Julio Kaponi	
   Design	
  Thinking	
  for	
  Business	
  Innovation	
  Assignment	
   	
   Challenge	
  	
   I’ve	
  been	
  working	
  with	
  a	
  nonprofit	
  organization	
  in	
  the	
  city	
  of	
  Bogotá,	
  Colombia.	
  The	
   organization	
  is	
  located	
  in	
  Belén,	
  a	
  low	
  economic	
  class	
  neighborhood	
  in	
  the	
  southern	
   section	
   of	
   the	
   city,	
   but	
   it’s	
   run	
   by	
   a	
   group	
   of	
   passionate	
   and	
   well	
   intentioned	
   foreigners	
   that	
   seek	
   to	
   make	
   a	
   change	
   in	
   small	
   vulnerable	
   populations.	
   The	
   organization	
  brings	
  education	
  to	
  children	
  aged	
  from	
  5	
  to	
  17	
  after	
  regular	
  school	
  hours	
   with	
  a	
  ludic	
  and	
  an	
  innovative	
  educational	
  approach.	
  Also,	
  they	
  created	
  a	
  shelter	
  for	
   children,	
   especially	
   teenagers,	
   to	
   go	
   and	
   learn	
   from	
   different	
   cultures	
   and	
   reading	
   habits	
  instead	
  of	
  getting	
  involved	
  with	
  drugs	
  and	
  violence,	
  which	
  is	
  common	
  in	
  the	
   South.	
  However,	
  they	
  have	
  been	
  struggling	
  with	
  reaching	
  out	
  to	
  the	
  children’s	
  parents	
   of	
   the	
   area	
   because	
   some	
   parent’s	
   have	
   an	
   apathetic	
   feel	
   towards	
   the	
   presence	
   of	
   foreigners	
  inside	
  their	
  neighborhood.	
   	
   Selection	
   I	
  selected	
  the	
  Visualization	
  design	
  tool	
  to	
  have	
  an	
  approach	
  towards	
  the	
  problem.	
  This	
   tool	
  uses	
  imagery	
  to	
  make	
  an	
  abstract	
  idea	
  more	
  visible	
  and	
  concrete.	
  The	
  decision	
   behind	
  using	
  this	
  tool	
  was	
  because,	
  after	
  some	
  interviews,	
  I	
  had	
  the	
  insight	
  that	
  the	
   main	
   difficulty	
   for	
   the	
   nonprofit	
   organization	
   was	
   the	
   way	
   they	
   used	
   language	
   and	
   that	
   their	
   brand	
   voice	
   inside	
   the	
   neighborhood	
   was	
   too	
   disruptive	
   and	
   parent’s	
   couldn’t	
   relate	
   to	
   them,	
   therefore	
   prefering	
   other	
   more	
   local	
   and	
   governmental	
   alternatives.	
  According	
  to	
  the	
  course’s	
  modules,	
  imagery	
  can	
  make	
  hard	
  ideas	
  into	
  less	
   fragmented	
  and	
  accesible	
  to	
  express	
  a	
  sensitive	
  subject.	
  Moreover,	
  this	
  tool	
  could	
  give	
   me	
   more	
   etnographic	
   insights	
   as	
   to	
   why	
   they	
   had	
   that	
   approach	
   and	
   also	
   I	
   could	
   expose	
   my	
   insight	
   through	
   metaphors,	
   translating	
   a	
   rather	
   hard	
   topic	
   into	
   a	
   more	
   flexible	
  and	
  relatable	
  idea.	
   	
   Application	
   First	
  I	
  had	
  to	
  think	
  about	
  which	
  metaphor	
  I	
  should	
  use	
  in	
  order	
  for	
  them	
  to	
  visualize	
   the	
  issue	
  and	
  start	
  a	
  conversation	
  through	
  the	
  design	
  tool	
  to	
  spark	
  new	
  insights.	
  The	
   metaphor	
   needed	
   to	
   be	
   subtle	
   enough	
   for	
   them	
   to	
   not	
   feel	
   disrespected	
   but	
   also	
   engaging	
   enough	
   for	
   them	
   to	
   actively	
   participate.	
   I	
   came	
   up	
   with	
   the	
   idea	
   of	
   an	
   outerspace	
  game	
  using	
  cardboards	
  and	
  paper	
  figures.	
  The	
  game	
  plan	
  was	
  like	
  this:	
   The	
   organization	
   is	
   an	
   alien	
   spaceship	
   that	
   wants	
   to	
   create	
   contact	
   with	
   terrestrial	
   humans	
   in	
   a	
   volatile	
   galaxy,	
   but	
   there	
   are	
   some	
   forces	
   that	
   prevent	
   them	
   from	
   reaching	
  out	
  effectively.	
  Some	
  of	
  the	
  paper	
  figures	
  included	
  asteroids,	
  blank	
  interests	
   cards	
   they	
   could	
   write	
   on	
   and	
   important	
   stakeholders	
   such	
   as	
   the	
   parents,	
   the	
   children,	
  and	
  the	
  competition.	
   	
   Then,	
  I	
  made	
  a	
  meeting	
  with	
  the	
  group	
  of	
  foreigners	
  that	
  directed	
  the	
  organization.	
  I	
   gave	
   them	
   a	
   blank	
   piece	
   of	
   cardboard	
   and	
   let	
   them	
   locate	
   the	
   different	
   figures	
   according	
  to	
  the	
  way	
  they	
  felt	
  in	
  the	
  neighborhood.	
  Afterwards,	
  I	
  gave	
  them	
  colors	
  to	
   start	
  writing	
  on	
  the	
  interests	
  that	
  might	
  appart	
  them	
  from	
  the	
  various	
  stakeholders.	
   With	
  the	
  color	
  markers	
  they	
  drew	
  on	
  the	
  cardboard	
  to	
  show	
  relationships	
  between

one	
  stakeholder	
  and	
  another,	
  also,	
  they	
  came	
  up	
  with	
  new	
  stakeholders	
  such	
  as	
  the	
   church,	
  the	
  grandparents	
  and	
  the	
  streets,	
  all	
  becoming	
  a	
  space	
  themed	
  character	
  in	
   the	
   game.	
   For	
   example,	
   they	
   used	
   colors	
   to	
   differentiate	
   the	
   children,	
   parents	
   and	
   grandparents	
  which	
  were	
  colored	
  space	
  rockets	
  that	
  wanted	
  (or	
  not)	
  to	
  get	
  in	
  touch	
   with	
  the	
  space	
  station	
  (the	
  organization).	
   	
   Insight	
  and	
  Approach	
   The	
   game	
   was	
   a	
   success!	
   They	
   actively	
   participated,	
   as	
   I	
   explained	
   in	
   the	
   section	
   before,	
   and	
   engaged	
   towards	
   understanding	
   the	
   main	
   issue.	
   The	
   group	
   understood	
   that	
   they	
   seemed	
   as	
   an	
   isolated	
   force	
   that	
   wanted	
   to	
   be	
   contacted	
   by	
   some	
   stakeholders	
  but	
  also	
  needed	
  to	
  change	
  their	
  approach	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  have	
  a	
  more	
  human	
   and	
  local	
  connection	
  with	
  the	
  parents	
  and	
  grandparents.	
  In	
  addition,	
  we,	
  as	
  a	
  group,	
   recognized	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  not	
  only	
  including	
  the	
  children	
  in	
  their	
  agenda,	
  but	
  also	
   the	
   locals,	
   such	
   as	
   the	
   children’s	
   relatives,	
   the	
   church	
   and	
   the	
   small	
   businesses	
   in	
   Belén’s	
  streets.	
  	
   	
   After	
  the	
  discussion,	
  I	
  helped	
  them	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  small	
  talent	
  event	
  called	
  “Belén	
  Tiene	
   Talento”	
   (Belen’s	
   got	
   talent).	
   The	
   event	
   helped	
   them	
   to	
   be	
   more	
   recognizable	
   and	
   inclusive	
  with	
  the	
  people	
  living	
  in	
  the	
  neighborhood.	
  The	
  afternoon	
  of	
  the	
  talent	
  show	
   the	
   place	
   was	
   packed,	
   girls,	
   boys,	
   parents,	
   elders,	
   the	
   street	
   baker	
   and	
   more	
   performed	
  happily	
  to	
  the	
  audience.	
  This	
  exercise	
  has	
  made	
  me	
  more	
  sensitive	
  into	
  the	
   inclusion	
  of	
  important	
  (and	
  often	
  unnoticed)	
  stakeholders	
  and	
  also	
  helped	
  extensively	
   into	
   generating	
   a	
   bond	
   between	
   the	
   organization	
   and	
   the	
   locals.	
   Finally,	
   the	
   use	
   of	
   language	
  and	
  brand	
  voice	
  of	
  the	
  organization	
  changed	
  from	
  the	
  view	
  of	
  an	
  outsider,	
   into	
  a	
  voice	
  of	
  a	
  caring	
  organization	
  of	
  the	
  wellbeing	
  of	
  the	
  entire	
  neighborhood.

