. Homework • Choose a partner. • Challenge: • Identify a challenge in the real world that you want to work on together….an experience you want to reimagine and change. • Over the next two weeks, work through the ENTIRE PROCESS. • At next class, we’ll share your prototypes and your experiences. • You may be outrageously successful; you may fail; what’s important is the experience.

19. Design Thinking Define (needs statement) Empathic observation Ideate Test/Refine Prototype

20. Innovating in Business: Class Roadmap

21. Speakers

22. Mid-term papers: April 10

23. Innovating in Business: Class Roadmap