Maicol Sanchez 

 January 2017 

 Design Thinking for Innovation 

 University of Virginia   Final Course Assignment 

 Reflection : Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 I have offered support to a start - up company in the food business to take their venture to the next   level . Among all the areas that need to be covered in this process , we have decided to leverage   Design Thinking to take a step back and think again about the overall customer experience when   consuming the company products . The portfolio of products is composed of a set of high - quality   snacks based on Japanese cuisine that is intended to be consumed as quick meals mostly for   people who prioritizes a healthy and lean lifestyle . The challenge we have identified was that some   consumers were not figuring out how to open the meal package correctly , what was creating an   issue on the overall experience to consume the product . This fact would represent a problem in the   growth of the business as they plan the expansion to a more diverse audience for those snacks , 

 Selection 

 I have selected Learning Launch for this assignment because it brings a new perspective about how   important it is to avoid confirmation bias of project team members when trying to build real impactful   innovation to the business . Also , to test the concept of learning cycles to test assumptions in fast   and cheap ways , understanding that failures are also opportunities to get insights for the business . 

 I have been working for the last 15 years in leadership roles in the IT industry , and I have used   different methodologies to keep evolving my operation , most of them associated on shaping   behaviors of internal teams during innovation and planning cycles , using tools like Six Thinking Hats ,   Instinctive Drives System and Future Based Planning . It was interesting to realize that most of these   tools have a strong focus on the ways internal teams build plans . Learning Launches bring a   different perspective to the planning process , focusing on collecting consumer experience . I believe   it is more compatible with the speed of business changes we are living today . 

 Application 

 Based on the initial analysis the project team identified that some customers were having problems   opening the snack . As they were supposed to eat the meal with their bare hands , that was causing   them to compromise the experience of tasting a high - quality and healthy food . The snack uses a   plastic package which has printed on it the steps of how open it . Even so , there were consumers   who were not opening correctly . The assumption from the team was that the instructions in the   package should be better highlighted , so the consumers would more easily see that they should   follow the quick three steps to open it .   Also , there was an understanding that a video would help this   process . 

 A Learning Launch was planned to test a set of package prototypes using the red color to highlight   each of the steps that should be followed in sequence 1 - 2 - 3 . Another prototype was to create a very   basic video recorded in an iPhone explaining how to open the package . Those products are sold at a   very fast pace , so there is no time for an attendant to go one by one to teach the user how to open it . 

 Maicol Sanchez 

 January 2017 

 After building these two prototypes , the team went to a nearby community and offered the snacks   with the new package and the video . We have tested one group just with the new package and   another one with that and the video . Different age groups were covered as well . The goal was to test   the assumptions in a fast and cheap way so we could understand if the changes would have an   impact on the customer experience . The snack itself had not changed , it was just the packaging and   the exposure to the video . They have effectively run the launch and figured out that the new   packaging helped but still did n’t produced consistent results to all the consumers tested . The video   though produced better results . With those conclusions , a new set of adjustments on the package   will be made , and an new version of the video is being built for the next round of learning launch . 

 Insight 

 The main insights we got from applying the learning launch were that assumptions need to be   validated with the target audience and that the consumers , in general , are very open and willing to   provide feedback when you engage with them properly . Initially , there was a strong belief in the   project team that small changes in the package would produce significant results and that has not   been confirmed in the learning launch . If a change in the production of the package had been   ordered based on this assumption , there would be a significant waste of money for minimal or no   impact . 

 Once you see how it is useful and fast to implement a learning launch , it is difficult to go back to   previous mindset about how to understand the dynamics of the customer interactions . An empathy- based approach , focused on fast interactions seems to be the best option for solving these types of   challenges . 

 Approach 

 Learning Launch tool proved to be very useful to validate assumptions , even when they were built   after initial observations and customer feedbacks . It is a process that this business will incorporate in   their day - to - day operations , as there is always room for improvement on the customer experience   and new finding will come along the way . One thing in the process that will be enhanced in the next   rounds is to be sure we give enough time for the user to test the whole experience before asking the   feedbacks . In the initial interactions , they have tried to collect the feedback while the customers were   opening the package and it was overwhelming for some of them . So , they got some additional   learnings about how to conduct the experience in the next cycles . Overall was a good a tool to   leverage and I believe it will continue to produce good outcomes for the business . 

 References 

    Instinctive Drive System : “ Natural Born Success : Discover the Instinctive Drives that Make You   Tick ! ” , Paul Burgess 

    Six Thinking Hats : “ Six Thinking Hats ” , Edward de Bono 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Maicol Sanchez, Maicol Sanchez
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: Maicol Sanchez 

 January 2017 

 Design Thinking for Innovation 

 University of Virginia   Final Course Assignment 

 Reflection : Learning Launch 

 Challenge 

 I have offered support to a start - up company in the food business to take their venture to the next   level . Among all the areas that need to be covered in this process , we have decided to leverage   Design Thinking to take a step back and think again about the overall customer experience when   consuming the company products . The portfolio of products is composed of a set of high - quality   snacks based on Japanese cuisine that is intended to be consumed as quick meals mostly for   people who prioritizes a healthy and lean lifestyle . The challenge we have identified was that some   consumers were not figuring out how to open the meal package correctly , what was creating an   issue on the overall experience to consume the product . This fact would represent a problem in the   growth of the business as they plan the expansion to a more diverse audience for those snacks , 

 Selection 

 I have selected Learning Launch for this assignment because it brings a new perspective about how   important it is to avoid confirmation bias of project team members when trying to build real impactful   innovation to the business . Also , to test the concept of learning cycles to test assumptions in fast   and cheap ways , understanding that failures are also opportunities to get insights for the business . 

 I have been working for the last 15 years in leadership roles in the IT industry , and I have used   different methodologies to keep evolving my operation , most of them associated on shaping   behaviors of internal teams during innovation and planning cycles , using tools like Six Thinking Hats ,   Instinctive Drives System and Future Based Planning . It was interesting to realize that most of these   tools have a strong focus on the ways internal teams build plans . Learning Launches bring a   different perspective to the planning process , focusing on collecting consumer experience . I believe   it is more compatible with the speed of business changes we are living today . 

 Application 

 Based on the initial analysis the project team identified that some customers were having problems   opening the snack . As they were supposed to eat the meal with their bare hands , that was causing   them to compromise the experience of tasting a high - quality and healthy food . The snack uses a   plastic package which has printed on it the steps of how open it . Even so , there were consumers   who were not opening correctly . The assumption from the team was that the instructions in the   package should be better highlighted , so the consumers would more easily see that they should   follow the quick three steps to open it .   Also , there was an understanding that a video would help this   process . 

 A Learning Launch was planned to test a set of package prototypes using the red color to highlight   each of the steps that should be followed in sequence 1 - 2 - 3 . Another prototype was to create a very   basic video recorded in an iPhone explaining how to open the package . Those products are sold at a   very fast pace , so there is no time for an attendant to go one by one to teach the user how to open it . 

 Maicol Sanchez 

 January 2017 

 After building these two prototypes , the team went to a nearby community and offered the snacks   with the new package and the video . We have tested one group just with the new package and   another one with that and the video . Different age groups were covered as well . The goal was to test   the assumptions in a fast and cheap way so we could understand if the changes would have an   impact on the customer experience . The snack itself had not changed , it was just the packaging and   the exposure to the video . They have effectively run the launch and figured out that the new   packaging helped but still did n’t produced consistent results to all the consumers tested . The video   though produced better results . With those conclusions , a new set of adjustments on the package   will be made , and an new version of the video is being built for the next round of learning launch . 

 Insight 

 The main insights we got from applying the learning launch were that assumptions need to be   validated with the target audience and that the consumers , in general , are very open and willing to   provide feedback when you engage with them properly . Initially , there was a strong belief in the   project team that small changes in the package would produce significant results and that has not   been confirmed in the learning launch . If a change in the production of the package had been   ordered based on this assumption , there would be a significant waste of money for minimal or no   impact . 

 Once you see how it is useful and fast to implement a learning launch , it is difficult to go back to   previous mindset about how to understand the dynamics of the customer interactions . An empathy- based approach , focused on fast interactions seems to be the best option for solving these types of   challenges . 

 Approach 

 Learning Launch tool proved to be very useful to validate assumptions , even when they were built   after initial observations and customer feedbacks . It is a process that this business will incorporate in   their day - to - day operations , as there is always room for improvement on the customer experience   and new finding will come along the way . One thing in the process that will be enhanced in the next   rounds is to be sure we give enough time for the user to test the whole experience before asking the   feedbacks . In the initial interactions , they have tried to collect the feedback while the customers were   opening the package and it was overwhelming for some of them . So , they got some additional   learnings about how to conduct the experience in the next cycles . Overall was a good a tool to   leverage and I believe it will continue to produce good outcomes for the business . 

 References 

    Instinctive Drive System : “ Natural Born Success : Discover the Instinctive Drives that Make You   Tick ! ” , Paul Burgess 

    Six Thinking Hats : “ Six Thinking Hats ” , Edward de Bono
### Output: 