Final Assignment – Reflection 

 Using Visualization in Design Thinking 

 Challenge 

 Have you ever come across a situation when you watched a team of dedicated employees work hard yet   every year consistently fall short of expectations ? I have overtime watched one such team in my non- profit organization follow this pattern and decided their dilemma would be an excellent project to use   for this exercise .   This particular team is responsible for the growth and delivery of a youth - focused   program . A program that has remain stagnant with limited growth for the past five years . The program   provides career - education services to high school - aged youth in partnership with local businesses and   schools . Their staff leader had recently been transferred to another department which opened the door   for me to step in and help facilitate with the remaining six members ’ how best to address this challenge . 

 Our organization ’s expectation for this program is that they achieve overall enrollment growth in 2016   while maintaining retention standards . They needed to engage more youth members and community   partners without sacrificing the quality expectations of the program ’s delivery . Doing the same thing   over and over again and expecting better results was certainly not going to work for them anymore . This   challenge was going to require more than the typical process improvement best practices . While they   had some data available on market potential , it was very limited . What they did have though was   collectively a lot of years of field experience . Using the diagnostic tool provided in lesson one of the   Design Thinking course , I first determined that a design thinking approach , as opposed to a linear   analytic method was appropriate for this challenge . I then decided the utilization of visualization tools   would be the perfect approach to tap into the collective experiences of the team members to better   enable them to find the best solutions and a new plan . One that would lead to a turn - around of their   previous performance . 

 Selection 

 The application of visualization tools is an effective way for inspiring work teams to think beyond their   paradigms . Applying these tools , when working with different teams in my area of responsibility , is by   far one of the most enjoyable parts of my job . I am convinced I get more benefit from watching the   team members grow through the process than they do ! During week one in our Design Thinking course ,   Karin Schmidt indicated in her video that , “ Visualization … is thinking about the possibilities that we   have n’t yet seen . ”   I also believe it ’s the role of every team leader to help their team member “ see ”   what success looks like , otherwise without a clear picture of what could be , it will be difficult for the   team to aspire to achieve success . People learn through multiple ways such as visual , verbal , and   physical . Research shows that most people tend to use one method more than the others . I like to use   visualization tools as , when done effectively , it allows for multiple learning styles to be incorporated   throughout the process . Through the use of visualization tools , team members are able to capture the   vision not only individually , but also as whole . It ’s always a good thing when the whole team has the   same clarity as to what success looks like . 

 From my perspective as a senior manager in a non - profit organization , there are a number of benefits   for using visualization tools in the workplace . They can break down silo ’s that often exists between   departments leading to better inter - department team collaboration . They are effective in building   bridges between different work teams as they learn more about each other ’s role and often establish   new relationships . They are very helpful in mitigating any team members who tend to dominate   conversations as well as optimizing the input from team members who tend to stay disengaged .   They   help the organization communicate more effectively regarding organization mission , goals and strategy .   Lastly – the use of visualization tools tends to always find better solutions and achieve greater results . 

 In summary , I will use several visualization tools , including ; journey mapping , and idea generation using   photos , to help facilitate the team ’s growth goal planning process .   These two tools I find particularly   helpful when it comes to guiding teams to go deeper in thought than the normal planning process   practices require .    I will provide specifics as to how these tools will be applied in the next section . 

 Application 

 Based on the team ’s time frame , as well as my own , I mapped out a planning process that would take   three weeks to complete . Following our initial kick - off meeting in mid - December , we would meet during   each of the next three weeks with an expectation of completing the 2016 growth plan by the first week   in 2016 . Our kick - off meeting would “ set the stage ” on meeting times and dates , clarify expectations and   outcomes , team member participation , and defining supportive roles such as coordinating   communication and note taking . I next thought through the logistics for ensuring an environment that   fostered collaboration and creating thinking . Once we had the times and dates confirmed , I arranged for   a fairly large conference room that would provide adequate space for moving around , whiteboards , flip   charts , round tables and refreshment tables . 

 Once the logistics were in place it was time to think through the facilitation tools and what else would   be needed for their effective use . I mentioned earlier my preference for using journey mapping . I find   this tool especially useful for existing programs such as this one . This tool breaks down the journey of   experiences that the youth members will go through , beginning with the very first touch points such as   the invitation to join , to the moment they receive their certificate for completing the program . The   journey mapping tool provides a good framework to pose questions around . Questions designed to   inspire idea generation . Each of these experiences can be looked at from both a singular activity   perspective as well as from the perspective of how they integrate with other experiences . Most   importantly , they allow the team members to put themselves into the “ youth member ’s journey ” and   find ways to empathize with the youth member . What was the first meeting like ? How did they feel   when someone invited them to join ? The second visualization tool I selected for this project is to use   photos for idea generation . Whether they are photos from our archives , team members ’ favorite   magazines or photos they will take between meetings , these photos will be used to illustrate their   thoughts in defining what the current state is and what the future state might look like . Once we   outlined the key milestone experiences in the member ’s journey such as the joining experience and the   first activity experience we began capturing photos that described answers to both of the “ what is ” and   “ what if ” questions in the Design Thinking process .   These photos were attached to each milestone   experience and allowed the team members to begin to find insights on solution possibilities . 

 One other important exercise we underwent during the first meeting was the use of open - ended   questions . These questions were designed to create focus and alignment on the purpose of this planning   project as well as breakdown any existing paradigms that might be limiting their thinking . Several of the   questions I used included : 

    What do we expect our members will get out of the program ? 

    How do we expect them to feel in each activity experience ? 

    What level and types of experiences to they expect from the program ? 

    Who are the different stakeholders that are engaged in the process and what are their   experiences ? 

    What does the invitation to join experience look like ? How would your ( youth family   member ) react to the experience ? 

 As we progressed through the three meetings the ideas began to flow regularly and build upon the   results from previous meetings . Between meetings team members recognized they needed to follow - up   on questions that were being generated . An example that stood out was the lack of information as to   how well school career counselors were familiar with the program . Between meetings calls were made   by team members to school personal to test their level of awareness . By the time the last meeting was   completed , team members were able identify two key experiences that needed major attention . No   question these were the “ what wows ” moments . As of this writing , the planning phase has moved to   several concepts under development for testing to determine “ what work ’s . ” 

 Insight 

 I too gained several insights along the way regarding the effective use of visualization . One that stood   out dealt with the timing of using photos in the process . During the first meeting I encouraged the team   to start at the beginning of the youth member ’s journey and review each segment in a chronological   order . I found we kept deferring ideas to the next meeting which missed an opportunity to explore the   idea then and now . By the second meeting I encouraged the exploration of ideas and concepts   regardless of the chronological order . This led to a big wow ! The team began building the experience   milestones backwards . Suddenly the program was redesigned so that each activity was building on the   previous activity rather than the disjointed format of the current design . 

 The second “ big wow ” for the group was related to the joining process . There was an assumption that   high school career counselors understood the program since they received regular communications   about it . Even though their schools were providing the program many did not understand the outcomes   or were familiar with the youth experiences being provided . These counselors are key stakeholders since   they make the referrals to both students and their parents about our program . The interviews with   counselors between meetings exposed this weakness . The team members explored several “ what if ”   solutions designed to better educate and engage counselors in better understanding their role as a key   stakeholder . Finally , the project helped me gain better insights and new approach ideas on how to use   more effectively visualization when working with our teams . 

 Approach 

 For me visualization tools will always play a major role in facilitating team design thinking . My   observations are that most projects that fail usually do so because of a poor planning phase . That poor   planning phase is most likely caused by the lack of full engagement of team members which results in   misunderstandings and lack of clarity on the outcomes and the strategy to achieve them .   Two lessons   learned for me that I will incorporate in future team facilitations relate to both storytelling and   personas . 

 Halfway through our meetings , I still did not feel the team was focused on the true purpose of the   project . They were building a plan to increase enrollment . What I wanted them to do was build a plan to   change the lives of more youth . I believe the effective use of compelling stories used strategically   throughout the project will lead to even more inspiration thinking . Remembering why they are going   through this exercise will definitely create a more empathetic environment of which I believe team   members will stretch even further in their thinking when designing a plan . My second insight relates to   the MeYouthHealth story , described in lesson three of the Design Thinking course . Learning more about   personas has helped me better understand their effectiveness . I could see how discovering the personas   of each stakeholder , especially the prospective youth member , would be another effective way to get   additional insights on finding solutions . A more individualized profile would have helped the team better   understand barriers and motivations . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Final Assignment – Reflection 

 Using Visualization in Design Thinking 

 Challenge 

 Have you ever come across a situation when you watched a team of dedicated employees work hard yet   every year consistently fall short of expectations ? I have overtime watched one such team in my non- profit organization follow this pattern and decided their dilemma would be an excellent project to use   for this exercise .   This particular team is responsible for the growth and delivery of a youth - focused   program . A program that has remain stagnant with limited growth for the past five years . The program   provides career - education services to high school - aged youth in partnership with local businesses and   schools . Their staff leader had recently been transferred to another department which opened the door   for me to step in and help facilitate with the remaining six members ’ how best to address this challenge . 

 Our organization ’s expectation for this program is that they achieve overall enrollment growth in 2016   while maintaining retention standards . They needed to engage more youth members and community   partners without sacrificing the quality expectations of the program ’s delivery . Doing the same thing   over and over again and expecting better results was certainly not going to work for them anymore . This   challenge was going to require more than the typical process improvement best practices . While they   had some data available on market potential , it was very limited . What they did have though was   collectively a lot of years of field experience . Using the diagnostic tool provided in lesson one of the   Design Thinking course , I first determined that a design thinking approach , as opposed to a linear   analytic method was appropriate for this challenge . I then decided the utilization of visualization tools   would be the perfect approach to tap into the collective experiences of the team members to better   enable them to find the best solutions and a new plan . One that would lead to a turn - around of their   previous performance . 

 Selection 

 The application of visualization tools is an effective way for inspiring work teams to think beyond their   paradigms . Applying these tools , when working with different teams in my area of responsibility , is by   far one of the most enjoyable parts of my job . I am convinced I get more benefit from watching the   team members grow through the process than they do ! During week one in our Design Thinking course ,   Karin Schmidt indicated in her video that , “ Visualization … is thinking about the possibilities that we   have n’t yet seen . ”   I also believe it ’s the role of every team leader to help their team member “ see ”   what success looks like , otherwise without a clear picture of what could be , it will be difficult for the   team to aspire to achieve success . People learn through multiple ways such as visual , verbal , and   physical . Research shows that most people tend to use one method more than the others . I like to use   visualization tools as , when done effectively , it allows for multiple learning styles to be incorporated   throughout the process . Through the use of visualization tools , team members are able to capture the   vision not only individually , but also as whole . It ’s always a good thing when the whole team has the   same clarity as to what success looks like . 

 From my perspective as a senior manager in a non - profit organization , there are a number of benefits   for using visualization tools in the workplace . They can break down silo ’s that often exists between   departments leading to better inter - department team collaboration . They are effective in building   bridges between different work teams as they learn more about each other ’s role and often establish   new relationships . They are very helpful in mitigating any team members who tend to dominate   conversations as well as optimizing the input from team members who tend to stay disengaged .   They   help the organization communicate more effectively regarding organization mission , goals and strategy .   Lastly – the use of visualization tools tends to always find better solutions and achieve greater results . 

 In summary , I will use several visualization tools , including ; journey mapping , and idea generation using   photos , to help facilitate the team ’s growth goal planning process .   These two tools I find particularly   helpful when it comes to guiding teams to go deeper in thought than the normal planning process   practices require .    I will provide specifics as to how these tools will be applied in the next section . 

 Application 

 Based on the team ’s time frame , as well as my own , I mapped out a planning process that would take   three weeks to complete . Following our initial kick - off meeting in mid - December , we would meet during   each of the next three weeks with an expectation of completing the 2016 growth plan by the first week   in 2016 . Our kick - off meeting would “ set the stage ” on meeting times and dates , clarify expectations and   outcomes , team member participation , and defining supportive roles such as coordinating   communication and note taking . I next thought through the logistics for ensuring an environment that   fostered collaboration and creating thinking . Once we had the times and dates confirmed , I arranged for   a fairly large conference room that would provide adequate space for moving around , whiteboards , flip   charts , round tables and refreshment tables . 

 Once the logistics were in place it was time to think through the facilitation tools and what else would   be needed for their effective use . I mentioned earlier my preference for using journey mapping . I find   this tool especially useful for existing programs such as this one . This tool breaks down the journey of   experiences that the youth members will go through , beginning with the very first touch points such as   the invitation to join , to the moment they receive their certificate for completing the program . The   journey mapping tool provides a good framework to pose questions around . Questions designed to   inspire idea generation . Each of these experiences can be looked at from both a singular activity   perspective as well as from the perspective of how they integrate with other experiences . Most   importantly , they allow the team members to put themselves into the “ youth member ’s journey ” and   find ways to empathize with the youth member . What was the first meeting like ? How did they feel   when someone invited them to join ? The second visualization tool I selected for this project is to use   photos for idea generation . Whether they are photos from our archives , team members ’ favorite   magazines or photos they will take between meetings , these photos will be used to illustrate their   thoughts in defining what the current state is and what the future state might look like . Once we   outlined the key milestone experiences in the member ’s journey such as the joining experience and the   first activity experience we began capturing photos that described answers to both of the “ what is ” and   “ what if ” questions in the Design Thinking process .   These photos were attached to each milestone   experience and allowed the team members to begin to find insights on solution possibilities . 

 One other important exercise we underwent during the first meeting was the use of open - ended   questions . These questions were designed to create focus and alignment on the purpose of this planning   project as well as breakdown any existing paradigms that might be limiting their thinking . Several of the   questions I used included : 

    What do we expect our members will get out of the program ? 

    How do we expect them to feel in each activity experience ? 

    What level and types of experiences to they expect from the program ? 

    Who are the different stakeholders that are engaged in the process and what are their   experiences ? 

    What does the invitation to join experience look like ? How would your ( youth family   member ) react to the experience ? 

 As we progressed through the three meetings the ideas began to flow regularly and build upon the   results from previous meetings . Between meetings team members recognized they needed to follow - up   on questions that were being generated . An example that stood out was the lack of information as to   how well school career counselors were familiar with the program . Between meetings calls were made   by team members to school personal to test their level of awareness . By the time the last meeting was   completed , team members were able identify two key experiences that needed major attention . No   question these were the “ what wows ” moments . As of this writing , the planning phase has moved to   several concepts under development for testing to determine “ what work ’s . ” 

 Insight 

 I too gained several insights along the way regarding the effective use of visualization . One that stood   out dealt with the timing of using photos in the process . During the first meeting I encouraged the team   to start at the beginning of the youth member ’s journey and review each segment in a chronological   order . I found we kept deferring ideas to the next meeting which missed an opportunity to explore the   idea then and now . By the second meeting I encouraged the exploration of ideas and concepts   regardless of the chronological order . This led to a big wow ! The team began building the experience   milestones backwards . Suddenly the program was redesigned so that each activity was building on the   previous activity rather than the disjointed format of the current design . 

 The second “ big wow ” for the group was related to the joining process . There was an assumption that   high school career counselors understood the program since they received regular communications   about it . Even though their schools were providing the program many did not understand the outcomes   or were familiar with the youth experiences being provided . These counselors are key stakeholders since   they make the referrals to both students and their parents about our program . The interviews with   counselors between meetings exposed this weakness . The team members explored several “ what if ”   solutions designed to better educate and engage counselors in better understanding their role as a key   stakeholder . Finally , the project helped me gain better insights and new approach ideas on how to use   more effectively visualization when working with our teams . 

 Approach 

 For me visualization tools will always play a major role in facilitating team design thinking . My   observations are that most projects that fail usually do so because of a poor planning phase . That poor   planning phase is most likely caused by the lack of full engagement of team members which results in   misunderstandings and lack of clarity on the outcomes and the strategy to achieve them .   Two lessons   learned for me that I will incorporate in future team facilitations relate to both storytelling and   personas . 

 Halfway through our meetings , I still did not feel the team was focused on the true purpose of the   project . They were building a plan to increase enrollment . What I wanted them to do was build a plan to   change the lives of more youth . I believe the effective use of compelling stories used strategically   throughout the project will lead to even more inspiration thinking . Remembering why they are going   through this exercise will definitely create a more empathetic environment of which I believe team   members will stretch even further in their thinking when designing a plan . My second insight relates to   the MeYouthHealth story , described in lesson three of the Design Thinking course . Learning more about   personas has helped me better understand their effectiveness . I could see how discovering the personas   of each stakeholder , especially the prospective youth member , would be another effective way to get   additional insights on finding solutions . A more individualized profile would have helped the team better   understand barriers and motivations .
### Output: 