Reflection – Visualization

Challenge & Selection

As a part of CSR activity in my company, I along with my CSR team had visited one government  school. The school was in very bad condition. Teachers were not taking interest in teaching, students  were not doing well, water issues were there and etc. We decided to address those issues by using  Design thinking tool ‘Visualization’.

Visualization is one of the essential design tools. It focuses on using imagery to make an abstract  idea more public and more concrete so that it will be more visible, clear and understandable to  others. We chose Visualisation tool as it is equal parts listening, thinking and drawing. Listening is  the input, thinking is the processing and drawing is the output. These three skills work together  equally in understanding complexity, visualising outcomes to create new possibilities.

Application

In order to design the solution, first we had to build a good understanding of the problem. So we  prepared one form which had a set of questionnaire like what problems they are facing in school,  what needs to be changed, etc. And we asked Administration and teachers to fill those forms as per  their views. Also interacted with students to understand why they are not taking interest in studies  and why they don’t feel like coming to school. Then we went through the forms and listed down few  pain points of teachers and few common issues of students.

We used Visualization design tool to solve this issue. As the popular saying goes “picture is worth a  thousand words” and even a simple sketch can tell us more than a 10 minutes description of an idea.  In a group setting, visualization helped us to spark idea generation. Seeing what other people are  drawing, adding elements to their drawing or simply discussing the sketches helped every one of us  to build on top of each other’s ideas. Also we used visual props such as nudge cards to stimulate idea  creation which enhanced brainstorming sessions. We used visual tools for prototyping. This visual  thinking technology helped to make different options feel more real to us.

We tried to solve few issues by this approach. For poor quality of drinking water issue in school,  Visualization allowed us to explore many dimensions of problem and to prototype a certain number  of solutions to purify the water. There was no playground for students. So school needs to convince  the municipality to shut down a street to vehicles once a week so that the space could serve as a  playground for students and so they can use it for various activities like dance, art and craft. To solve  problem of Teachers, Administration should support teachers and involve them more in educational  decision making. Washrooms in school were poorly maintained and were unclean. Main reason was  insufficiency of water. So to solve the issue of unclean washrooms, we found that rainwater  harvesting can be done and then that collected rainwater can be used for cleaning of washrooms.

Insight and Approach

We saw that Visualization effectively helped to improve daily operations as well as to enhance both  the in-class and out-of-class experiences for both teachers and students. This approach helped us to

build connections between different findings and understand the bigger picture. The visual aspect  triggered idea generation and enabled every one of us to better understand research insights.

Really, Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem solving that serves as a  framework that helps to define problems, empathize with others, develop prototypes of possible  solutions, and hone those prototypes through multiple iterations until they have generated a viable  solution to the challenge at hand. It focused on getting teachers and students to define some of  their biggest challenges, empathizing with them and then work together to figure out solution. I will  definitely use this amazing Visualization tool to solve issues in future.


Reflection – Visualization Challenge & Selection As a part of CSR activity in my company , I along with my CSR team had visited one government school . The school was in very bad condition . Teachers were not taking interest in teaching , students were not doing well , water issues were there and etc . We decided to address those issues by using Design thinking tool ‘ Visualization ’ . Visualization is one of the essential design tools . It focuses on using imagery to make an abstract idea more public and more concrete so that it will be more visible , clear and understandable to others . We chose Visualisation tool as it is equal parts listening , thinking and drawing . Listening is the input , thinking is the processing and drawing is the output . These three skills work together equally in understanding complexity , visualising outcomes to create new possibilities . Application In order to design the solution , first we had to build a good understanding of the problem . So we prepared one form which had a set of questionnaire like what problems they are facing in school , what needs to be changed , etc . And we asked Administration and teachers to fill those forms as per their views . Also interacted with students to understand why they are not taking interest in studies and why they do n’t feel like coming to school . Then we went through the forms and listed down few pain points of teachers and few common issues of students . We used Visualization design tool to solve this issue . As the popular saying goes “ picture is worth a thousand words ” and even a simple sketch can tell us more than a 10 minutes description of an idea . In a group setting , visualization helped us to spark idea generation . Seeing what other people are drawing , adding elements to their drawing or simply discussing the sketches helped every one of us to build on top of each other ’s ideas . Also we used visual props such as nudge cards to stimulate idea creation which enhanced brainstorming sessions . We used visual tools for prototyping . This visual thinking technology helped to make different options feel more real to us . We tried to solve few issues by this approach . For poor quality of drinking water issue in school , Visualization allowed us to explore many dimensions of problem and to prototype a certain number of solutions to purify the water . There was no playground for students . So school needs to convince the municipality to shut down a street to vehicles once a week so that the space could serve as a playground for students and so they can use it for various activities like dance , art and craft . To solve problem of Teachers , Administration should support teachers and involve them more in educational decision making . Washrooms in school were poorly maintained and were unclean . Main reason was insufficiency of water . So to solve the issue of unclean washrooms , we found that rainwater harvesting can be done and then that collected rainwater can be used for cleaning of washrooms . Insight and Approach We saw that Visualization effectively helped to improve daily operations as well as to enhance both the in - class and out - of - class experiences for both teachers and students . This approach helped us to build connections between different findings and understand the bigger picture . The visual aspect triggered idea generation and enabled every one of us to better understand research insights . Really , Design thinking is a human - centered approach to problem solving that serves as a framework that helps to define problems , empathize with others , develop prototypes of possible solutions , and hone those prototypes through multiple iterations until they have generated a viable solution to the challenge at hand . It focused on getting teachers and students to define some of their biggest challenges , empathizing with them and then work together to figure out solution . I will definitely use this amazing Visualization tool to solve issues in future .