DESIGN THINKING BOOTCAMP

 

Design Thinking is a human-centered methodology that can be used to solve problems or create breakthough innovations. 

In this one day event, we introduce your team to the Design Thinking methodology. You’ll be hands-on, applying the methodology to a real world challenge. We might help a non-profit find new ways to connect with volunteers, improve public transportation, invent an app for locating parking, or something entirely different. Whatever the challenge is, the team will use the entire Design Thinking process, including Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. At the end of the day we’ll unpack what was learned and how it might be applied to the team’s “real work.”

In addition to learning the Design Thinking methodology, team members can look forward to a fun, fast-paced day full of hands-on activities. 

 

Design SPRINT

Organizations use Design Sprints to generate ideas, solve problems, and test the solutions in five days. Jake Knapp from Google Ventures popularized this process in his book, Sprint. 

For example, an insurance company might realize their current products don't resonate at all with 18-25 year olds, or an airline might want to vastly improve their "lost luggage" customer experience. In a one week, intensive process, we work closely with your team to go from blank slate to tested prototypes. A sample schedule:

  • Monday: Figure out the goal, map the problem, hear from experts, pick a target for the week
  • Tuesday: Generate ideas, sketch and improve ideas
  • Wednesday: Decide, select ideas to move forward and take them to the next level of fidelity
  • Thursday: Create your prototype(s)
  • Friday: Test and learn what worked and what didn't

The final result is a tangible, tested prototype of a new product or service, or solution to a problem. Prototypes might include clickable mockups of digital interfaces, styrofoam cutouts show shape, size and placement of a new "lost luggage" desk, scripts acted out, and more.

Research and UX STRATEGY

Gain the insight you need to inform your next innovation or improvement.

Research: Through interviews and observation, we'll establish a true and complete picture of how your product or service is working for your customers today. Through personas and journey maps you'll see the real goals, expectations and assumptions your customers bring to your service, site or app. 

UX Strategy: Insight without action doesn't help your organization. That's why we directly tie our research insights to an actionable UX strategy. A UX strategy includes both broad goals and the specific tactics (features to add, flows to update, issues to fix) to get there.

 

 

 

PROCESS RE-ENGINEERING

Short-term immersive learning sessions are great, but how do you bring what you've learned about insights, innovation or Design Thinking back to your own organization and make it stick?

We work with you to incorporate insight-based changes into your own process and culture. With sensitivity and attention to your organization's values and deeply held beliefs, and an understanding that creating real change is hard, we'll take you through the process of:

  • Visioning: refining and articulating the desired change
  • Identifying and Analyzing: current processes 
  • Redesigning: processes, activities, steps, deliverables, checkpoints, roles
  • Implementing: piloting or releasing new processes
  • Evaluating and refining: to create real change

At the end, you'll have incorporated an approach to innovation or Design Thinking that works for and within your organization.