Lessons from Stanford d.school Design Thinking Bootcamp Day 2

Day 2 of the bootcamp was all about ideation and testing. We brainstormed a ton of ideas, voted, went through an excruciatingly painful but educational process of narrowing and deciding, and then whirred through several prototypes, killed half our designs and coming to something simple and focused by the end. It was an awesome day working with our hands, moving our feet, and testing physical, tangible versions of our ideas (which were service-oriented) on real people. Whoa.

The day concluded with an awesome panel talking about bringing design thinking back to their organization (large and small).

Below are some of my most memorable takeaways from the day's activities and the panel.

Ideation

i.      HMW questions: how might we

1.       Break up POVs into mini-brainstorms w/ HMWs
ii.      IDEO brainstorming rules
iii.      Space makes a difference

1.       No table
2.       Big whiteboards
3.       Standing
4.       Lots of space
5.       Post-its onto whiteboard

iv.      “to build on that”

i.         Stoking/getting revved up for brainstorming

i.      Rock paper scissors tournament game

j.        Brainstorm voting using 3 selection criteria
i.      Most likely to succeed
ii.      Most likely to delight
iii.      Most likely to be breakthrough

k.       Everyone puts 2 of each of 3 color stickers on idea post-its to vote

l.         Cluster ideas + pick those w/ high votes (hard!)

Prototype

i.      Cycles = greatness
ii.      Don’t get ready, get started
iii.      Bring prototype to meeting, have it absorb emotional trauma (not you)
iv.      Don’t do sales on the prototype w/ user
v.      Show don’t tell; have user tell you
vi.      Ask for the negative stuff up front. When prototype breaks, it’s when you learn

Testing
i.      Not:
1.       Leading the witness
2.       Guarding your prototype
3.       telling

ii.      Hot:
1.       Ask open ended questions
2.       Letting go of prototype
3.       Show

Testing debrief

1.       Prototype: + (like), delta (change), lightbulb (idea)
2.       Test: + (like), delta (change), lightbulb (idea)

iv.      Feel exhausted, but good exhausted

Group Debrief
ii.      class as prototype
iii.      build in culture of feedback at work
iv.      “I like, I wish”
v.      How can I view all of life and work as a continuous prototype?
ix.      Use sharpies + post-its so you can read from distance

Panel on organizations
3.       Lots of market research/small group panels bad
4.       Step 1: start with yourself
a.       Read books: Change by Design, Business of Design, Do You Matter 
b.      IDEO
c.       Prototyping is messy, had to accept it
5.       Step 2: small teams, one a time
a.       Teaching to know
6.       Step 3: go to global org
a.       Stanford
b.      Trained facilitators

iii.      Responsible for experience, not equipment
iv.      Make your users be your designers; User Advisory Board
x.      Not acceptable to do quarter to quarter incremental change

v.      Process/empathy meetings w/ everyone so all can learn what everyone else does
vi.      Most of issues not technology
vii.      Design thinking for service

iv.     Build social network in your company one by one of DTs
v.      Building innovation lab, cross-disciplinary team

viii.      Innovation is everyone’s responsibility, not a secret club
ix.      Avoiding organ rejection

v.       principles
1.       Make it simple
2.       Exhibit craftsmanship
3.       Inspire delight
4.       Deliver unique value
5.       Focus on goals

viii.      CEO commitment

ix.      Dt applies across departments including finance, HR, etc.
x.      Everyone has role in making design matter

iii.      d.school space explicitly gives permission to make, go wild

iv.      Start bringing in prototyping materials, playdoh, legos, pink chair

v.      Told people about dt by rephrasing in other’s context
vi.      Did secret project using dt
vii.      Transform space, cube
viii.      Gift giving then real projects
ix.      Use “secret viral” if in your culture

w.     How to scale dt champion
i.      Work directly w/ teams to inspire others
x.       How to create right space
i.      Tear down cubicles, create foam core movable project spaces

y.       How to measure ROI of dt
i.      Catalog success stories
ii.      Design as driving value

Day 2 themes, takeaways
i.      Having champions
ii.      Don’t ask for permission
iii.      Cultural inertia is common
iv.      Keep the momentum, dive in fast
v.      Know own culture
vi.      Scaling: crank up hot emotions, not rational argument to scale change
1.       Hot cause, cool solution
vii.      Teach experientially, not PPT
viii.      Self -> team -> org
ix.      Design for extreme user to find inspiration
x.      Demos to teach, not lectures
xii.      Make a 6 word story of what you learned