Example Reflection – Learning Launch

Challenge

I work in an automotive company. My primary task has been to evaluate recent and futuristic  technological advancements and infer if the same could be incorporated as a part of the company’s  regular assignments. In this regard, I would, in due course of time, resort to design thinking to help me  gauge the role of fuel cells in a commercial vehicle.

Selection

I have often felt that design thinking, and ‘Learning Launch’ in particular, helped me structure a problem  and solve the same. Moreover, ‘Learning Launch’–being extremely fruitful in saving time and money– had a clear-cut process of requirement of a hypothesis, figuring out key assumptions, prioritizing the lot,  design and performance of a test, and working on the outcome of the test. This, I believed, would aid  me in solving the problem and, as future events showed, my objective was well-nigh accomplished.

Application

As a part of the ‘Learning Launch’, we developed a hypothesis based on our limited knowledge of fuel  cells. We, as a next step, zeroed in on the key assumptions, viz., type of fuel cell, pricing and availability  of the different alternatives, etc. Data gathering stage followed as a sequel to the aforesaid process.  Interviews, meeting with connoisseurs, conferences, research papers and the like provided the  indispensable information required for the testing stage. Before proceeding to the subsequent stage, a  prior elimination technique was resorted to reduce the alternatives. The processes involved in this were  termed, collectively, as ‘prioritising of key alternatives’. This provided a fresh impetus to design a test  strategy for the same and, consequently, perform the test for further evaluation.

Insight

The testing stage comprised a few processes which were aimed at elimination of alternatives, which  were an outcome of disconfirmation of pertinent data. This design process also threw light on the  alternatives that were feasible and were matured enough to grant benefits in the event of a plunge. This  process, moreover, helped narrow down on the product of our interest.

Approach

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, use of ‘Learning Launch’ was a boon in ways more than one.  First, it helped understand the product we really needed; second, the structured methodology helped  resolve a magnitude of issues that would have otherwise posed serious problems; third, understanding–

or should I say, knowledge–enhanced by leaps and bounds owing to the data gathering stage. It would  be hard, nay, impossible not to consider such a wondrous tool in my forthcoming assignments.

