Example Reflection – Brainstorming

Challenge & Selection

Brainstorming was the tool that I and my team used on designing my first entrepreneurship project, which  is to create a small-scale fitness center located in a residential area in East Jakarta. We used this approach  together with our potential employees (ex-mega gym which suspended its operation due to the  pandemic) with the scope to identify the required equipment, location layout, programs, and gym rules  where the customers can comfortably exercise at our location despite of being in the pandemic. We  already collected the data beforehand from our potential customers (residents and members from the  existing fitness centers with a radius of 2 km from the potential locations) on identifying the pain points  that the customers experienced from the competitors and opportunities that we could create as the  solutions to be the best-in-class fitness center in the area.

Application

We started the process by explaining to everyone on the benefits of taking a more customers focused,  ensuring that we make use of all the collected data that we already collected previously and avoid using  our own assumptions in defining our fitness center concept.

During the brainstorming sessions, the 7 team members sat together and wrote down every idea into a  flip chart, divided into a 4 sessions (each session takes ~45 minutes). The topics are varied on each session,  such as: 1) What are the main drivers to make feel comfortable to exercise in the fitness center during the  pandemic? 2) What competitive advantage we can have compared to the existing rivals? 3) What are the  marketing strategy alternatives to grasp the potential customers?

I ensured that everyone must get his/her chance to speak of what’s inside their mind and every idea shall  be documented / written on the board. We also emphasized that there is no such thing as judging or  rejection is allowed on any participant’s idea (remember, all insights are valuable!) and make sure that  we were having an open discussion so that everyone have a good understanding every delivered insights.

The other important thing that I emphasized to the participant is that the brainstorming session is not a  forum where the team will make a decision as the outcome (not the “What Works” or “What Wows” yet!),  but instead it is a forum where the team must capture every possibilities, trends, and uncertainties.  Throughout the forums, as a facilitator, we also managed to group the similar / shared insights, ensuring  that the results can be easily used for the next designing steps.

Insight & Approach

By having the brainstorming session, our team managed to identify so many useful insights could be  retrieved especially since the team members consist of stakeholders from various position (investors,  personal trainers, customers – experienced and newbie). From the outcome, we hopefully can identify  the main problems to be solved in the next design phases– that is, the simplest ones to be facilitated and  who and how to engage the potential costumers.

Another point to be noted is that before the team could conduct a good brainstorming session, we need  to emphasize everyone to be having a data-driven mindset and be hindered from using his/her own  assumption. It must be ensured that every idea in the brainstorming session purely came from the data  collected in the previous phase.

Since I discovered that at this stage the most valuable aspect is to collect the insights or ideas from all  stakeholders with various position, I believe that brainstorming session is definitely the key tool to ensure  we can build a satisfying product for a series of design thinking activities. I will use this method again for  my upcoming entrepreneur project, so grateful to have learnt it!


Example Reflection – Brainstorming Challenge & Selection Brainstorming was the tool that I and my team used on designing my first entrepreneurship project , which is to create a small - scale fitness center located in a residential area in East Jakarta . We used this approach together with our potential employees ( ex - mega gym which suspended its operation due to the pandemic ) with the scope to identify the required equipment , location layout , programs , and gym rules where the customers can comfortably exercise at our location despite of being in the pandemic . We already collected the data beforehand from our potential customers ( residents and members from the existing fitness centers with a radius of 2 km from the potential locations ) on identifying the pain points that the customers experienced from the competitors and opportunities that we could create as the solutions to be the best - in - class fitness center in the area . Application We started the process by explaining to everyone on the benefits of taking a more customers focused , ensuring that we make use of all the collected data that we already collected previously and avoid using our own assumptions in defining our fitness center concept . During the brainstorming sessions , the 7 team members sat together and wrote down every idea into a flip chart , divided into a 4 sessions ( each session takes ~45 minutes ) . The topics are varied on each session , such as : 1 ) What are the main drivers to make feel comfortable to exercise in the fitness center during the pandemic ? 2 ) What competitive advantage we can have compared to the existing rivals ? 3 ) What are the marketing strategy alternatives to grasp the potential customers ? I ensured that everyone must get his / her chance to speak of what ’s inside their mind and every idea shall be documented / written on the board . We also emphasized that there is no such thing as judging or rejection is allowed on any participant ’s idea ( remember , all insights are valuable ! ) and make sure that we were having an open discussion so that everyone have a good understanding every delivered insights . The other important thing that I emphasized to the participant is that the brainstorming session is not a forum where the team will make a decision as the outcome ( not the “ What Works ” or “ What Wows ” yet ! ) , but instead it is a forum where the team must capture every possibilities , trends , and uncertainties . Throughout the forums , as a facilitator , we also managed to group the similar / shared insights , ensuring that the results can be easily used for the next designing steps . Insight & Approach By having the brainstorming session , our team managed to identify so many useful insights could be retrieved especially since the team members consist of stakeholders from various position ( investors , personal trainers , customers – experienced and newbie ) . From the outcome , we hopefully can identify the main problems to be solved in the next design phases – that is , the simplest ones to be facilitated and who and how to engage the potential costumers . Another point to be noted is that before the team could conduct a good brainstorming session , we need to emphasize everyone to be having a data - driven mindset and be hindered from using his / her own assumption . It must be ensured that every idea in the brainstorming session purely came from the data collected in the previous phase . Since I discovered that at this stage the most valuable aspect is to collect the insights or ideas from all stakeholders with various position , I believe that brainstorming session is definitely the key tool to ensure we can build a satisfying product for a series of design thinking activities . I will use this method again for my upcoming entrepreneur project , so grateful to have learnt it !