DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION ASSIGNMENT 

 COURSERA 

 Miguel Fernandes 

 THE CHALLENGE1 

 I am a systems thinker , learning to think - design . In the last six months I have been involved   in a multidisciplinary design project led by design teachers and students from Alliance University . The project has to do with Concord , an amusement park under construction in   Costa Rica .   Concorde is going to be a park able to offer its Costa Rican ’s ( CR ) visitors a   space - time shell for both a ludic reunion with their culture and with ancestral mother earth .   And for non - Costa Ricans an opportunity to know more about this rich culture - nature .   As a   matter of fact , the originators and financial supporters of this undertaking aim at building a   thematic park able to offer visitors a variety of ludic interactive experiences to recover both   the meanings that historically have shaped CR ’s cultural identity and the respect for their   natural legacies . 

 In preliminary meetings with management to define the design challenge , they pointed out   that they had paid much attention to the “ reunion with the culture ” aspect of the project but   that they needed to think more thoroughly the “ reconnecting with mother earth ” aspect .    Accordingly , management posed the following challenge : design experiences that could   open the senses of the visitors to the surrounding nature and to the particular disruptive ways   we relate to her . 

 We began our design - thinking process with the what is stage . Accordingly , we launched a   series of activities such as interviews to management , gathering of relevant written and video   materials and visits to the park under construction . Using tools like mind mapping , several   issues began to emerge from the data thus collected . One issue was related to management   preoccupation with appropriate waste disposal in the park and how to relate this to the need   to contribute to raise consciousness on the harm done to nature and to the future viability of   the planet , shall our intensive - waste economies continue to rule the world . In this direction   they felt an amusement park could be a powerful educational tool . As a matter of fact , they   said    the park should be a living example to their visitors of respect and care for nature . They   wanted to make transparent to the visitors the innumerable provisions management has taken   during the construction of the park ( 35 % so far ) to protect the surrounding flora and fauna ,   the natural sources of water , and to ensure a clean energy supply . Another “ proof ” of their   concern with environmental issues was their adoption of circular economy practices in the   operation of Concord . An interesting insight arose from one interview in which one of the   managers explained why the park ’s name was Concord : We want visitors learn to weave a   new covenant with mother nature . Some design criteria also began to emerge . The 

 1 The information presented here is confidential . No use of this material is permitted without the author´s consent . Names and places have   been changed in order to protect the clients ’ privacy . 

 educational activities of the park should make ample use of ludic and experiential learning .   Visitors should be invited to experiment and play to become aware of their connection with   nature ( or the lack of it ) . With these and other insights and design criteria we went into the   what if stage . Using idea generation methods such as brainstorming and collage techniques ,   several ideas and combinations of them emerged . For instance , the use of augmented reality   apps to allow visitors enter any of the basic park attractions ---e.g . traveling by boat on a   small scale representation of the main river of the region--- and by pointing their cell phones   or tablets to , for instance the river , display on the screen phone which species of fish are   native of this region and what is their level of extinction risk . Another idea related to the   previous one was the use of banners throughout the park with pictures representing flora and   fauna of the region and a QR code to obtain 3D eco - information on the spot . 

 After a couple of months , we programmed the first meeting with management to elicit their   feedback on some of these ideas to tackle the challenge . Their reaction was : we like them but   they are quite unarticulated both between themselves and in relation to some attractions of   Concord like the Butterfly Nursery or the mythological malokas ( like huts where mother   nature plays a central role ) . At this point comes into play the Storytelling Tool whose   application I would like to present in this written assignment . 

 SELECTION OF THE TOOL 

 We felt our power point presentations were far from inspirational . Furthermore , as   management has pointed out , our business ideas were quite unarticulated .   A story , we   thought , could help us to string them together in a coherent meaningful whole . Which in turn   will help us to inspire our clients , in relation to the challenge . Storytelling is a powerful tool   used by design thinkers to communicate business concepts in a way that is inspirational for   business leaders and stake holders involved in a design - challenge situation . ( Week 2 . Video :   Storytelling tool ) . Its power lies in that we are , as many have said , storytelling beings . That   is why we all resonate with a good story . There is an emotional connection with it that allows   design thinkers to more easily communicate with business managers . 

 APPLICATION OF THE SELECTED TOOL 

 Voyage to the center of mother earth . This was the Vernian - like title of the story we created .   Visitors would undertake a reunion journey with mother earth to ask her forgiveness and   listen to her breezy words of wisdom to help humanity draw a new covenant to save Pacha- Gaia - Us . In this new covenant the earth will recover its sacred condition and humans will   become again her sacred children , committed both to mend the harm made , and care and   honor their mother ever after . 

 The journey starts in a Maloka ( American Indian hut ) with an introduction to the visitors to   the local Pachamama mythologies of ancestral cultures of Central and South America . The   universality of this archetypal figure is shown to the visitor by introducing Gaia , the ancestral   mother of all life in Greek mythology . These mythologies were powerful “ stories ” which   inspired and organized human action for centuries in complete harmony with nature . How   have we become to the present condition on the verge of the total destruction of the earth ? 

 Perhaps we need a new powerful mythology , within which a new covenant with mother   nature can be embedded . These reflections will set the tone for the journey to the center of   mother earth ( Pacha - Gaia ) . 

 The trip will unfold through a trail which has five stations related to the five senses . In each   station the initial message will be revisited . In effect , visitors will receive a gift from mother   earth followed by a short video showing how that gift has been destroyed by us , consciously   or unconsciously . In the first station visitors will come across Dancing Colors . It is a butterfly   nursery . Butterflies of the region are well known for the beautiful colors of their wings .   In   this setting , one will be able to appreciate their magnificent colors flying and drawing all   kinds of color patterns in the air . In the same place visitors will see a video showing how   intensive agriculture based on agrochemicals has poisoned this beautiful gift . Before heading   to the next station , visitors will be asked to reflect on how are they responsible of this tragedy .   In the next four stations , Healing Fragrances ( a flower garden ) , Golden Nuggets ( Maize , a   sacred plant , a gift from the Sun God ) , Garden of   Sounds ( nature - made sounds ) ,   and   Caress   ( barefooting walking on grass , or a path of stones and water , or simply plain earth ) , the gift   followed by the gift destruction and the self - reflection pattern will be repeated , the only   difference being that   the reflection at each station will be compounded with the previous   reflections   to finally reach   a climax : the encounter with Pacha - Gaia at the end of the trail . 

 The storytelling approach to communicate to management our business concept was   remarkably much better than our previous ppt . presentation . In addition , the voyage story     allowed management to see how this whole narrative could help to define more clearly the   identity of the Concord park . In fact , some of the settings required in each stage of this   Journey were already in place in the park ( particularly the butterfly ’s nursery and the   mythological hut ) , and others could be integrated into the narrative to provide visitors with a   holistic experience . 

 INSIGHT AND APPROACH 

 An eye opener was to see how difficult was to communicate a complex business concept   using traditional ppt . presentations ( even when taking care of choosing very carefully the   images in such presentations ) . The story telling tool improved communication with   management 100 % . An alternative approach came to mind during the application of the ST   tool . It was the use of Visualization in the form of a storyboard .   The linear direction of the   cells in a storyboard is quite suitable for storytelling . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Miguel Fernandes
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: DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION ASSIGNMENT 

 COURSERA 

 Miguel Fernandes 

 THE CHALLENGE1 

 I am a systems thinker , learning to think - design . In the last six months I have been involved   in a multidisciplinary design project led by design teachers and students from Alliance University . The project has to do with Concord , an amusement park under construction in   Costa Rica .   Concorde is going to be a park able to offer its Costa Rican ’s ( CR ) visitors a   space - time shell for both a ludic reunion with their culture and with ancestral mother earth .   And for non - Costa Ricans an opportunity to know more about this rich culture - nature .   As a   matter of fact , the originators and financial supporters of this undertaking aim at building a   thematic park able to offer visitors a variety of ludic interactive experiences to recover both   the meanings that historically have shaped CR ’s cultural identity and the respect for their   natural legacies . 

 In preliminary meetings with management to define the design challenge , they pointed out   that they had paid much attention to the “ reunion with the culture ” aspect of the project but   that they needed to think more thoroughly the “ reconnecting with mother earth ” aspect .    Accordingly , management posed the following challenge : design experiences that could   open the senses of the visitors to the surrounding nature and to the particular disruptive ways   we relate to her . 

 We began our design - thinking process with the what is stage . Accordingly , we launched a   series of activities such as interviews to management , gathering of relevant written and video   materials and visits to the park under construction . Using tools like mind mapping , several   issues began to emerge from the data thus collected . One issue was related to management   preoccupation with appropriate waste disposal in the park and how to relate this to the need   to contribute to raise consciousness on the harm done to nature and to the future viability of   the planet , shall our intensive - waste economies continue to rule the world . In this direction   they felt an amusement park could be a powerful educational tool . As a matter of fact , they   said    the park should be a living example to their visitors of respect and care for nature . They   wanted to make transparent to the visitors the innumerable provisions management has taken   during the construction of the park ( 35 % so far ) to protect the surrounding flora and fauna ,   the natural sources of water , and to ensure a clean energy supply . Another “ proof ” of their   concern with environmental issues was their adoption of circular economy practices in the   operation of Concord . An interesting insight arose from one interview in which one of the   managers explained why the park ’s name was Concord : We want visitors learn to weave a   new covenant with mother nature . Some design criteria also began to emerge . The 

 1 The information presented here is confidential . No use of this material is permitted without the author´s consent . Names and places have   been changed in order to protect the clients ’ privacy . 

 educational activities of the park should make ample use of ludic and experiential learning .   Visitors should be invited to experiment and play to become aware of their connection with   nature ( or the lack of it ) . With these and other insights and design criteria we went into the   what if stage . Using idea generation methods such as brainstorming and collage techniques ,   several ideas and combinations of them emerged . For instance , the use of augmented reality   apps to allow visitors enter any of the basic park attractions ---e.g . traveling by boat on a   small scale representation of the main river of the region--- and by pointing their cell phones   or tablets to , for instance the river , display on the screen phone which species of fish are   native of this region and what is their level of extinction risk . Another idea related to the   previous one was the use of banners throughout the park with pictures representing flora and   fauna of the region and a QR code to obtain 3D eco - information on the spot . 

 After a couple of months , we programmed the first meeting with management to elicit their   feedback on some of these ideas to tackle the challenge . Their reaction was : we like them but   they are quite unarticulated both between themselves and in relation to some attractions of   Concord like the Butterfly Nursery or the mythological malokas ( like huts where mother   nature plays a central role ) . At this point comes into play the Storytelling Tool whose   application I would like to present in this written assignment . 

 SELECTION OF THE TOOL 

 We felt our power point presentations were far from inspirational . Furthermore , as   management has pointed out , our business ideas were quite unarticulated .   A story , we   thought , could help us to string them together in a coherent meaningful whole . Which in turn   will help us to inspire our clients , in relation to the challenge . Storytelling is a powerful tool   used by design thinkers to communicate business concepts in a way that is inspirational for   business leaders and stake holders involved in a design - challenge situation . ( Week 2 . Video :   Storytelling tool ) . Its power lies in that we are , as many have said , storytelling beings . That   is why we all resonate with a good story . There is an emotional connection with it that allows   design thinkers to more easily communicate with business managers . 

 APPLICATION OF THE SELECTED TOOL 

 Voyage to the center of mother earth . This was the Vernian - like title of the story we created .   Visitors would undertake a reunion journey with mother earth to ask her forgiveness and   listen to her breezy words of wisdom to help humanity draw a new covenant to save Pacha- Gaia - Us . In this new covenant the earth will recover its sacred condition and humans will   become again her sacred children , committed both to mend the harm made , and care and   honor their mother ever after . 

 The journey starts in a Maloka ( American Indian hut ) with an introduction to the visitors to   the local Pachamama mythologies of ancestral cultures of Central and South America . The   universality of this archetypal figure is shown to the visitor by introducing Gaia , the ancestral   mother of all life in Greek mythology . These mythologies were powerful “ stories ” which   inspired and organized human action for centuries in complete harmony with nature . How   have we become to the present condition on the verge of the total destruction of the earth ? 

 Perhaps we need a new powerful mythology , within which a new covenant with mother   nature can be embedded . These reflections will set the tone for the journey to the center of   mother earth ( Pacha - Gaia ) . 

 The trip will unfold through a trail which has five stations related to the five senses . In each   station the initial message will be revisited . In effect , visitors will receive a gift from mother   earth followed by a short video showing how that gift has been destroyed by us , consciously   or unconsciously . In the first station visitors will come across Dancing Colors . It is a butterfly   nursery . Butterflies of the region are well known for the beautiful colors of their wings .   In   this setting , one will be able to appreciate their magnificent colors flying and drawing all   kinds of color patterns in the air . In the same place visitors will see a video showing how   intensive agriculture based on agrochemicals has poisoned this beautiful gift . Before heading   to the next station , visitors will be asked to reflect on how are they responsible of this tragedy .   In the next four stations , Healing Fragrances ( a flower garden ) , Golden Nuggets ( Maize , a   sacred plant , a gift from the Sun God ) , Garden of   Sounds ( nature - made sounds ) ,   and   Caress   ( barefooting walking on grass , or a path of stones and water , or simply plain earth ) , the gift   followed by the gift destruction and the self - reflection pattern will be repeated , the only   difference being that   the reflection at each station will be compounded with the previous   reflections   to finally reach   a climax : the encounter with Pacha - Gaia at the end of the trail . 

 The storytelling approach to communicate to management our business concept was   remarkably much better than our previous ppt . presentation . In addition , the voyage story     allowed management to see how this whole narrative could help to define more clearly the   identity of the Concord park . In fact , some of the settings required in each stage of this   Journey were already in place in the park ( particularly the butterfly ’s nursery and the   mythological hut ) , and others could be integrated into the narrative to provide visitors with a   holistic experience . 

 INSIGHT AND APPROACH 

 An eye opener was to see how difficult was to communicate a complex business concept   using traditional ppt . presentations ( even when taking care of choosing very carefully the   images in such presentations ) . The story telling tool improved communication with   management 100 % . An alternative approach came to mind during the application of the ST   tool . It was the use of Visualization in the form of a storyboard .   The linear direction of the   cells in a storyboard is quite suitable for storytelling .
### Output: 