Design Challenge: Redesign the School-to-Work Transition

Reflection on

Design Thinking ProcessTheresa Kingston

Observe and Reflect - Takeaways

• The process is fun. It provides an opportunity to be creative and think. The prototyping and need to ‘fail fast’ allowed me to let go of a need for things to be perfected prior to showing others.

• Empathize is a way of being not a stage in the process. Keeping in mind the needs of the stakeholder throughout the entire process is paramount.

• Be prepared to be amazed and excited throughout the journey. You really don’t know where you will end up. But it will be at the right place…

My Design Thinking Process

My Design Thinking Journey

Applying Design Thinking

• To Municipal Government

• I have already started to apply Design Thinking in my workplace. Over the past two weeks we have had a team of 6 people working on a design challenge and going through the same processes that we did in the course.

Design Challenge: Redesign the Budget Process

Our workspace – while we have not yet installed hanging whiteboards, we have changed how the room is used. The information on the walls represents 4 team meetings focusing on the design challenge.

Empathize

Stakeholder Map Empathy Map for City Councillor

Team members interviewed a City Councillor and several taxpayers

Define

For City Councillor For Taxpayer

Ideate – Team came up with over 90 ideas in 30 minutes

Prototype

Next Step

• Test with Council and Taxpayers, Refine, Retest and implement

• Include more managers in the process

Next Design Thinking Challenge

• Redesign the Employee Engagement Process for involving employees in the budget process

• Team of 8 employees from different departments and levels in the organization will be the Design Team

• They start next week…