Design Thinking for Innovation – Final Assignment    Antonio Juarez 

 Challenge : 

 I work for a large consulting firm in the IT services space . Specifically , I advise large corporations   ( primarily marketing departments ) how to better engage customers and prospects to realize more value   from these relationships . Recently , a global auto rental company with whom our firm has a deep   relationship posed the question to me and my team of how to increase adoption of the firm ’s new   mobile application . They had spent a bunch of money building and launching a new mobile application   and were far behind in meeting the Key Performance Indicators ( KPIs ) with which they had justified the   original investment . Senior management was unhappy . 

 To start , my team and I took initial issue with the premise of the initial ask and coordinated a workshop   to reframe the question . Rather than solving the “ increase adoption of the mobile app ” question , we   drilled to the root issue or key business problem being “ how do we leverage the mobile channel to   better engage with our renters . ” This was an important step in framing the challenge – it removed a   specific solutioning bias pertaining to application adoption as well as limited the scope of our inquiry to   renters versus prospects . 

 Once we aligned on a business problem , we completed a research phase that included analytical data   from the current app , segment & behavioral data from the relevant renter segment , constructed   journey maps to show the current state , did competitive research , etc . Additionally , we interviewed 20   users of the app , several customer service reps , etc . We presented these “ as - is ” findings back to the   business and scheduled a workshop as our next step with a focus being on engaging cross domain   stakeholders ( business , IT , marketing , product ) to collaborate on creating prioritized design guidelines as   a framework for our innovation process . 

 Selection : 

 We selected mindmapping as the key facilitation construct for the next step in our process and followed   a process similar to the yardsale example in the week 3 video . As a firm , our end state is typically a   technical engineering assignment of some sort that usually involves data , large corporate IT systems ,   marketing operations , application development and support , etc . To solve this type of challenge   effectively , we felt it essential to engage stakeholders from across the enterprise ( business , product ,   customer svc , marketing , data , etc . ) in order to both build consensus on a shared path forward as well as   have all relevant perspectives considered . I felt the mindmapping process would enable us to capture   inputs from multiple perspectives , accommodate both analytical , anecdotal , opinions , wishes , etc.in a   more open and fluid manner . Also , by producing a significant number of specific findings , wishes , and   other criteria from multiple sources and points of view , the mindmapping process would be helpful for   grouping   and creating relationships and   ultimately enabling our group to digest to a set of aligned   principles we could use to guide the subsequent ideation process . 

 Application : 

 Following the presentation of our internal and external research processes ( mentioned in # 1 , above ) , we   posted the findings ( large posters on the walls ) and engaged the group to walk around and identify ( via   Sticky notes ) the most relevant take - aways that each participant was drawn to . As we reassembled and   presented each individual ’s top 3 , we then worked to cull out the duplicates and group these into logical   groupings . Having the stickies all posted on a whiteboard made it easy to move around into groups – we 

 Design Thinking for Innovation – Final Assignment    Antonio Juarez 

 also found the process very collaborative as participants explained their choices . From our group of 12   participants , we collected nearly 100 insights . The culling , grouping and de - duping exercise narrowed   the field down to about 30 insights that ranged from key usage metrics ( e.g. last action on an ap before   leaving ) to favorite features from unassociated mobile experiences ( e.g. augmented reality feature on a   ski area ap ) . We had each participant then use small green and red stickers ( 3 of each color per   participant ) to vote among the final 30 for the insights that resonated the most or were most relevant . 

 The output of this workshop was very successful in defining the design principles or guidelines we would   use for the next step in the process . Our groupings emerged about key customer attributes , touchpoints   in the customer journey best suited for mobile , and differentiating capabilities important to include .   Each grouping had 4 - 6 specifics mapped . We also started the process of connecting attributes between   groupings . It was a very well received session with a great result . 

 Application : 

 The original problem the customer came with ( how to improve adoption of a new ap ) that was reframed   into a business outcome - focused need ( how to leverage mobile to improve the on - rental experience )   was a constant and collaborative discussion though the early stages of the engagement . Interestingly ,   even during the mindmapping exercise , ahead of any solution ideation , etc , it became progressively   clear that while the new app was a nice application with some innovative capbilities , it really did n’t meet   the need of the users that it was intended to serve . As the group identified relevant touchpoints where a   mobile experience should be most effectively leveraged , the current app did n’t really address these .   Additionally , the behavioral attributes of the target segmnets and usage data did n’t align with the app   characteristics and the current users . As we finished the mindmapping process , the participants were   already clear that the problem was not an adoption issue , it was a problem of having an app that was   relevant to the customer . 

 Approach : 

 For where we were in the process mentioned above , mindmapping was a great tool and allowed a very   democratized way of gathering input from a diverse group of stakeholders . The group struggled a bit to   not jump to a solutioning mindset ( or discounting some of the shared scenarios based on prior bias ) , but   in the end , it was successful . 

 Moving forward , I would continue to leverage a similar process , but might introduce the concept a bit   more abstractly to begin . I was thinking through the course of this assignment that doing a sample ,   shorter mindmapping exercise on a hypothetical topic outside of the immediate business context as a   primer would get the group more prepared for the ‘ main event . ’ By using a sample exercise , we could   protect the continuity of the core exercise buy getting questions asked , direction given and establish a   comfort level with the process . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Antonio Juarez, Antonio Juarez
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 – Final Assignment    Antonio Juarez 

 Challenge : 

 I work for a large consulting firm in the IT services space . Specifically , I advise large corporations   ( primarily marketing departments ) how to better engage customers and prospects to realize more value   from these relationships . Recently , a global auto rental company with whom our firm has a deep   relationship posed the question to me and my team of how to increase adoption of the firm ’s new   mobile application . They had spent a bunch of money building and launching a new mobile application   and were far behind in meeting the Key Performance Indicators ( KPIs ) with which they had justified the   original investment . Senior management was unhappy . 

 To start , my team and I took initial issue with the premise of the initial ask and coordinated a workshop   to reframe the question . Rather than solving the “ increase adoption of the mobile app ” question , we   drilled to the root issue or key business problem being “ how do we leverage the mobile channel to   better engage with our renters . ” This was an important step in framing the challenge – it removed a   specific solutioning bias pertaining to application adoption as well as limited the scope of our inquiry to   renters versus prospects . 

 Once we aligned on a business problem , we completed a research phase that included analytical data   from the current app , segment & behavioral data from the relevant renter segment , constructed   journey maps to show the current state , did competitive research , etc . Additionally , we interviewed 20   users of the app , several customer service reps , etc . We presented these “ as - is ” findings back to the   business and scheduled a workshop as our next step with a focus being on engaging cross domain   stakeholders ( business , IT , marketing , product ) to collaborate on creating prioritized design guidelines as   a framework for our innovation process . 

 Selection : 

 We selected mindmapping as the key facilitation construct for the next step in our process and followed   a process similar to the yardsale example in the week 3 video . As a firm , our end state is typically a   technical engineering assignment of some sort that usually involves data , large corporate IT systems ,   marketing operations , application development and support , etc . To solve this type of challenge   effectively , we felt it essential to engage stakeholders from across the enterprise ( business , product ,   customer svc , marketing , data , etc . ) in order to both build consensus on a shared path forward as well as   have all relevant perspectives considered . I felt the mindmapping process would enable us to capture   inputs from multiple perspectives , accommodate both analytical , anecdotal , opinions , wishes , etc.in a   more open and fluid manner . Also , by producing a significant number of specific findings , wishes , and   other criteria from multiple sources and points of view , the mindmapping process would be helpful for   grouping   and creating relationships and   ultimately enabling our group to digest to a set of aligned   principles we could use to guide the subsequent ideation process . 

 Application : 

 Following the presentation of our internal and external research processes ( mentioned in # 1 , above ) , we   posted the findings ( large posters on the walls ) and engaged the group to walk around and identify ( via   Sticky notes ) the most relevant take - aways that each participant was drawn to . As we reassembled and   presented each individual ’s top 3 , we then worked to cull out the duplicates and group these into logical   groupings . Having the stickies all posted on a whiteboard made it easy to move around into groups – we 

 Design Thinking for Innovation – Final Assignment    Antonio Juarez 

 also found the process very collaborative as participants explained their choices . From our group of 12   participants , we collected nearly 100 insights . The culling , grouping and de - duping exercise narrowed   the field down to about 30 insights that ranged from key usage metrics ( e.g. last action on an ap before   leaving ) to favorite features from unassociated mobile experiences ( e.g. augmented reality feature on a   ski area ap ) . We had each participant then use small green and red stickers ( 3 of each color per   participant ) to vote among the final 30 for the insights that resonated the most or were most relevant . 

 The output of this workshop was very successful in defining the design principles or guidelines we would   use for the next step in the process . Our groupings emerged about key customer attributes , touchpoints   in the customer journey best suited for mobile , and differentiating capabilities important to include .   Each grouping had 4 - 6 specifics mapped . We also started the process of connecting attributes between   groupings . It was a very well received session with a great result . 

 Application : 

 The original problem the customer came with ( how to improve adoption of a new ap ) that was reframed   into a business outcome - focused need ( how to leverage mobile to improve the on - rental experience )   was a constant and collaborative discussion though the early stages of the engagement . Interestingly ,   even during the mindmapping exercise , ahead of any solution ideation , etc , it became progressively   clear that while the new app was a nice application with some innovative capbilities , it really did n’t meet   the need of the users that it was intended to serve . As the group identified relevant touchpoints where a   mobile experience should be most effectively leveraged , the current app did n’t really address these .   Additionally , the behavioral attributes of the target segmnets and usage data did n’t align with the app   characteristics and the current users . As we finished the mindmapping process , the participants were   already clear that the problem was not an adoption issue , it was a problem of having an app that was   relevant to the customer . 

 Approach : 

 For where we were in the process mentioned above , mindmapping was a great tool and allowed a very   democratized way of gathering input from a diverse group of stakeholders . The group struggled a bit to   not jump to a solutioning mindset ( or discounting some of the shared scenarios based on prior bias ) , but   in the end , it was successful . 

 Moving forward , I would continue to leverage a similar process , but might introduce the concept a bit   more abstractly to begin . I was thinking through the course of this assignment that doing a sample ,   shorter mindmapping exercise on a hypothetical topic outside of the immediate business context as a   primer would get the group more prepared for the ‘ main event . ’ By using a sample exercise , we could   protect the continuity of the core exercise buy getting questions asked , direction given and establish a   comfort level with the process .
### Output: 