Evolve | Design Thinking - Class 6 PDF Download

This phase involves developing smart Strategies & Implementation Plan that will deliver/achieve the Big Idea/solution deduced from earlier phases. This is the time to strategize and advance from Ideas to Reality.

Purpose

It’s all about renewing your activities & strategies; here you will test some of your ideas to learn what resources are needed and how best to implement in a way that meet user needs.

• To pilot test selected user-inspired ideas to learn what works and what doesn’t
• To determine the needed resources & capabilities to implement these ideas.
• To evolve the current activity system & processes to support implementation.

Methods & Tools

1. Concept Synthesis: Determining the Big Idea/Solution from user needs & stakeholder value propositions.
2. Strategic Requirements: Advancing from Ideas to Reality by assessing Organizations’ Capability; Activities &People.

Integrate and Evolve the activity system

• Integrate: How does your big idea or solution concept INTEGRATE into the organisation's current Activity System?
• Evolve or Change: Does this new concept create any TENSIONS that must be resolved?

Activity System Integration
Leveraging/Evolving/Refining the current system and process to work smarter and not harder

• Current Activity System → Solution concept → Evolved Activity System
• Evolving the process for Delivery

(i) Viability Analysis (Impact Evaluation) Impact assessment Using 4S

(ii) Innovation Tool: Testing solutions using user needs, CAP & 4S

(iii) Change Management (REVIEW): Using Reasons for change; Engage staff; Visualize change; Initiate implementation; Empower people for change &Quick Winsw

(iv) Quick Wins: Think Big; Start Small & Scale Fast

(v) Action Planning to Advance Design Challenge Project
Processes

(i) Recap on all the four phases
(ii) Synthesize the solution by reprising persona and its deep user needs; pains & gains and Value propositions

• Idea Refinement from the project learnings.

(iii) Evolving phase

• Integrate the New Solution by Evolving the Organization Activity System
• Determining strategic requirements.
• Identify and Design the Steps and Workflow to Delivering the Solution
• Evolved Activity system and workflow integration.
• Impact assessment of the Big Idea and Solution components.

(iv) Change Management (managing peoples’ side of the change)

• Identify and implement quick wins.
• Action/implementation plan.
• Tell a compelling story of the user needs and the solution.

Concept Synthesis

Concept synthesis is the process of consolidating your learning (deep user needs, unmet needs and solution concept) and studying and defining the impact (value proposition in terms of function, Social, Emotional) it may have on the users and organization. Concept synthesis can be done using “11 box” tool which highlights.
Concept Synthesis is a “11 box tool” which highlights “User Centric, step by step Solution Concept” with the “Value Propositions for both parties” to the “current problem” at a glance. The following steps guide to synthesize the concept:

(i) Inspiration

• Who are the Target Users? Reprise the Persona.
• What Is the Deep or Unmet Need(s)? Restate The Need.

(ii) The big idea/ Solution concept

• What Is The Intent And Opportunity Behind The Idea?
• How Is It Novel? What Is The “WOW" Factor?

(iii) Impact on the target users

• What are the value propositions?
• How does it make their life better?

(iv) Impact on the organisation

• How Would It Benefit The Organisation? 
• Will It Create Sustainable And Viable Solutions?

How to use?

1. Understand your main Users (represented by the Persona), so outline the Deep Needs; Gains and Pains in each of the boxes at the left.
2. In the top two boxes, the Challenge and the Solution Concept/idea needs to be outlined based on the opportunities it provides (the Novelty and “WOW” factor it has). 
3. Next set of boxes should highlight the Key Solution Components (from where the solutions were derived) and the Ideal User Experience Journey. 
4. Further, three boxes below should provide the (1) Value proposition for the User; (2) Gain Creators and (3) Pain Relievers (How it makes User’s life better).  
5. On the Right hand side the last box should contain the Value proposition for the Organization (Will it create sustainable and viable solutions?).

Strategic Requirements (Advancing from ideas to reality)

Purpose
Tool which helps to analyze how feasible the Solution is based on following three critical factors that affect what an organization can and cannot do:

• Capabilities and Assets/Resources
• Activity Systems and Workflow (Processes)
• People & Values

When to use?

This should follow only after concept synthesis after determining the “Big Idea/Solution” and the different key solution components which helps to deliver or make up the Big Idea/Solution.

How to use?

1. There is a need to list down all the ideas and solutions from the concept synthesis.
2. For each key solution component what are the capabilities and resources required to deliver. 
3. Then assess the existing capabilities and resources and the “GAP”.
4. After the assessment of the GAP, what is the additional capability that is required to be developed and devise Strategies.
5. Assess the cost to develop the additional capability. 
6. What are the external sources of expertise (potential partnership)?

Since template are available at the back of the guide book, why not we put the sample (filled ones). Not only in this phase but in all the phases.(we delete all the empty templates)

Example: Strategic Requirement

Activity System Integration

(Leveraging/Evolving/Refining the current system and process to work smarter and not harder)

Purpose
This tool shall help to implement the “Solution Concept” by integrating the solution components and the corresponding activities into the organization’s current activity system and workflow. This shall help to leverage, evolve and refine the existing activity systems and processes in working smarter. 

How to use? 

1. Use the activity system developed in the explore phase to study the current activity.
2. Then based on the Big Idea/Solution concept, assess whether the Mission and Objectives need to be changed or not. 
3. Then accordingly, assess which Key Strategies need to be changed.
4. This will then be followed by changes in processes using the tool to evolve the delivery processes.  
5. In order to better deliver the solution to the users, different end to end processes (integral to the organizations) need to be streamlined. Processes can be workflow, business rules, patterns of interaction, coordination and approval procedures).  
6. Specify one key solution component.
7. Then list down all the end to end processes needed to implement the above solution.
8. Assess the current process and determine gaps. 
9. Incorporate in the activity systems if changes are required.
10. Assess what are the possible tensions arising from the change and needs to be resolved. 

Example: evolving the process for delivery
Big idea: student-driven real-world learning

Viability analysis (impact evaluation)

Purpose
Assessment of viability of the proposed solution is important and it is evaluated from the impact it creates on different stakeholders; potential to scale it up and how sustainable it is.

When to use?

As per logical sequencing the viability study is towards the end of all process before embarking on to the process of getting buy ins (change management) for different stakeholders. 

How to use?

Impact assessment is carried out through the 4S tool, which should identify key indicators to indicate the following four:

1. Stakeholders Satisfaction

Examples of Indicators:

• Awareness Level
• Happiness Rating
• User Experience
• Quality Rating
• Utilisation Rate

2. Social Value Creation
Examples of Indicators:

• Trust/Confidence Level
• Improvement in Quality of Life
• Effective Reach of Policy/Programme
• Closer Community Engagement

3.  Program Sustainability
Examples of Indicators:

• Institutional Support
• Funding Stability
• Organizational Capacity
• Program Adaptation
• Joint-Operation Partnership
• Systems & Process

4. Program Scalability
Examples of Indicators:

• Load scalability – increase service
• Functional Scalability – additional function
• Administrative Scalability – sharing administration
• Geographic Scalability – different location

Innovation tool using user needs, cap, 4s

Purpose
Innovation/transformation tool provides opportunity to understand design thinking at a glance outlining the following three key aspects: 

1. User desirability – basis for all unmet needs of an Organization – triggers technical, market/brand and User experience innovation.
2. Technical feasibility – assessment of current CAP and strategizing integration of solution – triggers process and technical innovation (R&D without involvement of users)
3. Viability – values created for stakeholders, social values, sustainability of the solution and scalability – triggers market/brand and process innovation 

When to use?

It is useful in gaining buy-in from all stakeholders after the solution is assessed and devised towards the end.

How to use?
The tool consists of a Venn diagram, which requires outlining the three key aspects of design project and can be used to assess innovations and success/failure of the project.

Process Innovation

• Capability, assets & resources
• Activity systems & Workflow
• People/Culture/Change/Adoption Management
• Stakeholder Satisfaction
• Social Value Creation 
• Sustainability
• Scalability

Change Management tool using review

Purpose

For the new solution to be integrated in the system, some organizational shift (big or small) needs to take place. This requires Change Management skills and tools.
From many, REVIEW is one tool, which has people centric process, tools and techniques for managing people side of the change. It’s a method for reducing and managing resistance to change in process, technology and organization.

How to use?
Following steps (REVIEW) are critical in leading the change: 

Quick Wins

Quick wins are early small successes which are relatively cheap and easy; improvement is visible; with immediate benefit and can be implemented quickly. It helps secure organizational support and builds momentum to advance the Big Idea forward.

When to use?

First few baby steps in jump starting the implementation of the Big Idea.

Identifying and Selecting Quick Wins

• Review the solution components and key activities that lead to the Big Solution.
• Criteria for selecting impact should be based on Value creation; stakeholder satisfaction; sustainability and scalability.
• Plot this on the matrix below depending on the effort and resources required to implement and what kind of impact it has.
• Select at least 2 – 3 Quick Wins and identify success indicators; who will lead and the time frame.
  

Planning and Implementing Quick Wins
Once Quick Wins have been identified and agreed to, plan, schedule and acquire the necessary resources to develop and implement them. Planning and implementing Quick Wins include:

1. Develop, document and get agreement on Quick Wins
2. Clearly define success indicators of Quick Win and how it can be measured
3. Identify and assign people who will lead the implementation
4. Define time-line and key milestones of Quick Win implementation
5. Set status update timetable
6. Communicate results of Quick Win

Action planning to advance design challenge project

Purpose
This is the action planning stage to distill, adapt and integrate to revise the implementation action plan for selected solutions and quick wins.

When to use?

This is the second last lap of the entire design project before seeking buying in from the stakeholders.

How to use?

1. As a team discuss and plan how your team intends to bring your project forward into pilot testing and implementing some of your ideas.
2. Your plan should clearly detail the what-why-who-how-and when in taking your project forward using the below template.