Design Thinking Action Lab Course reflection

© Copyright Susan McHattie 2013
Design Thinking Action Lab
Three take aways:
● I learned how to use design techniques to define and solve a
problem, and I know where to find additional techniques I
can try.
● I learned to be more confident in sharing my ideas and work
before they are fully formed or finished: the value of the
input of others far outweighs any concern for or even
possibility of perfection.
● I learned that many people are inspired to build a better
world.

1 The problem is given
3 It may come with a card that
tells you who wants you to solve
it, by when, how and with what.
You may see a solution
immediately - be wary of bias!
2..look for context
and relationships
4 Open it up to begin to see it
Use different types of lenses
5 Share it with people to understand &
frame it
Invite people in, seek to understand
their experience
You may rewrite the card to reflect a
deeper understanding of what the
problem is and how solutions can be
assessed
Be wary of proscribing the solution in
the assessment criteria
6 Invite people to solve the problem with
you
In a creative, informed space
7 Prototype
8 Test with people
9 Adjust solutions
10 Test again
Until you agree you have solved the
problem
11 Implement/evaluate
12 Celebrate and Share
Reflection on
my original
Process
Reflect on
Potential to
Use
Design
Thinking
Techniques
Identify and interview
stakeholders to
generate empathy maps
and problem
statements
Use light prototypes
or pretotypes to
develop
m
eaningful workable
solutions and
understand
the
problem
better in
the
process

Application
● I can see potential to apply design thinking to many problems and opportunities in my community and my life.
● This may not be practical for everything, as it takes time. It is valuable for the really tough things because it engages
people effected, introduces perspectives and builds confidence for new approaches.
● The simple acts of thinking from other's perspectives, asking people about their experience, not jumping to the
immediately obvious solution, and exploring and testing ideas, can be introduced simply to many daily decisions.
● I work for government at a state level and see many opportunities to use design thinking, particularly in policy and service
design. I am currently using it in the preparation of communication materials for the policy area in which I work. I can
envisage using it to address areas where we need to raise performance to meet demand with limited resources. I will share
my experience with my peers and my organisation and look for opportunities to take up these techniques.

1 The problem is given
3 It may come with a card that
tells you who wants you to solve it,
by when, how and with what.
You may see a solution
immediately - be wary of bias!
2..look for
context and
relationships
4 Open it up to begin to see
it
Use different types of lenses
5 Share it with people to
understand & frame it
Invite people in, seek to understand their
experience
You may rewrite the card to reflect a
deeper understanding of what the problem
is and how solutions can be assessed
Be wary of proscribing the solution in the
assessment criteria
6 Invite people to solve the
problem with you
In a creative, informed space
7 Prototype
8 Test with people
9 Adjust solutions
10 Test again
Until you agree you have solved the
problem
11 Implement/evaluate
12 Celebrate and Share
My Original Process
reflection

M
is the single mother
of three children,
all live together
in a far too small unit.
B & L made the
transition to work,
E is in year 8.
B was a school refuser due to anxiety.
She refused all help
spent a lot of time on the couch
started with a small local casual job
exercised with a friend,
together they found work in restaurants.
She now works as a concierge in a residential
building, is learning Spanish, & plans to attend
university.
L had no idea what work
she wanted to do.
Being at home when friends
were at uni or work was
depressing. She looked for an
admin job without training - “I
have completed my HSC that 's
enough”. After 18 months, '00s
of applications and interviews
she was offered 3 jobs in 1
week.
E is not sure what he wants to do, but
he does want to understand business, and go
to University. He has a part time job now, and
will participate in work experience, career
expos and career advice later through school.
M encourages her children through exercise
& team sports, talking about their interests
& potential career paths, encouraging
pursuit of goals. She seeks support &
positive role models. She encourages a
sense of personal achievement.
The current system
is not particularly
helpful
Many but not all
children are clear
about the work they
would like to pursue
Being clear about
your preferences
and goals
makes it easier
Being in the workforce
makes decisions easier
Transition can be too slow
Obstacles to entry to
work create depression
for the person
Friends play a valuable
role in supporting
the transition,
including new friends
in the work place
Delayed transition
is an economic and
emotional burden
A caring but busy single working mother of 3
needs assistance to enable her children choose a field, gain work and build a career,
as she has limited time, energy & resources & cannot support all 4 as adults.
Says
Thinks
Feels
Does
Transition can be too slow
Obstacles to entry to
work create depression
for the person
Friends play a valuable
role in supporting
the transition,
including new friends
in the work place
Delayed transition
is an economic and
emotional burden
Insights

Problem Statement A caring but busy single working mother of 3 needs assistance to enable her children choose a field, gain
work and build a career, as she has limited time, energy & resources & cannot support all 4 as adults.
Ideate to generate ideas I though about who could be helpful and what they could do to assist M or her children directly.
I thought of practical, free, expensive, simple, things.
WHO
Family
Community
School
Other students
Business
Professional
associations
Government
University
Managers
Media
WHAT
Work
experience
Mentor
Role models
Peer support
Create entry
level jobs
Career days
Career choice
tools
Career
information
Skills
Family members
Support parents of children in transition
Discuss career choices and paths with young people
Take young people to work with them
Introduce them to friends who are employers
Mentor young person
Create jobs for young family members
Community organisations
Link mentors to parents, link mentors to students
Provide peer to peer support for young people in
Transition to work – this could be web based
Create jobs for young people
School
Provide info and support to parents on career
programs
Organise work experience programs
Ask students to report back on their
Experience to parents and other students
Include work place insights in curriculum
Ask students to design career counselling
Invite previous students back to tell their story
Build an alumni network with focus on
employment connections for students/alumni
Professional Associations
Create education materials about work/careers
Create members case studies/role models
Encourage members to share with young people
Create memberships and programs for
young people
Represent at career days
Create mentor programs
Assist business rethink work for young people
Other students
Participate in peer to peer support networks
Share tools, experience and contacts
Business
Create trainee level positions with proper support for
young employees
Encourage staff to mentor and share with new employees
Sponsor academic and other awards at schools with
prizes that include time in the workplace or with managers
Attend career days. Offer work experience
Connect new young employees with slightly
older/more experienced employees for support
Encourage or support membership and attendance
at professional associations
Encourage and support ongoing training
Government
Allow placement staff to respond to individuals and
their families
Change job placement services to help individuals
rather than drive generic compliance
,Start with strengths, interests, suitability,
support applications, interview skills, networking
Introduce tools to help parents/others help young
people understand who they are and what they
enjoy and might be suited to.
Ensure young people are safe at work
Review barriers to entry and remove them
Manage supply and demand in education.
Be alert to/promote non traditional career paths
applying education to innovation/new services.
Managers
Make time to induct, support and give feedback to new staff – they
are a reflection of your management skill
Connect your new staff with other staff who can support and guide
Share your experience.
Media
Run campaigns
on employment
opportunities and
transition paths
for
young people and
support for parents
University what schools do plus
Invite potential employees to set real world challenges
Monitor supply and demand for courses

Ideate reflection – mid process
● I found this process was very stilted
● I think it generated a lot of traditional ideas
● I thought about disruptive approaches
– being born into a different family
– being adopted
– winning work experience or a job in a competition or a game
– really changing the way services are designed and delivered
– taking it up to business to generate entry level jobs rather than
expecting “job ready, company ready graduates”

3 ideas for a caring but busy single working mother of 3
needs assistance to enable her children choose a field, gain work and build a career, as
she has limited time, energy & resources & cannot support all 4 as adults.
Practical Online
website and
network for
parents and
students
Create an online website and network where
parents and their young people can explore
careers and career paths, use tools to check their
suitability, learn to write cvs and prepare for
interviews, and participate in forums about lines of
work, companies and industries, share work
experience, meet future employers
Disruptive Campaign to
increase entry
level trainee
positions
Parents, young people, industry associations,
government and school work together to ask and
support businesses to create entry level trainee
positions for school and university leavers. These
types of roles have disappeared over time and
business expect work ready staff. It is the
disappearance of these jobs that makes the
transition so challenging. Youth unemployment is
a significant issue for society.
Favourite Ask parents
and students
to redesign
career
transition
programs
Working with career counsellors, employers,
teachers and professional associations to
redesign the supports available to them within the
existing resources, with a human centred
approach.

Select 2 ideas to Prototype and test
A caring but busy single working mother of 3
needs assistance to enable her children choose a field, gain work and build a career,
as she has limited time, energy & resources & cannot support all 4 as adults.
Practical Online
website and
network for
parents and
students
Create an online website and network where
parents and their young people can explore
careers and career paths, use tools to check their
suitability, learn to write cvs and prepare for
interviews, and participate in forums about lines of
work, companies and industries, share work
experience, meet future employers
Favourite Ask parents
and students
to redesign
career
transition
programs
Working with career counsellors, employers,
teachers and professional associations to
redesign the supports available to them within the
existing resources, with a human centred
approach.

Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
I want to be a
[free text field]
I want to learn to
[drop down menu]
Write a resume
Prepare for an interview
Network for a job
Prepare a career plan
I'd like to explore jobs that
might suit me
Inspiring story for the day
List of recent
inspiring stories
About this site For young people For parentsFor employers
PRACTICAL Prototype
This is a mock up for the home page for Goingtowork.com.au a website to help students and their parents manage the
transition from school to work. The following slides have mock ups for “I want to be a”, “I want to learn to”, “jobs that might
suit me” and “sign in” (my profile and workspace). I walked my stakeholder through the mock up website, asking where they
would choose to go, what they would expect to see, what they would add, delete or change in what the mock up proposes.

You'd like to be a
[free text field]
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Descriptions and samples
Types of jobs
Descriptions
Relevant industries
Watch a day in the working life
of a
Profiles of men and
women who have
chosen this career,
how they got started,
what they like/dislike
about it and what
they think you need
to have to be
successful
Find out more
[relevant links]
Find out more
[FAQ]
[ask a question]
Check your
suitability with this
quick quiz

Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
I want to learn to
[drop down menu]
Write a resume
Prepare for an interview
Network for a job
Prepare a career plan
How to videos
Templates
Samples
Network tools
Find out more
[FAQ]
[ask a question]
Resume builder
Find out more
[relevant links]

Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
I'd like to explore jobs that
might suit me
How to use these tools to find
jobs that you might be suited to
What type of person am I?
How to use this site to
explore these
jobs/careers?
What type of things do I like to
do?
List of possible jobs/careers

Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign in
Goingtowork.com.au
Sign inMy going to work planner
My picture
My career goal and
capability statement
My current activity
My networking contacts
My diary
My resume
My applications
My industry research

Test record
● What works
● “I would use it” “I would encourage my children to use it” “I might use the site to get assistance if I need it” “If one of my kids is stalled I
would engage, but if they are doing OK, I'm OK”
● “I like the videos, thats excellent” “I like the workspace -bringing all those tools together is good”
● “The inspirational story of the day ounds good – especially if it is a story of success from a difficult case”
● What could be improved
● “Its very structured, it expects you know the answer” “Can you rethink the I would like to be a blah, to be jobs that involve numbers,
people, driving, sports, music, art, something more open”
● “I think more builder will be useful – builders for career plans, networking, preparing for meetings, building your profile”
● “I'd like to see more data – numbers of people doing types of jobs, job trends, possible pay rates, whether this is an employee job, or a run
your own business kind of job, how government interacts with the job – do you need to be licensed, what are the requirements?”
● Questions raised
● “This is a good idea – is there anything like this out there already”
● Ideas
● Reorder things to put career planning and networking first
● Enable users to organise their participation in work experience, internships, career expos through the organiser
● Add industry research and preferred companies to the organiser.
● Create a discussion board for parents

FAVOURITE PROTOTYPE
This is a prototype mock up to test a process which would engage students and parents, career
counsellors, employers, teachers and professional associations in the redesign of the supports for
transition to work within the existing resources, using a human centred approach. I walked my
stakeholder through the intention and each step of the process. I provided additional information
on what would be expected of them, and what would be involved in each step. I sought feedback
on their interest, availability, preferences and confidence in the value of the outcomes.
Gather stakeholders
together
Explain the project
and what you expect
of them
Invite everyone to
share their
expectations of
transition to work,
and their current
experience of it
Document a large
empathy map and
define a problem
statement
Document a large
empathy map and
define a problem
statement
Generate ideas Select ideasGenerate ideasGenerate ideas
Work in teams to
prototype and test
ideas
Select the best idea/s
to implement locally

Test record
● What works
● “It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure when I would find time to participate”
● What could be improved
● “It might be easier if I could be paid, although I wouldn't want to take leave to participate”
● “It might be ok in short bursts over a number of weekends, but not too long”
● Yes, I would be happy to do a video interview so I could contribute my expectations and experience”
● “Yes I would be OK to attend a presentation of ideas and give feedback”
● Questions raised
● “Do I have to attend a meeting?”
● Ideas
● Could I participate on line in my own time?

Test reflection
What I learned by testing my prototypes
● Stakeholder perspectives add real value to design thinking.
● Stakeholders contribute perspectives and ideas I haven't considered.
● The conversation with stakeholders builds stronger ideas.
● Sometimes I felt a little defensive, but mostly I felt curious and appreciative. If I felt defensive it was
when my idea wasn't clearly communicated, so not clearly understood.
● I was pleased I hadn't done a lot of work to realise the idea before talking with someone about their
needs and initial responses. I initially felt the second prototype I proposed was undercooked, but it
was a perfect point to be talking with my single mother of three about how she might be involved.
● Stakeholders have limited time, so talking with them and being creative about how they can be
involved is important.
What I learned from reviews
● Communication of intention and ideas remains very important, even in fast prototyping. 50% of my
reviewers did not recognise the slides as the prototype.

What I would do next
● For both projects I would do many more stakeholder tests to learn as much as I can now.
● For goingtowork.com.au I would find out it there is a similar site anywhere in the world, and particularly
nationally. If the first stage of stakeholder tests proved positive and there is no existing product I would
move to the next level with a fake door. Next I would seek government, profesisonal and private partners
to prepare an initial offering. If there is an existing product that meets the full need I stop. If there is an
existing product that meets partial need I would think for a minute or two.
● For redesign project I would seek a sponsor with resources to run the redesign project and implement. I
envisage the redesign project starting with a prototype approach to the elements in the process, action
learning, leading to a fully fledged design workshop. At the same time their would be work to do to align
the business interests of the institutional stakeholders to accept the outcomes of the workshop and move to
implementation based on a number of criteria. Stakeholders would want ot know they are contributing to
something that will make a difference, and institutions will want to know that stakeholders are working
within their constraints. I would endeavour to compare the community pilot with existing service delivery
in a randomised controled trial.

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