In this Talent Tales episode, talent.imperative Founder Nicole Dessain shares ten design thinking resources and hacks she learned from past Talent Tales guests.
RESOURCE #1: BOOK INNOVATION BY DESIGN
This resource was recommended during my interview with Christina Chateauvert. Christina likes this book because it provides us with a framework for how to scale innovation using design thinking.
What I like about the book is the research approach that was taken which was based on finding organizations that exhibit mature design thinking habits. What I also find very handy are the ten attributes of design thinking innovators that were distilled from the research. Any organization can use them to get a sense for their strength and weaknesses to determine their approach to introducing design thinking into their organization.
RESOURCE #2: ATLASSIAN TEAM PLAYS
This resource was recommended during my interview with Laura Winegardner. Laura likes that these are easy-to-use “how-tos” for facilitating certain aspects of design thinking such as leading an empathy workshop or journey mapping activity.
My take is that these free resources are a good starting point to learn about facilitation. For those of you who enjoy more comprehensive instruction I recommend the book “This is Service Design Doing”.
RESOURCE #3: VIRTUAL COLLABORATION TOOL MIRO
This resource was recommended during my interview with Kelli Koschmann. Kelli has used this virtual design thinking tool to facilitate HR.Hackathon events with remote team members.
I think now is a great time to experiment with some of these tools. I have also used MURAL and Stormboard. Which one to use depends on what you need to accomplish and the budget you have at your disposal.
RESOURCE #4: BOOK WORKING OUT LOUD (WEBSITE)
This resource was recommended during my interview with Katharina Krentz. Katharina is using the method at Bosch to scale innovation and collaboration.
Once I learned about #WOL, I immediately saw the connection to what we do in design thinking and I now incorporate it into our Career Design Training for employees and leaders. It’s also on my personal development list to join a WOL Circle this year. Now might be a good time to check into that…
HACK #1: WHAT’S YOUR WHY?
This hack was shared during my interview with Steph Ryter. Steph starts by asking herself what her personal why is and how that translates to what she does in HR and design thinking.
I am a huge fan of Simon Sinek (author of “Start With Why”) myself so this resonated with me. In times of crisis your or your organization’s why might get challenged. How might we enhance a profit-driven why with an empathy-focused one in the current environment?
HACK #2: CO-CREATE WITH EMPLOYEES
This hack was shared during my interview with Jennifer Dewey. If we don’t include employees upfront, we might miss out on ideas and a way to engage.
I believe this is an important practice in general, but now more than ever. In times of crisis it might feel like a top down approach is the most appropriate course of action. I believe we need all hands on deck in order to tackle a challenge of the magnitude we are facing right now.
HACK #3: STORYTELLING
This hack was shared during my interview with Robert Ritchie. Robert believes that everybody can learn how to tell a great story.
This is another impactful approach to use right now. But not everyone might be naturally comfortable telling stories. I know I am not. Instead of continuing to avoid it I have started to hone the skill. One way I do this is by collecting stories that I think might have relevance in a certain context. I then practice telling it, first in a one-on-one context, then in front of larger groups.
HACK #4: BATMAN & ROBIN WARM-UP
This hack was shared during my interview with Soumee De. She likes it because it helps to unleash participant creativity.
This is how it works: You partner up, one person is Batman, the other Robin. Robin always comes up with obstacles which Batman counters with a creative solution. There is some improv going on which I demoed on the video recording.
I would use this type of warm up to introduce an ideation activity. There are many warmups available to inspire you. I like the Stanford d.School Stoke Deck. It’s key to pick one that is designed for your context. Many of these warmups can be adopted to a virtual environment.
HACK #5: IDEATION WITH POST-IT NOTES
This hack was shared during my interview with Elles Skony. Elles observed that using post-it notes democratized her team’s idea sharing. The way Elles facilitates the activity is that she hands out post-it notes to everyone and asks each person to first write down their ideas individually. Shen then collects the ideas and puts them up on white board. She then groups similar ideas.
You can do the same activity with the virtual tools that I mentioned earlier.
HACK #6: CREATING PERSONAS
This hack was shared during my interview with Angela Howard. Angela likes persona design because it helps with understanding the nuances in employee experience.
I have observed that sometimes the terms “persona” and “segment” are used interchangeably. They are not the same. Persona design requires comprehensive research to ensure it does not result in stereotyping. For most organizations who are at the beginning of their employee experience journey using workforce segments (e.g. new hires, sales associates, etc.) is a perfectly acceptable starting point.
Want to find out how your stuffed animals can stand in for video demonstrations in a virtual world? Watch the entire interview on YouTube or listen to the Podcast.