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Assignment 3 from the d.studio involves co-creation between students and clients to form and implement a design brief for a given problem while incorporating the ASK.TRY.DO techniques into the process. My group was assigned to Van Houtte Coffee and our design problem was to develop a business case for the company to launch electric vehicles in the Metro Vancouver Region. Right from the beginning, we had a feeling it wouldn’t be a simple, straight-forward task.

Before groups were formed, everyone was told to create individual SWOT analyzes before sharing them with the class. As we were mingling among each other, I realized that there are some people who are very similar to me and some that are extremely different. Almost immediately, I was able to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses that would compliment mine. For example, there were some people who are idea generators and ask big questions. I listed those as my weaknesses, but my strengths are in organizing ideas and keeping the group focused. I thought the individual and team SWOT activity helped form effective groups and we were able to be aware of our potential and weaknesses before we proceeded with the design brief. Here is the rough draft of our team SWOT:

For the design brief, we used a few techniques from the Techniques Toolkit. The Eye Phone technique was useful. From the Business Canvas assignment, I learned to pay attention to subconsciously-made observations and Eye Phone was a great way to visually record them and organize our thoughts for the deliverable. Five Whys and Six Universal Questions seemed to come naturally for my group since we had very similar questions that we wanted to ask Morten, the VP of Operations at Van Houtte, during our first meeting. He ended up telling us much more than we expected from these questions and we were able to use the information throughout the entire project. Lastly, we tried the Concept Mapping technique. It was a good way to organize our understanding of the company into a visual. Despite the fact that we thought the concept map would be the supporting backbone of our final deliverable, we soon decided to shift our direction.

To implement our design brief, we tried a different set of techniques to guide us. Scenarios was useful for us to think in the perspective of the CEO of Van Houtte and Sustainability Council of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMRC). During our meaningful discussions, it was easy to forget to think in their point of view, which are the evaluators of success for Morten’s cause. We also used Assumption Dumption, which was an excellent technique for turning the challenges of the design problem into opportunities and support for the business case. Not only does it address the concerns of stakeholders, but it also helps generate more ideas. Lastly, we used Visual Thinking to incorporate all our ideas together in a visual format. I found that we were using this method throughout our project without realizing it, whether we were drawing on the whiteboard or paper. With so many ideas from brainstorming, it kept us on track with incorporating them into the deliverable in a logical and presentable manner. Here is the result of one meeting where we brainstormed, used visual thinking, applied assumption dumption, and greatly changed the original direction of our approach:

If I had to choose a favourite technique that I learned from COMM 388, I would probably choose Assumption Dumption. The first time we used it in a warm-up activity, I already saw how powerful it could be. I think there is a lot of value in using different perspectives and turning an issue into a positive statement. When I described the technique to a friend who wasn’t taking this course, he argued that it is not a good technique because it basically creates the same statement but framed in a way that hides the issue. Not only did I disagree with him, but I also realized that I like the technique because it changes the statement enough for my brain to think of the assumptions and dumptions as unrelated. This makes it easy to generate brand new ideas.

Due to the magnitude and how open-ended Assignment 3 and our design problem was, I found group chemistry to be an extremely crucial factor for the success of the project and the amount of learning gained. It was an opportunity for all of us to pull together everything we’ve learned in the class this term. There were numerous group meetings and discussions that were required to keep everyone on the same page, since we kept coming up with new and better ideas that needed everyone’s input and agreement. Our vision of our final deliverable is very different from what it ended up being, and that is because we spent so much time finding the best approach for the design problem. Along the way, we received lots of help from different people, including Angele, Noelle, the rest of the class, ClimateSmart, and representatives from different organizations. Morten also guided us along the way to make sure we were on the right track. It was definitely an interesting experience to work with all these people and seeing the value of co-creation.

From the beginning of the class until now, I discovered a lot about myself. I didn’t used to think design was something I could really do, but I wanted to learn about it and I wanted to an interesting elective. But now, I realized that everyone has a “design” side to them. It’s interesting how design is everywhere around us, but not everyone notices it. The course changed the way I observe my surroundings and I really enjoyed it.

Generally, this is how I think I think.

The first step I tend to approach situations is identifying that there is a problem. From there, I gather all the possible solutions that could solve the issue at hand, based on past experience. Then, I step back to think about the objective. It’s important for me to think about what I want to achieve, since becomes the criteria for assessing the best option. Lastly, I act upon my reasoning.

To my understanding, this is a well-structured thinking framework for the rational thinker. When I read Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind a year ago regarding his astonishing argument for the right side of our brains, I became worried. In fact, I almost panicked. From growing up in today’s society, being raised in a typical family, receiving an university education, and among other social norms – I had no idea how to train up the right side of my brain, even with all of Pink’s half-a-book’s worth of recommendations. Furthermore, I’ve never been able to pick up a pencil and draw anything identifiable or with any hint of beauty. But I knew I needed to change something, and that’s when I started to become more observant.

Whether out of fear of being left behind from the movement towards right-brain thinking or from seeing the power of integrating design and creativity in our everyday lives, I gradually began paying closer attention to our surroundings and making observations. In particular, I’d like to mention my discovery of Pinterest. The online pinboard has amazing pictures and posts of a wide range of ideas. There is so much creativity that exists on that site, and I’ve been able to apply some of the ideas to my benefit as well. For example, I recently bought a new laptop that I intend to use at home as well as bring to school. However, I need to unplug all the wires for my iPod, printer, speakers, mouse and battery cable before leaving the house every morning and plug them in again when I come home. In this case, my rational thinking would conclude the best solution is to keep all the wires on or close to my desk, so I can easily reach them as I need them. However, Pinterest gave me a better solution.

via Kristi Hammond

I found this picture when browsing on the site one day. I starred at the picture for a long time, and I could not imagine why I hadn’t thought of it earlier. To use office clips to organize and appropriately situate all your wires, how does someone even think of that? It’s a neat, organized, easy, simple and low-cost method that solves your issues in a fully functioning manner.

As I listened to Roger Martin deliver his mystery-heuristic-algorithm discussion, I thought it explained many of the things I wondered about. My most common question is, “how do people come up with that?” Martin made me realize that I always ask that question because of the mystery. There are infinite mysteries around us in our everyday lives, but they aren’t mysteries until we single out the key question and make a specific inquiry about it. Back to the example of the office clips, I identified the problem that I needed a place to put my wires. Instead, the person who came up with the office clips solution came up with the question, “how can I organize these wires in a neat manner, so that it requires the least amount of time for me to find all the ends and the most readily available resources?” I came to the conclusion that I need to remember that there are times when I can leave out what my left-brain tells me, and let something new and previously un-imagined to be born.