DESIGN​ ​THINKING  LEARNING​ ​LAUNCHES

By​ Uwe Wegener

Challenge​ ​&​ ​Selection

Few​ ​months​ ​before,​ ​when​ ​I​ ​got​ ​accepted​ ​to​ ​the​ ​internship​ ​programme,​ ​to​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​hub​ ​in

my​ ​city​ http://hodge-ramsey.com/tagmain.html ​that​ ​was​ ​my​ ​first​ ​experience​ ​as​ ​a​ ​university​ ​student​ ​to​ ​come​ ​to

understand​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​collaboration,co-creating​ ​and​ ​design​ ​and​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit

of​ ​entrepreneurship.From​ ​the​ ​program,​ ​with​ ​other​ ​students,​ ​we​ ​were​ ​grouped​ ​into​ ​teams

of​ ​4-5​ ​people,to​ ​start​ ​coming​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​solutions​ ​from​ ​the​ ​problems​ ​which​ ​we​ ​identified

before​ ​from​ ​the​ ​“brainstorming”​ ​session.

Me​ ​and​ ​the​ ​team,we​ ​thought​ ​the​ ​“problem”​ ​which​ ​we​ ​were​ ​facing​ ​as​ ​a​ ​community​ ​back

then,​ ​was​ ​the​ ​“lack​ ​of​ ​curated​ ​information,about​ ​what​ ​is​ ​going​ ​on,to​ ​the​ ​places​ ​which

people​ ​are​ ​mostly​ ​interested”.We​ ​thought​ ​if​ ​we​ ​can​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​single​ ​mobile​ ​app

(android)​ ​which​ ​can​ ​help​ ​the​ ​customers​ ​to​ ​get​ ​all​ ​the​ ​information​ ​of​ ​ ​their​ ​interested​ ​places

(​ ​i.e​ ​restaurants,​ ​clubs,bars,church,mosque​ ​etc)​ ​that​ ​would​ ​be​ ​a​ ​great​ ​solution.We​ ​choose

to​ ​so​ ​the​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”,​ ​to​ ​get​ ​the​ ​insights​ ​and​ ​feedbacks​ ​from​ ​the​ ​people​ ​first.

Application

After​ ​we​ ​brainstorm​ ​our​ ​idea,​ ​we​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​name​ ​of​ ​the​ ​app​ ​to​ ​be​ ​called

“Fuata”....The​ ​Swahili​ ​name​ ​meaning,​ ​“Follow”​ ​the​ ​places​ ​you’re​ ​interested,​ ​to​ ​get​ ​all​ ​the

important​ ​updates​ ​about​ ​them.After​ ​the​ ​product​ ​name​ ​was​ ​formed,we​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​go

out,and​ ​talk​ ​to​ ​people​ ​to​ ​see​ ​if​ ​what​ ​we​ ​were​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​solve​ ​was​ ​really​ ​important​ ​for​ ​them!?

We​ ​went​ ​out​ ​four​ ​times​ ​talking​ ​to​ ​as​ ​many​ ​people​ ​as​ ​possible​ ​and​ ​through​ ​all​ ​that

experience,​ ​we​ ​came​ ​together​ ​to​ ​co-create​ ​and​ ​reshape​ ​our​ ​idea​ ​again​ ​and​ ​again​ ​from​ ​the

feedbacks​ ​we​ ​get​ ​from​ ​people.These​ ​iterations​ ​helps​ ​to​ ​specify​ ​the​ ​need​ ​of​ ​the​ ​people,so

as​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​their​ ​needy.

Insight​ ​&​ ​Approach

After​ ​4​ ​months​ ​of​ ​different​ ​activities​ ​(from​ ​ideation,brainstorming,design​ ​mockups,

prototypes,​ ​customer​ ​development​ ​etc)​ ​we​ ​came​ ​to​ ​realize​ ​the​ ​solution​ ​we​ ​proposed​ ​was

not​ ​solving​ ​the​ ​actually​ ​problem,in​ ​fact​ ​we​ ​were​ ​creating​ ​one.

The​ ​lesson​ ​we​ ​got​ ​from​ ​that​ ​experience,teaches​ ​us​ ​the​ ​importance​ ​of​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”,

especially​ ​if​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​build​ ​a​ ​product​ ​that​ ​your​ ​customer​ ​could​ ​use.It’s​ ​so​ ​important​ ​to

do​ ​the​ ​“Customer​ ​Development”​ ​thing,​ ​by​ ​going​ ​out​ ​talk​ ​to​ ​as​ ​many​ ​people​ ​as​ ​you​ ​can​ ​to

test​ ​your​ ​idea​ ​into​ ​the​ ​real​ ​market​ ​to​ ​see​ ​if​ ​it’s​ ​need​ ​and​ ​can​ ​actually​ ​solve​ ​people’s

problems.

Next​ ​time,for​ ​any​ ​work​ ​which​ ​the​ ​end​ ​use/customer​ ​is​ ​the​ ​beneficiary,it’s​ ​so​ ​important​ ​to

do​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”​ ​in​ ​the​ ​early​ ​stage​ ​of​ ​the​ ​development​ ​process,​ ​since​ ​it​ ​will​ ​help​ ​you

and​ ​save​ ​you​ ​from​ ​any​ ​sort​ ​of​ ​misery.I​ ​believe​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”​ ​will​ ​help​ ​a

person​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​to​ ​“fail​ ​fast,​ ​fail​ ​cheap,​ ​fail​ ​reasonably”.


DESIGN​ ​THINKING LEARNING​ ​LAUNCHES By​ Uwe Wegener Challenge​ ​&​ ​Selection Few​ ​months​ ​before,​ ​when​ ​I​ ​got​ ​accepted​ ​to​ ​the​ ​internship​ ​programme,​ ​to​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​hub​ ​in my​ ​city​ http://hodge-ramsey.com/tagmain.html ​that​ ​was​ ​my​ ​first​ ​experience​ ​as​ ​a​ ​university​ ​student​ ​to​ ​come​ ​to understand​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​collaboration , co - creating​ ​and​ ​design​ ​and​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit of​ ​entrepreneurship . From​ ​the​ ​program,​ ​with​ ​other​ ​students,​ ​we​ ​were​ ​grouped​ ​into​ ​teams of​ ​4 - 5​ ​people , to​ ​start​ ​coming​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​solutions​ ​from​ ​the​ ​problems​ ​which​ ​we​ ​identified before​ ​from​ ​the​ ​“brainstorming”​ ​session . Me​ ​and​ ​the​ ​team , we​ ​thought​ ​the​ ​“problem”​ ​which​ ​we​ ​were​ ​facing​ ​as​ ​a​ ​community​ ​back then,​ ​was​ ​the​ ​“lack​ ​of​ ​curated​ ​information , about​ ​what​ ​is​ ​going​ ​on , to​ ​the​ ​places​ ​which people​ ​are​ ​mostly​ ​interested” . We​ ​thought​ ​if​ ​we​ ​can​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​single​ ​mobile​ ​app ( android)​ ​which​ ​can​ ​help​ ​the​ ​customers​ ​to​ ​get​ ​all​ ​the​ ​information​ ​of​ ​ ​their​ ​interested​ ​places ( ​ ​i.e​ ​restaurants,​ ​clubs , bars , church , mosque​ ​etc)​ ​that​ ​would​ ​be​ ​a​ ​great​ ​solution . We​ ​choose to​ ​so​ ​the​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”,​ ​to​ ​get​ ​the​ ​insights​ ​and​ ​feedbacks​ ​from​ ​the​ ​people​ ​first . Application After​ ​we​ ​brainstorm​ ​our​ ​idea,​ ​we​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​name​ ​of​ ​the​ ​app​ ​to​ ​be​ ​called “ Fuata” .... The​ ​Swahili​ ​name​ ​meaning,​ ​“Follow”​ ​the​ ​places​ ​you’re​ ​interested,​ ​to​ ​get​ ​all​ ​the important​ ​updates​ ​about​ ​them . After​ ​the​ ​product​ ​name​ ​was​ ​formed , we​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​go out , and​ ​talk​ ​to​ ​people​ ​to​ ​see​ ​if​ ​what​ ​we​ ​were​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​solve​ ​was​ ​really​ ​important​ ​for​ ​them ! ? We​ ​went​ ​out​ ​four​ ​times​ ​talking​ ​to​ ​as​ ​many​ ​people​ ​as​ ​possible​ ​and​ ​through​ ​all​ ​that experience,​ ​we​ ​came​ ​together​ ​to​ ​co - create​ ​and​ ​reshape​ ​our​ ​idea​ ​again​ ​and​ ​again​ ​from​ ​the feedbacks​ ​we​ ​get​ ​from​ ​people . These​ ​iterations​ ​helps​ ​to​ ​specify​ ​the​ ​need​ ​of​ ​the​ ​people , so as​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​their​ ​needy . Insight​ ​&​ ​Approach After​ ​4​ ​months​ ​of​ ​different​ ​activities​ ​(from​ ​ideation , brainstorming , design​ ​mockups , prototypes,​ ​customer​ ​development​ ​etc)​ ​we​ ​came​ ​to​ ​realize​ ​the​ ​solution​ ​we​ ​proposed​ ​was not​ ​solving​ ​the​ ​actually​ ​problem , in​ ​fact​ ​we​ ​were​ ​creating​ ​one . The​ ​lesson​ ​we​ ​got​ ​from​ ​that​ ​experience , teaches​ ​us​ ​the​ ​importance​ ​of​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches ” , especially​ ​if​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​build​ ​a​ ​product​ ​that​ ​your​ ​customer​ ​could​ ​use . It’s​ ​so​ ​important​ ​to do​ ​the​ ​“Customer​ ​Development”​ ​thing,​ ​by​ ​going​ ​out​ ​talk​ ​to​ ​as​ ​many​ ​people​ ​as​ ​you​ ​can​ ​to test​ ​your​ ​idea​ ​into​ ​the​ ​real​ ​market​ ​to​ ​see​ ​if​ ​it’s​ ​need​ ​and​ ​can​ ​actually​ ​solve​ ​people ’s problems . Next​ ​time , for​ ​any​ ​work​ ​which​ ​the​ ​end​ ​use / customer​ ​is​ ​the​ ​beneficiary , it’s​ ​so​ ​important​ ​to do​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”​ ​in​ ​the​ ​early​ ​stage​ ​of​ ​the​ ​development​ ​process,​ ​since​ ​it​ ​will​ ​help​ ​you and​ ​save​ ​you​ ​from​ ​any​ ​sort​ ​of​ ​misery . I​ ​believe​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​“Learning​ ​Launches”​ ​will​ ​help​ ​a person​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​to​ ​“fail​ ​fast,​ ​fail​ ​cheap,​ ​fail​ ​reasonably ” .