Pepa Medrano 

 Design Thinking for Innovation   April 2 , 2020 

 Mind Mapping 

 Challenge : 

 I am on the Artist Relations team at a music sync company .   My job includes 

 organizing and listening to all the new music submissions that are sent to the label and   communicating with the creative department about possible signings . The creative team   pitches music to music supervisors and are aware of current trends and needs for TV ,   Film , and Ads so they are a huge asset to the A&R team and our decision making   process . The challenge often encountered in the company is a lack of communication   between these two departments about new music . It ’s often a challenge to get the   creative department to send back feedback on possible signings in a timely manner .   There is currently not a specific tool that is used for feedback so information gets lost in   emails . It creates confusion for the A&R team as well as the potential signings . The label   lacks an effective communication system to circulate and listen to new music in order   for the A&R team to sign new artists into the catalog quickly to match requests and   trends . The project is to build an effective online process to create a clear flow of   communication between the A&R team and the creative department . A process where   information on new artists , their music , and the creative team ’s feedback , are organized   clearly and sent back to the A&R team smoothly in order for us to make final decisions . 

 Selection : 

 I decided to select the mind mapping tool to begin the innovative thinking 

 process . Mind Mapping is a brainstorming method often used to fuel a creative mindset   by using illustrations and graphs to express ideas . By using a visual tool to generate   concepts , it helps to collect , analyze , and structure new thoughts to create a better   understanding of the subject / challenge . I selected mind mapping for my challenge   because I am currently in the stage where I have identified the issue and need a place to   represent my information and ideas to create a hypothesis . 

 Application : 

 I used Adobe Illustrator to put together a mind map of my ideas ( see below ) . I think it   was applied very effectively . Using mind mapping enabled me to let my thoughts flow . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 1 

 The current illustration will now help my team and I narrow down the best hypothesis   to move forward with the creation of this online communication portal . 

 Insight : 

 Mind mapping removes the pressure of coming up with a great idea / thought on 

 the first try . It allows your mind to flow freely without judgement . You ’re not necessarily   looking for a hypothesis right away , you ’re collecting key words and connections that   then creates a large visual map . The map helps you see all these connections in front of   you , which I realized helped me significantly ! It also is a great tool for the entire team .   Mind mapping can be done in a group or individually to fuel understanding and   creativity . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 2 

 Regarding the specific challenge of creating an online communication system 

 between the A&R department and the creative team , I found that the best system   includes both an online method and an in person meeting . I also found that it went   further than just creating a tool with the creative team . We also would benefit from a   submission page on our main website for artists to submit their music to us . The A&R   team was mostly receiving our submissions through email , which left my inbox often   cluttered . By creating a page for artists to access , it creates a more organized place for   me to handle the submissions and listen through . I also realized that we need to narrow   down the music we send to the creative team . They were receiving too much and could   not handle all the music , on top of the tasks they were already doing . By limiting   unsolicited music , we will be able to narrow down our submissions and focus on what ’s   really needed . My idea is to create a private page on our website that only the company   can access where the A&R team updates the page with new music to listen to . There will   be a space for feedback and also a deadline . When the A&R team updates the page , an   email notification is automatically sent ot the creative team . When the creative team   submits their feedback , a notification is then sent to the A&R team .   In addition to the   online page , I am thinking of implementing a monthly or biweekly creative meeting   where the A&R team and the creative team get together to discuss trends , new signings ,   needs , etc . 

 Approach : 

 I think mind mapping is a really great , versatile tool that can be used lightly with 

 just a few thoughts or expanded into a whole wall of ideas and connections . Next time , I   would expand the map even further and dig a bit deeper into the brainstorming . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 3 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Pepa Medrano
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: Pepa Medrano 

 Design Thinking for Innovation   April 2 , 2020 

 Mind Mapping 

 Challenge : 

 I am on the Artist Relations team at a music sync company .   My job includes 

 organizing and listening to all the new music submissions that are sent to the label and   communicating with the creative department about possible signings . The creative team   pitches music to music supervisors and are aware of current trends and needs for TV ,   Film , and Ads so they are a huge asset to the A&R team and our decision making   process . The challenge often encountered in the company is a lack of communication   between these two departments about new music . It ’s often a challenge to get the   creative department to send back feedback on possible signings in a timely manner .   There is currently not a specific tool that is used for feedback so information gets lost in   emails . It creates confusion for the A&R team as well as the potential signings . The label   lacks an effective communication system to circulate and listen to new music in order   for the A&R team to sign new artists into the catalog quickly to match requests and   trends . The project is to build an effective online process to create a clear flow of   communication between the A&R team and the creative department . A process where   information on new artists , their music , and the creative team ’s feedback , are organized   clearly and sent back to the A&R team smoothly in order for us to make final decisions . 

 Selection : 

 I decided to select the mind mapping tool to begin the innovative thinking 

 process . Mind Mapping is a brainstorming method often used to fuel a creative mindset   by using illustrations and graphs to express ideas . By using a visual tool to generate   concepts , it helps to collect , analyze , and structure new thoughts to create a better   understanding of the subject / challenge . I selected mind mapping for my challenge   because I am currently in the stage where I have identified the issue and need a place to   represent my information and ideas to create a hypothesis . 

 Application : 

 I used Adobe Illustrator to put together a mind map of my ideas ( see below ) . I think it   was applied very effectively . Using mind mapping enabled me to let my thoughts flow . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 1 

 The current illustration will now help my team and I narrow down the best hypothesis   to move forward with the creation of this online communication portal . 

 Insight : 

 Mind mapping removes the pressure of coming up with a great idea / thought on 

 the first try . It allows your mind to flow freely without judgement . You ’re not necessarily   looking for a hypothesis right away , you ’re collecting key words and connections that   then creates a large visual map . The map helps you see all these connections in front of   you , which I realized helped me significantly ! It also is a great tool for the entire team .   Mind mapping can be done in a group or individually to fuel understanding and   creativity . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 2 

 Regarding the specific challenge of creating an online communication system 

 between the A&R department and the creative team , I found that the best system   includes both an online method and an in person meeting . I also found that it went   further than just creating a tool with the creative team . We also would benefit from a   submission page on our main website for artists to submit their music to us . The A&R   team was mostly receiving our submissions through email , which left my inbox often   cluttered . By creating a page for artists to access , it creates a more organized place for   me to handle the submissions and listen through . I also realized that we need to narrow   down the music we send to the creative team . They were receiving too much and could   not handle all the music , on top of the tasks they were already doing . By limiting   unsolicited music , we will be able to narrow down our submissions and focus on what ’s   really needed . My idea is to create a private page on our website that only the company   can access where the A&R team updates the page with new music to listen to . There will   be a space for feedback and also a deadline . When the A&R team updates the page , an   email notification is automatically sent ot the creative team . When the creative team   submits their feedback , a notification is then sent to the A&R team .   In addition to the   online page , I am thinking of implementing a monthly or biweekly creative meeting   where the A&R team and the creative team get together to discuss trends , new signings ,   needs , etc . 

 Approach : 

 I think mind mapping is a really great , versatile tool that can be used lightly with 

 just a few thoughts or expanded into a whole wall of ideas and connections . Next time , I   would expand the map even further and dig a bit deeper into the brainstorming . 

 DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION 	  � 3
### Output: 