Browse Tag: feedback

Prototyping phase in Design thinking/Sprints

By far one of my favourite sections in Design thinking workshops is the Prototyping phase -where participants/Cohorts learn to build solutions with their hands .They sketch , they create 2D/3D models and have fun.

Why this is the most engaging and rewarding phase of the workshop?

It’s because as designers or participants they have been working right from their vision or goal to identifying stakeholders to creating Empathy Maps, Persona Maps and Defining the Problem statement. Post which they generate multiple ideas and then come to a idea filtration methodology to prototyping ideas/solutions and testing the same with the users.

“For many designers, prototyping is where the fun begins. Sometimes the key to good empathy is sharing or co-creating a prototype with your users and getting feedback. Prototyping helps us learn, solve disagreements, and test hypotheses quickly and with minimal repercussions.”

Rapid prototyping is an iterative learning process that acquires and expresses increasingly complex information of higher fidelity over time through repetitive and cumulative cycles of build, test, see, and refine.

Prototypes are traditionally used in design and engineering environments, but when they become integral to other organizational cultures, they serve to develop a creative mind-set that is able to effectively focus on imagining, socializing, and testing any idea, including work processes, team structures, business models, and, of course, products and services.

Because every output of design thinking begins as a prototype, think of them as part of a culture and not specifically as a tool.

Prototyping is the way to open up that dimension; it’s a relatively low-cost, hands-on activity that helps bring people on to the same conceptual page, uncover new knowledge, and identify and mitigate design and development risks early on. This is done to avoid downstream costs while also building up critical assets for the internal and external communication and socialization of ideas. As part of the hands-on approach, prototyping typically seeks to involve and engage multiple stakeholders and so-called end users as participants at every stage of iteration, from paper to final production.

The next time you are stuck and needing to apply your ideas / solutions in a practical manner and invalidate assumptions – Apply prototyping and see what could happen!

Sources: Ideo.org

Design Thinking Handbook

Invision : Rapid Protoyping

8 ways to Instill empathy in leaders !

Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings and emotions. It is essential to building good relationships, both at work and in your personal life. People who don’t exhibit empathy are viewed as cold and self-absorbed, and they often lead isolated lives. Sociopaths are famously lacking in empathy. Conversely, someone who is empathetic is perceived as warm and caring.

The research shows that empathy is partly innate and partly learned. Everyone can improve, however. Here are eight ways to strengthen your own empathy:

  1. Challenge yourself. Undertake challenging experiences which push you outside your comfort zone. Learn a new skill, for example, such as a musical instrument, hobby, or foreign language. Develop a new professional competency. Doing things like this will humble you, and humility is a key enabler of empathy.
  2. Get out of your usual environment. Travel, especially to new places and cultures. It gives you a better appreciation for others.
  3. Get feedback. Ask for feedback about your relationship skills (e.g., listening) from family, friends, and colleagues—and then check in with them periodically to see how you’re doing.
  4. Explore the heart not just the head. Read literature that explores personal relationships and emotions. This has been shown to improve the empathy of young doctors.
  5. Walk in others’ shoes. Talk to others about what it is like to walk in their shoes—about their issues and concerns and how they perceived experiences you both shared.
  6. Examine your biases. We all have hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) biases that interfere with our ability to listen and empathize. These are often centered around visible factors such as age, race, and gender. Don’t think you have any biases? Think again—we all do.
  7. Cultivate your sense of curiosity. What can you learn from a very young colleague who is “inexperienced?” What can you learn from a client you view as “narrow”? Curious people ask lots of questions (point 8), leading them to develop a stronger understanding of the people around them.
  8. Ask better questions
    Bring three or four thoughtful, even provocative questions to every conversation you have with clients or colleagues.

Eight Ways to Improve Your Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings and emotions. It is essential to building good relationships, both at work and in your personal life. People who don’t exhibit empathy are viewed as cold and self-absorbed, and they often lead isolated lives. Sociopaths are famously lacking in empathy. Conversely, someone who is empathetic is perceived as warm and caring.

The research shows that empathy is partly innate and partly learned. Everyone can improve, however. Here are eight ways to strengthen your own empathy:

  1. Challenge yourself. Undertake challenging experiences which push you outside your comfort zone. Learn a new skill, for example, such as a musical instrument, hobby, or foreign language. Develop a new professional competency. Doing things like this will humble you, and humility is a key enabler of empathy.
  2. Get out of your usual environment. Travel, especially to new places and cultures. It gives you a better appreciation for others.
  3. Get feedback. Ask for feedback about your relationship skills (e.g., listening) from family, friends, and colleagues—and then check in with them periodically to see how you’re doing.
  4. Explore the heart not just the head. Read literature that explores personal relationships and emotions. This has been shown to improve the empathy of young doctors.
  5. Walk in others’ shoes. Talk to others about what it is like to walk in their shoes—about their issues and concerns and how they perceived experiences you both shared.
  6. Examine your biases. We all have hidden (and sometimes not-so-hidden) biases that interfere with our ability to listen and empathize. These are often centered around visible factors such as age, race, and gender. Don’t think you have any biases? Think again—we all do.
  7. Cultivate your sense of curiosity. What can you learn from a very young colleague who is “inexperienced?” What can you learn from a client you view as “narrow”? Curious people ask lots of questions (point 8), leading them to develop a stronger understanding of the people around them.
  8. Ask better questions
    Bring three or four thoughtful, even provocative questions to every conversation you have with clients or colleagues.

Learn to Empathize and Build the Relationships that Truly Matter to Career Success.

(Content credits : Received content as a forward )