For attendees of the design thinking workshop at the VBSR spring conference, here are some simple steps you can take to bring the design process to life at your organization.

1. Design Thinking:
What Next?
For VBSR Spring Conference Workshop Attendees

2. 1. Find Someone Who Needs to Solve a Problem – This could be
anyone inside or outside your organization. A customer, for
example. Or a co-worker from a different department. Problems
and opportunities abound around us. For a design thinker, you
have the chance to help someone else.That’s a powerful place to
stand from.
!
At work, find a problem to solve, one that isn’t too big, but that still
feels important and interesting.

3. 2. Create a Mini-Design Team – The best design and innovation
needs collaboration and divergent thinking. Find a buddy or two
in your organization to work together with. It will make your
challenge more fun and impactful when you don’t do it alone.
!

4. 3. Talk With People – Use your empathy muscles to dig into what
matters, especially those who the problem impacts.What are they
really trying to do? Watch them, if you can, to see how they might
be using the thing you’re trying to change.
!
When you talk to them, dig in and use the “5 Whys”: keep asking
them why to really get to the bottom of what they really need.
!

5. 4. Frame and Reframe the Problem - Take what you’ve learned
and make it into the problem statement – the thing you’re going to
solve. Start with “How might we…” and then add your opportunity.
!
Don’t stop there, though. Keep using the “5 Whys” here too, to
reframe the problem into something that’s really worth solving.

6. 5. Make An Idea Wall – Solve the problem with lots of ideas. Clean
off a wall in your office and keep putting up sticky notes with
ideas. Group and regroup them. See what resonates.Work with
your buddy and build off of one another’s ideas.
!
Keep asking yourself “What IF we…” to really zoom your thinking.

7. 6. Prototype and Test – Make a small prototype of your best ideas
and bring it back to the person whose problem you’re solving. If
it’s a customer, share it with your team.
!
Let them play with it or test it. Start imagining how you might
integrate this solution into your organization.

8. Want to learn more?
You can take a 7-week online human-centered design course
with Acumen and Ideo.org
http://plusacumen.org/courses/hcd-for-social-innovation/
!
Great reading here about insights and innovation
!
http://designthinking.ideo.com
http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/
http://continuuminnovation.com/insights/
!