Design Thinking for Business Innovation

Case Study

Assumption Testing:

The tool:

Assumption Testing

How I used it:

This one was also from my experience in a Co-Innovation Program for a large Banking customer. As a next step for all the ideas collected from Brainstorming or Storytelling sessions, these ideas has to undergo next level of scrutiny through organization process. At the time of using this next stage methodology, I did not know that we were using Assumption Testing technique but in hindsight, I can say, this was very close to Design Thinking Process of Assumption Testing. In this process, for each idea, we give out an Ideation template to Idea owner to state all the Assumption and Hypothesis along with their idea's Opportunities and Threats. First, Hypothesis is verifies with higher management stakeholders and corrected if required. Idea owner comes to meeting and explain their reasoning behind each of those Assumptions. Further, we ask him to either find a way to correct assumption or plan to validate the assumption within a stipulated time period. Idea owner plans out method to verify and report back to Ideation committee. If most Assumptions found to be true, this Idea is given go ahead for final level of scrutiny by Business owners. If most Assumptions found to be false, Idea owner is given chance to present it within next fortnight.

What I learned:

This process has brought many interesting observations.

First one, instead of going all the way with Idea without testing assumption & validating hypothesis, the hit rate of many idea has improved significantly across the board.

Many ideas were based on wrong hypothesis and it used to surface very late in the product stage to get noticed by higher management. This has saved large cost of failed idea.

This also helped Idea Owner to see their ideas from Outside-In and many of them have valued it.

It is also observed that many Idea owners finds this process little offensive as their ideas were challenged at core levels. But right mentoring could overcome that kind of resistance.

Brainstorming:

The tool:

Brainstorming

How I used it:

This one was also from my experience in a Co-Innovation Program for a large Banking customer. Ideation continued to be the challenge for my program due to non-banking background of my engineering team. So, apart from Storytelling, I have tried this Brainstorming tool for many Ideation session. These brainstorming sessions were about sharing any idea arising

out of new Technological advancement, invention or product innovation to benefit our Banking customer's customers. We organize these sessions in good settings along with some prizes, like Chocolates and Kids toy. Before embarking on discussion, we state two important thing to team members. First is that All Ideas are good but few not-so-good idea might need some help in correction. Essentially, we are here to sharpen good idea and shape a not-good ideas with brainstorming. Second was to stay with objective of discussion that Ideas has be Novel, Feasible and Affordable. And these objectives are mentioned in Bold on Center white-board. So, any deviation of discussion of ideas will be resolved and revolve around the Objectives only. Third, any one giving idea will earn Chocolate/Toys before even sharing the Idea, so there is encouragement and entertainment around it. We request all ideas to be white-boarded one by one on all sides of walls and facilitate discussion around them. At end, we select all the ideas which have more that 50% team member's approval for next level of discussion.

What I learned:

First, most important part of brainstorming discussion was to maintain the Tone during discussion and as a facilitator, this is critical factor of our activities. Through-out the discussion, team members should feel free when expressing idea. And, any kind of negative reinforcement is lethal as no one wants to take rejection or criticism.

Second, most important thing was keeping the Objective in sights for all members. Any deviation has to be corrected and brought back to the theme.

Third, we can never has 100% agreement on a new idea, so we have kept the bar lower at 50% consensus for idea selection to next level promotion.

Storytelling:

The tool:

Storytelling

How I used it:

This one was also from my experience in a Co-Innovation Program for a large Banking customer. My objective was to develop and implement new ideas which can enhance customer experience and improve employee productivity. I had a team which was a bunch of Technical folks without any Banking domain understanding. They were really good at execution of a given problem set but they were bad creating and thinking for new ideas for Bank. With premise, that they already have some level of personal banking experience and I should explore that to bring them in context. So, I decided to put few stories around banking problems in areas of Bank's Technology theme. I have created few storyboards around their Banking Interaction experience and presented few pain pints in those picture. Around those, I provided a list of Technology theme, just to provide them clue fill with the gap. I invited my team for a white-boarding session and project my diagrams on Presentation slide and narrated a story of Customer having an experience and interaction in bank branch and its staff to make them feel of Customer pains in Branch. After completing my story, I ask them to improve the story by using those Technology theme. There was little starting trouble but I quickly recovered by motivating indulging into problem solving. To my amaze, the results were outstanding, team gave tons of idea around, not just at the meeting but even one month later. Some of those Ideas were amazing and have been adopted in Bank.

What I learned:

Storytelling had profound impact on team and I could get the result which I could not get after doing many management style pushy efforts. This approach has not just involved them into the process but also engaged them emotionally. The gaps in the story has made them participate as they were good at problem solving skill than Design Thinking skills. This came after few failed attempts of Story-boarding but the real impact started coming when I started putting emotional statement about empathy towards Customer. Conclusion was to have a impactful story along with lots of Emotional appeal.