Comm 388 Final Reflection: Top Takeaways from d.studio

Strategic Design: I think I finally get what it means! 

If I could sum up the essence of this course in 2 words, it would be “strategic design”. Strategic Design was at the core of everything that we did – in class discussion, assignments, group projects. Despite this term being tossed around about 5 times a class, I had no idea what it actually meant for the longest time. According to the course outline, Strategic Design is “a collaborative process for tackling complex problems”. Little did I know that this was the nice succinct definition for a highly intricate concept that turned out to a beast of a technique in practice. As Brian Boyer from the Helsinki Design Lab described in his publication In Studio:  Recipes for Systemic Change, the strategic design process combines the use of both analytic and creative thinking methods and involves collaboration between the right people to provide innovative solutions to carefully defined problems. In the early weeks of this course I would have asked “Well doesn’t everyone already utilize this process in business?” To me, strategic design seemed like an intuitively ideal technique. After our first group project working with TypeCAST and using the Business Canvas, I realized that there were 2 main barriers that prevented people from naturally employing strategic design. 1) Many of us are naturally stronger right brain or left brain thinkers. It takes a great deal of consciousness to engage both sides of our brain equally in problem solving. 2) Any type of decision is usually made by like-minded people with the same goal (same department, same discipline, same circumstances, etc.). D.studio provided us the safe, risk-free space to practice the strategic design process ASK.TRY.DO. For me, this framework eliminated the two barriers described above. It brought “strategic design” from an intuitive ideal concept to a real, tangible, structured technique.

ASK.TRY.DO – Do you see the moon-walking bear?

• This video sums up my experience in the ASK phase.

What I learned in this stage is that it’s hard to see what you’re not looking for. I recall the in-class observation exercise for which we were asked to observe a room in Sauder for about 20 minutes. What this activity allowed us to do was observe objectively, without much purpose. I found answering the 6 Universal Questions really helpful in obtaining concrete information about an environment.

• The TRY phase was my favourite because it was so hands on. This is the phase that we prototyped!

What I learned from this stage was that failing is a good thing! In business school and in the workplace we are discouraged from achieving negative results. But if we don’t fail, how are we supposed to realize our mistakes and improve on them? During our in-class prototyping activity, we utilized the technique of “scenarios”. We imagined different scenarios in which our product could be used, and it allowed us to broaden the function of our prototype. Overall, prototyping allowed us to fail big with low cost, and sift through our ideas to identity the feasible ones and non-feasible ones.

• Finally, the most vivid experience with the DO phase was during our 2^nd project – the focus group.

As part of our Climate Smart Project with Met Fine Printers, we held a focus group that sought to understand the perceptions companies had of the printing industry in terms of sustainability. The technique that was very beneficial to us was story telling. It prevented us from asking leading questions and allowed us to engage in an authentic, unbiased conversation. This spoke volumes to the power of the strategic design process to bring people together to share ideas, as well as its importance for proper problem identification. We realized that the problem we had identified wasn’t actually a problem at all! This confirmed the significance of a user-driven focus during the DO stage.

CREATIVITY – it isn’t rocket science

One of the more personal takeaways from this class would be that one doesn’t have to invent a rocket ship to be creative. I usually associate creativity with art – to create something, to build something, to invent something. What I learned through discussion in class was that I am creative every single day! From choosing my outfit in the morning to making my lunch, to choosing my route to class, creativity doesn’t have to be grand and glamorous. As Roberto Verganti describes in his letter Design-Driven Innovation, “designers are people before being designers”. He recognizes that people inherently possess the ability and desire to employ the 2 distinct perspectives of designers: style and function. Realizing this has allowed me to embrace the creative decisions I make every day and encourages me to continue to make decisions more creatively, no matter how big or small.

Co-creation – a double-edged sword

If strategic design was to have a double edged sword, I think it would be the co-creation aspect. It is the distinguishing feature of the process in that it brings together people from different areas to contribute their unique ways of thinking. While encouraging multi-disciplinary brainstorming and idea-sharing, the flip side of co-creation is the difficulty in managing conflicting interests. Brian Boyer talked about this exact issue in his speech re-Deisgn for social innovation put on by ISIS in early November at UBC Robson Square. He described the difficulty that the Helsinki Design Lab continuously has in bridging the gap between government, corporations, and society. How do you create harmony between the desire for profits, social equality, and environmental sustainability given the constraints of governmental policy and resistance to change? How do you practice strategic design in a timely manner? (I can vouch that the process can take a very very very very long time). In his scenario with the HDL, one of his answers was giving the government the appropriate tools and support to properly integrate strategic design solutions. In a business context, I believe this means giving the change makers (the clients and business leaders) the tools knowledge to properly carry out the strategic recommendation put forward. Specifically in our 2^nd group project when working with Met Fine Printers, this means giving the company tangible action steps which they can do to address the issues identified and implement the recommendations made.

In conclusion, this was one of the most unique, stimulating classes I’ve taken at Sauder. A vibrant class setting and extremely knowledge and supportive professors make the class a must take!

– M

It is estimated that the average person has upwards of 60,000 thoughts per day. That’s about 40 thoughts per minute. What’s spectacular about this number is the generating ability of the brain. What’s unfortunate is that the majority of these 60,000 thoughts are a) negative and b) concerning the past and/or future. If we consider ourselves to be governed by our thoughts, what does our thought process say about ourselves? What if we were more aware of our thoughts, consciously filtered out the clutter, questioned why we think certain ways, wouldn’t you say we ourselves had the power to be more productive? Efficient? Successful? Happier?

Given that our thoughts largely dictate our moods, behaviour, and actions, it is important to understand our thinking process. And this is exactly what I’ll be doing over the next 4 months as a student in Comm 388: Sauder d.studio. The core of this class is built around “design thinking”. We are introduced to unique strategic thinking processes that utilize both sides of the brain: not only our logic and intuition, but also our creativity and imagination. These processes will ultimately help us become effective problem solvers and create innovative business solutions for today’s changing world.

But what does “design thinking” actually mean? I will attempt to sum that term up later, but first I will reflect on my own thinking process.

Thinking about thinking… that definitely hurts my brain. But after consciously observing my thoughts for a couple hours on the bus, I was able to come up with a list of words and subsequent questions that I feel characterize my thinking process. Comparing these adjectives, one of the ways they can be grouped are by Daniel H. Pink’s “Six Senses” Framework. He refers to these 6 components  as R-sided aptitudes that we need to embrace in addition to L-sided aptitudes. They are: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning. I’ve attempted to sort the traits below into these 6 areas.

Personal: “How does this benefit me/how can I uniquely contribute?” S

Futuristic: “What are the long term effects?” M

Communal: “How does this affect my friends, neighbors, people in other countries?” E

Big picture: “How relevant is this in the grand scheme of things?” M

Divergent: “What connections do I see between seemingly different things?” Sy

Needs vs. wants: “Is this necessary!?” D

Realistic: “Would this be feasible in the real world?” D

Proactive: “What can I do about it now?” 

Reflective: “Why did this happen and what were the causes?” M

Positive: “What’s the best case scenario?” P

Developmental: “How can we improve this?” D

Logical: “What makes sense?”

Multi-disciplinary: “How can I balance creativity and logic?” Sy

Given these traits, the struggle for me is finding the right balance of each and when it is most appropriate to use. Because I tend to want to apply more than 1 thinking process at a time, the result is analysis paralysis: I’ll want to tackle a problem from all angles, only to get anything done! As my classmate Eric Seto quoted in his reflection blog: “Design thinking is more than just thinking, you can’t have design without doing”. What I look forward to practicing in Comm 388 is identifying what my thinking process strengths are, applying the right combination of these thinking strategies, and understanding the benefits/drawbacks of each by working in teams. 

Now that I am more aware of the way I think, what does “design thinking” mean to me?

To me, design thinking means finding a solution through artistic, creative means. Like described in the video, this process is visual, collaborative, active, expansive, and hands on. Just as an artist makes sketches before painting the final canvas, it takes trial and error to arrive at an end conclusion, as does it take days of pondering to make a hard decision. In this way, design thinking may be the key to exploring and solving future world problems that may not yet exist.

All this thinking has made my sleeping, so I will mind my mind and let it rest. After all, 60,000 thoughts is a lot of work!

-M

Want to know how to write a good resume? Wish you knew what to do to nail that interview? – There’s a class for that.

The top 10 things I learned from Comm 299:

10. 3 questions employers want to know: a) Can you do the job? b) Do you want the job? c) Do you fit in?

9. LinkedIn is the professional Facebook.

8. Dreams are just goals without plans.

7. Aim to be respected, rather than liked, because the latter implies the former.

6. Don’t be a fake interviewee. LISTEN.

5. Business School is darn competitive! And so is the job market.

4. (#5 being said…) Your interests and passions are your #1 competitive advantage.

3. Silence, when used effectively, is powerful.

2. The people you know today can help you get to where you want to go tomorrow. NETWORK!

1. Beeeee yourself.

What is the greatest lesson that you've learned from someone else?

When asked this question, the first person that comes to mind is none other than my one and only mother. (Awww). It is not because she has taught me the single greatest lesson I’ve learned, it is because she has never failed to teach me the little things in life which I consider to have conglomerated into one big sacred collection of wisdom. I find it hard to articulate even one of these small lessons, partly because I couldn’t possibly recall ever single time in my life when “she was right and I was wrong”, and partly because I feel that isolating these lessons from each other would strip them of their significance. Had it not been for my egotistical nature, I would have never known that cookies can EASILY be burnt. Had it not been for my stubborn persistence, I would still be reluctant to wear a jacket out in the pouring rain because it didn’t match my outfit. Yes, these are the small beans in the grand scheme of things, but it is these accumulation of moments day after day that has amounted into inherent wisdom. So I thank myself for being, in hindsight, just me. And I thank you Mama Benjamin for being, in hindsight, a wonderful parent.

I better get some brownie points for this.

Just kidding.

Not.

🙂

Guten Tag.

The clocks got turned ahead this morning, it is raining, and it’s Sunday… perfect recipe for lazy lounging? I think so, but the problem is where!

Recently, our really good family friends have downsized and sold their house. The new owners want absolutely nothing so we’ve been helping them organize, move, and sell literally everything in the house. Now spring cleaning is one thing, but liquidating your entire living space is another story to say the least. I strongly believe that humans are hoarders by nature. We truly don’t need the majority of things we own, but as soon as it becomes the desire of other people, we feel we need to have it. I’d rather have it then let someone else have it or let it go to waste. Or I need to buy it because its a great value. Come to think of it, this mentality also guides the way most people eat. So its quite understandable why detaching ourselves from material belongings is one of the most dreaded things we can face. It’s a mental and emotional process more than anything. We want to make sure we have enough for the future. How many times have you found yourself using the “if” excuse when trying to declutter. Well what if I ever have a casino themed party one day, I’ll need these (tacky) plastic cups! Key word: one day. And another 2 years down the road, you tell yourself that again, and so the vicious cycle continues. Ultimately, people believe that our things define us. I have a Benz, therefore I’m successful. I have very little, therefore I am worth very little. But then when we strip away all material belongings, what happens? We have no idea who we are.

Which brings me to why I’m having a hard time finding a place to lazily lounge. Through helping our friends move, WE’VE accumulated a lot of their stuff. So we’re also in the process of getting rid of stuff. Basically, everything that is everything is out in the open, taking up all possible surface space.  But the lack of physical space isn’t the issue for me, it’s the mental space that is equally cluttered. Having to look at “things” all day is draining! It floods into your system and defines your mood. If it’s out of sight, its out of mind! The way I see it, at the end of the day, you can’t take it with you anyway, so why carry it with you? And besides, someone else probably needs it way more than you.

So in the meantime, while we declutter as vigilantly as possible, I guess my place of zen will be this couch… facing the wall haha. Lent also started on Wednesday and I’ve given up Facebook and meat for 40 days. I feel more human and healthy already! Its amazing what a white blank page can do for the body and mind.

Aha. Mumford and Sons. Cool.

Well howdy do! Despite all of my recent posts, I am not about to frantically piece together a blog entry that somehow connects random business concepts to a current event for Comm 101. That class is long gone and second semester is in full swing. But thanks to a certain internet browser’s bookmark history, 2 months later I’ve stumbled upon my blog. If I’ve learned anything from using a blog for my first time, its that even though I’ve never really considered myself a very opinionated person, I should not be afraid to write. Though I have no idea what I will write about, or how often, I will nonetheless leave myself freedom to come here and flush out ideas. So heck, I guess this marks the beginning of my personal blabberings embarking out into a dark, confusing, technological abyss. Awesome!

Earlier this week, Google was in talks with Chicago based collective buying power service Groupon for its largest acquisition estimated at $5.3 billion, with a further $700 million offer based on certain incentives. This shocking turn down can only mean that Groupon CEO Mason believes his company is going to be worth much, much more. Now one of the questions is going to be which “G” is most beneficial for local businesses advertising. A recent study by Rice University surveyed 150 small to midsize businesses that had used Groupon. 66% said their Groupon deal was profitable, 32% found it unprofitable, and 40% said they would not use Groupon again. Though Groupon’s discounted prices may mean losing money for some businesses, is Google’s platform of mass advertising  any more effective? With thousands and thousands of businesses being featured through Google, local businesses can get lost in the chaos. Google could mimic Groupon by including daily local deals, but they probably wouldn’t be as successful as Groupon as it has already established itself as the “1st” in the segment. Will Google go after another Groupon-type company? I don’t see why not, when tapping into the local advertising market would only strengthen their power as a search giant. And Google sure wouldn’t like to see Groupon in the hands of Yahoo or even worse Facebook. This shows that local advertising is seeing massive growth on the Web. It also gives people even more incentive to start up small online companies for very little money, knowing that the big kid on the block is willing to pay major, major bucks for a “new toy”.

Fair Trade.

This is one of the new buzz words in the corporate world. With sustainability and social responsibility becoming increasingly important, supply chains are being revamped to meet this new standard ethical operations management.

Good ‘ol wikipedia defines fair trade as ” an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions to promote sustainability. It is primarily practiced in the agricultural industry which produces goods such as bananas, honey, tea, coffee, and cocoa; foods which are imported. Fair trade import organizations make sure that less money goes to the middlemen (distributors and retailers who mark up the coffee by as much 1500%) and more goes to the independent farmers and their communities.

The US OCDC outlines the Differences between a Fair Trade and Non-Fair Trade Coffee Supply Chain

How is fair trade sustainable? Environmentally, it reduces the emissions associated with transportation. Socially, it provides farmers with fair, sustainable wages. Economically, it aids in the development of rural communities. Fair trade is a great example of sustainable product AND process. Like energy efficient cars, fair trade products is still considerably expensive which is a deterrent to consumers. The next step for sustainable industries is to find ways of bringing down the costs so that more people are inclined to use them.

With the age of mass consumerism in full swing, environmental awareness has become a growing trend world wide as we humans continue to create exponential amounts of waste. In recent decades, “going green” has become a top priority in society, leading corporations itching to ride the Green Wave. No doubt, this cultural movement has opened a prosperous window of opportunity for entrepreneurship. Terracycle is a prime example of an entrepreneurial business that is creating value from, if you can believe it, GARBAGE!

From pencil cases, to yoga tote bags, to jewelery, TerraCycle manufactures affordable, eco-friendly products made ENTIRELY out of non-recyclable waste materials (aka our trash).

TerraCycle founder Tom Szaky describes his company in a vimeo clip as an eco-capitalist business, a business that seeks to do the best thing for society and the environment while maximizing profits with a product that drives the money, not the other way around.

The fact that Szaky was a 19 year old Princeton University freshman when he came up with the idea for TerraCyle is a classic entrepreneurial story. But more than that, TerraCycle has created value out of something that had absolutely no value before. They have embodied environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility. It seems like everyone’s diggin it, I know I am!

It seems like American Airlines has caught Super Bowl fever…

As part of an ever-growing effort to improve customer service, AA created the Customer Cup program which rewards outstanding regional teams, Super Bowl style.

Quarterly, 5 stations across the country are awarded an extravagant 2-foot gold cup in honour of improved customer service. Criteria is based on six primary customer touch points such as gate interactions, the boarding experience, delay management, and baggage handling. See for yourself how 2009 AA Cup winners describe their accomplishment:

In the 3^rd quarter of 2010, 11,000 AA employees at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were the big winners of the Customer Cup. They celebrated their feat with a section-wide Super Bowl themed ceremony!

A reward system like this is a great way to built organizational culture. It promotes team collaboration and encourages healthy regional competition. Because the Customer Cup is built upon customer feedback, it facilitates fluid internal-internal/internal-external communication and also gives employees additional motivation to contribute ideas that will enhance the customer’s flying experience. In this way, the Customer Cup acts to decentralize company structure by encouraging constructive input from all levels. The metric system of the program is also a good balance of qualitative (ie. staff friendliness, positive feedback) and quantitative (ie. # of formal customer complaints, average response time to lost baggage).

Good game, AA!