Example Reflection: Learning Launch

Challenge   COVID-19 season has presented a myriad of challenges especially in the economic sphere. I was  made aware of the predicament of casual labourers, mostly women who throng middle and high  class settlements for menial jobs of house cleaning and laundry for a daily living. When COVID- 19 happened, these jobs were no more. Many households stayed away from such hirings due to  the fear of exposure since the workers come from crowded informal settlements and believed to  be more exposed. Other than this, there have been instances where such workers upon hire steal  from their employers since there is seldom time for background checks to ascertain their integrity  levels.   In a bid to address this discrepancy since the menial workers need their daily bread while the  middle and high class dwellers need this service, I have an idea to work on a one-stop platform  that carries due diligence including checking on criminal records of people seeking homemaking  jobs, a feedback channel with ratings of previous works, payment platform and those who need  the service. My immediate thought is to create a digital platform. However, given that parties to  be featured will require a proper gadget and funds to get them online so as to be able to connect  with their potential clients/service providers. My assumption from conversation I have held with  some of the targeted is that this will provide a lasting solution about the workers finding  continuous jobs and home owners banking on the system to guarantee safety of their households  and good service at a fee.    Selection  I settle on learning launch enables me to test the target audience, my execution plan and confirm  or dispel my assumptions. The users are readily available in my environment so reaching out to  them comes at no cost. I already built a rapport with them since I have been fundraising and  gifting a number of them with care/food packs.    Application  My idea is still in the formation stage. But having heard from Luis Ramirez, I got an aha! moment. I  now know I can test to confirm or disconfirm my data and make an informed decision of next  steps as illustrated in the following diagram;

Insight and Approach  My greatest insight from Luis Ramirez is that I have to do an experiment. I am going to test my idea  to again, either confirm or disconfirm my data. I do not have to invest so much seed money, time  and effort only to end up with a failed project. No.   I am going to get out there and address my “confirmation bias.” Before this course, I knew mine  is the greatest idea. Luis Ramirez has woken me from that slumber.  I am going to engage both the workers and those who need the services to understand what my  target’s real need is and not the assumed needs, and discuss out with them what they think could  be the most appropriate solution, share my presumed execution and defensibility plan so as to  find a point of convergence. I have to “confirm my facts” to gain the confidence that my idea is  worth continuing with. The diagram below ably describes it;

I am excited!

