3a. Design Thinking (10/20-11/3)

Part 1: Empathy (10/20)

What We Did: Despite Dr. Wellman telling us for quite some time that “the classes right after the midterm are going to be a bit different,” none of us really knew what to expect until we walked in the door on the first day. Instead of Dr. Wellman teaching the class like usual, we had two fun teachers from the University of Maryland Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation named Frankie and Allie. They explained that they would be would be working with us for the next three classes, and our goal by the end of the last session was to come up with an innovative way to combat the stress of UMD students.

I learned a somewhat different model of design thinking compared to the other ones we have discussed in previous lectures. This process had 5 steps – empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test – but on the first day we would only be focusing on empathy. We did this by learning the importance of dialogue with potential customers, as well as tips to conduct a good interview.

The first thing to do is to introduce yourself and your purpose for conducting the interview. Many people make the mistake of not explaining why they’re asking questions, and this can cause a discrepancy between them and the subjects. By giving an overview of the purpose, there is a more honest atmosphere. Next we should proceed to build rapport with our partner by asking questions and follow up questions. It is best for the questioning to not be so rigid and instead feel like a natural conversation. This will get us the best responses and information. After breaking off into small design teams in class, we spent a few minutes generating a loose list of open-ended interview questions. We were told that eventually we should aim to evoke stories in an interview. This is the best way to learn about a unique situation and gain insight on an issue based on real emotion. Some of the questions we produced were, “How soon after you are assigned homework do you start it?” and “How do you expect to perform on an assignment if you don’t prepare?” An additional tip that we were offered was to get someone to be your note-taker during an interview. It is much better to make eye contact with our subject than to be half-listening and looking down at a notebook.

Key Takeaways and Future Applications: Our homework was to each conduct our own interview inquiring about how UMD students manage stress. Then, we were to meet up with our group and synthesize the data from all of our interviews. We had to agree on four main observations that we gathered and then make “why ladders” (example shown to the right) to dissect the behaviors. I liked the idea of why ladders because the questioning gradually builds on top of previous questions, making drawing conclusions much easier. If the opportunity presented itself, I would like to use these in the future to gain insight. I also enjoyed learning what common faults people make when interviewing and how to correct those errors. I agree that open-ended questions are much better for finding things out, as opposed to questions with yes or no answers.

The main insight we got from all of this was that college students don’t feel that there’s enough time in the day to do everything they need to, leading to stress. In addition to schoolwork, students need to have enough time to eat, exercise, and go to their jobs. However, most of them don’t end up getting to do all of this. We need to find out a way for them to manage their time better.

When Dr. Wellman said the next class was going to be different he definitely wasn’t kidding! A lot of the class involved coming up with things on the fly – something I don’t consider myself to be good at, and a drastic contrast from previous lectures. Before, we already knew what to expect in the lectures from our reading assignments. I was fine with learning about it in class, but once I was actually thrown in a hands-on situation, I felt a little overwhelmed. I didn’t think I would be able to accomplish the goal of helping my peers manage stress. Additionally, I didn’t know either of my teammates very well, so the thought of trying to be wildly imaginative with people I barely knew was intimidating. After the first session I didn’t know how I felt about design thinking thus far.

Design Thinking – Part 2: Define and Brainstorm (10/27)

What We Did: In the second design thinking class we defined our problem with our groups and then learned a way to brainstorm (ideate) possible solutions. The class began with a brainstorming activity called BrainSpin, in which there were random shapes on the board and we had to come up with as many similar-looking objects as possible.

Next, all the groups went through a number of different brainstorming challenges in order to solve our stress dilemma. Each student was given a pack of sticky notes to write everything that came to mind and then post on our design board. After the first few rounds of brainstorming, we were given special lenses to formulate ideas through. One of the lenses was that all our ideas had to cost over $1 million. Another was that all of our ideas had to be what Lady Gaga would do. Because this demanded even more creative thinking, we ended with even more creative answers.

Eventually, once we had generated about 100 ideas, we were told to choose the best one with the most potential. After several minutes of deliberating we decided on the sticky note that said, “study group at gym”. We developed this simple sticky note into our idea called “Terp Tudors”. Then for homework we were to create a comprehensive prototype and get feedback on it. Frankie told us how to create storyboard prototypes, which are the best for helping consumers visualize the product.

Key Takeaways and Future Applications: My favorite part of class was the BrainSpin ideation activity because no two answers were the same. The first shape shown was a circle with a horizontal line down the middle. What one person thought was a hamburger; someone else thought was a half-full washing machine. I wouldn’t have been able to come up with even half the ideas that I heard my classmates share around the room. It just goes to show how differently we think from one another. This activity fully convinced me that the best creative ideas would come from many, rather than just one person.

This was the first time that I had been encouraged to value quantity over quality. Frankie and Allie explained to us that there was a proven statistic about generating ideas. They said that the first few ideas were naturally going to be very bad and cliché, because that is all we’re used to. Then once we ran out of obvious answers, the ideas would start to be more original. It wouldn’t be until about the 50^th idea that they would start being really good. I didn’t really believe this when I was first told, but it turned out to be absolutely true. All of our best and outrageous ideas came at the very end when we couldn’t think of anything else.

What I took away from the second design thinking session was the importance of creating prototypes. I realized that the purpose of prototyping is to create things quickly to test with users, and then refine sooner. The good thing about creating prototypes using pen and paper like I did is that it has extremely low costs. Such minimization of costs allows for much more testing and refining. By making ideas tangible to customers, we can better facilitate important evaluation and feedback about them. I was really impressed that our simple and random idea of having study groups at the gym turned into an entire campus-wide tutoring service called Terp Tutors. The idea was that combining studying with other activities would save students time and be convenient. For example, we planned on offering cycling classes at Eppley, but with a twist. The class instructor would also be a math tutor, who would review material with students as they exercised. Being active is a fundamental stress reliever (not to mention good for our health), so when students are both working out and studying at the same time, they will associate the math as being less stressful. In addition, the students will be saving time because they won’t feel guilty for skipping schoolwork for the gym. Our idea didn’t stop at the gym either – we also planned on having occasional study nights at the diner. Each table would be for a different subject, and tutors would collaborate with students to tackle class material, all while eating healthy brain food provided by the diner. Students would sign up with a smart phone app to either be a tutor or a tutee.

The second day of our design thinking challenge turned out to be a lot more fun than the first day. I realized I was a fan of this way of thinking, plus it was fun to see my group members finally break out of their shells and be a little silly during the brainstorming. I can now see what David Kelly was saying in a video we watched a few weeks ago in class – the more outrageous and unrealistic the idea, the better. Nothing new will come from the practical ideas. We need something crazy, so that we can narrow in on it until we have something truly original and genius.

Design Thinking – Part 3: Prototype and Demo (11/3)

What We Did: The third design thinking class began with another introduction game. This time, we were instructed to write down a song on a piece of paper that we thought everyone in the room would know. Volunteers were then paired at the front of the room. One partner drew a song out of a box and was told to knock the beat of the song on the table for the other partner to guess. When each pair was giving the game a try, Frankie would write the attempted song on a piece of paper and show everyone in the class who wasn’t doing the activity. Not a single pair ended up guessing a song correctly. This was Frankie and Allie’s way of demonstrating the knowledge barrier that often exists between the creator and user of a product.

This class was spent sharing our finished products in a special PowerPoint fashion that was intended to be short, sweet and to the point. We had to present our ideas to the class in only five slides; 20 seconds each and one picture each. This way, there would be less fluff in our product debut and we would focus on delivering the most important information.

Key Takeaways and Future Applications: I gained a lot of unexpected insight from the introduction game at the beginning of class. When watching my classmates try to guess the songs, the right answers seemed so obvious to me. I couldn’t understand how they couldn’t guess the answer, but then it occurred to me that my knowledge had been primed when Frankie flashed us the names of the current songs. When I knew the correct answer, I forgot what it was like to have no idea and I just assumed that it would be just as easy for the guesser at the front of the room. When we know something and forget what it’s like not to know, this is called a “knowledge barrier.” This concept is the same in the business world. Companies create products thinking that customers will be on the same page, but that’s often not the case.

This is the very reason that we should make multiple prototypes when developing a product. The homework due for this third design thinking class was to show our prototype to different people and get feedback. In my opinion, this proved to be the best transformation of our idea. When showing our Terp Tutors idea to a room full of BSE students watching a Pittsburgh Steelers game (at commercial break of course), they suggested that the app have more features. They asked questions like, “What incentives do people have for registering to be tutors?” “How do we know the tutors actually know what they’re doing?” “How can we find where tutors are at a moments notice?” Eventually, this led us to shape our app into more of an Uber for tutors. On the app, students can check in with their locations and identify as either a tutor or a tutee. However, they can only register as a tutor if a teacher in that subject has recommended them on the app. This way, students know they’re actually getting valuable help and not wasting their time. When a student finds a tutor close to them on the map, they can send a message through the app and arrange to meet up. In addition to this student-controlled tutor service, there will also be group events like classes at the gym and tutors at the diner like originally planned. Most of the funding for tutors will come from the university. However, the first month will be free to all users of the app, then after it will cost $3 per month. This is to help pay the tutors’ wages. Also, in an effort to encourage tutors to volunteer their time, for every 5 times they agree to be a tutor, they get a coupon for a free coffee from anywhere on campus.

I am beyond pleased with the outcome of these design-thinking classes. I am always told in school to “be creative,” but never knew how to actually do that. By making the design thinking process into a challenge to overcome a relatable issue, I think it encouraged all of us to do whatever it took to make the best product possible. It’s remarkable to think how such a simple idea turned into an extremely innovative one. I’m also happy that I ventured out of my comfort zone and enjoyed it. It was especially challenging for me to do brainstorming because at first I could only think of basic cliché ideas. The first class left me feeling uneasy because I didn’t think I had the capacity to think so originally. I didn’t know how easy finding a solution would be with the help of my team and the suggestions from random people. I will definitely use these five design-thinking steps when I encounter a problem, in the future. They seem easier than ever after this hands-on operation. Lastly, I learned not to throw any idea out because it can be the beginning of something great.