Design thinking assignment  Reflection - Mind mapping    Speelgoedbank in a COVID-19 world    Challenge  Connecting the surplus of toys in rich families with the need for them in poorer families, the  volunteers of Speelgoedbank bridge the gap by recycling used-and-still-good toys and books.  Children from poor families come once every three months and collect two toys and a book for  free for each child. We call it our  “toy store without a cash-register”. With COVID-19 entering  The Netherlands in March 2020, the regular system of collecting, cleaning, repairing and  handing out toys had to stop as it was too dangerous for the, mostly elderly volunteers, the  parents and the children. Speelgoedbank closed its doors.

When it became clear that the situation would last for longer than a few weeks, I was

challenged to think about alternative ways to provide the kids with the goods, as we did not want  to let them down. However adding to this challenge I felt a strong responsibility for the health  and safety of our volunteers, the children and their parents. As the situation was completely new  and the future very uncertain, experience from the past did not provide any solutions.    Selection  In order to come to a solution, we took a number of actions. First we started to collect data on  COVID-19 hazards and safety issues. Then gathered information from other business areas like  schools, theatres and shops. However the most important tool was the mindmapping session  with our team of volunteers and a small group of customers. We choose this tool for a number  of reasons. The team is diverse and by this creative way we expected to get the most out of  their knowledge and experience coming from a variety of backgrounds. It is a creative process  that ensures everyone to give their input. But most of all it is an engaging tool. And engagement  is what we needed the most in this time of fear and social distancing.    Application  As we were not allowed to meet in person as a group during COVID-19, I set up a digital  meeting in MSteams. In the invitation I described how they could prepare for this digital meeting.  This included: a pencil, a marker, different colors of paper, a computer with internet connection,  a comfortable and quiet place in the home and an open mind. For some participants this was  their first ever digital meeting, so we took plenty of time to make sure they knew how to use the  technology of the video, audio, the chat function and the digital white board.     I introduced the mind-mapping session by stating the purpose of the meeting “gaining insights  on if and how it would be possible to provide the kids with our toys and books safely during  COVID-19”. We did 3 rounds of mind-mapping, each on a separate theme:  safety / logistics /  fun experience . In each round the participants gave their thoughts by writing each idea on a  separate note. Each round had its own color of paper. For writing the ideas I gave them 10  minutes time during which they muted their audio and turned off the camera. After the 10

minutes, I asked the participants to switch on their cameras and audio and show at least 2 of  their notes on camera while reading them out loud. The content of the other notes they wrote in  the chat function of the digital meeting. This way I wrote all the ideas on the digital whiteboard.  After round 3 we digitally turned to the white and together we clustered the ideas so that  matching ideas were grouped. Even the “outsider ideas” got their own spot on the outside area  of the whiteboard.     Insights   From the different clusters we gained several insights, which we translated into design criteria.  One of the insights was that through our broad network we might find a temporary alternative  location. So using our poorly ventilated basement of our shop could be avoided.  Another insight  was that there are many alternatives to having children “shop around” at our location and touch  everything (too risky during the COVID-19 pandemic). We could for example pre-package the  toys. The package should then be suitable for the age and gender of the child.

Before this session the team believed the shopping element was crucial to the experience and  pre-packaged toys are just not fun enough. By asking the “so what-question” of Marketing  Professor Marian More several times, the mind-mapping session gave us a meaningful insight  on this. Comparing it to a birthday or a celebration, if the package suits the child  (age/gender/interest), and it is presented in a fun way (wrapped / fun atmosphere) then it can  even contribute to the fun of receiving. So finding the right look and feel for the packages and  creating a fun environment to collect the package became an important design criterium.      Approach  The mind mapping tool worked very well for us in this completely new and unstable situation. It  equipped our team with meaningful insights and design criteria to progress from the “What is”  phase to the “What if” phase. And just as important; it created engagement and commitment for  the plan and at the same time. Looking back at the experience my only regret is that I hesitated  long before setting up the mind mapping session and had a sleepless night over it. Next time I  will definitely use this design tool again. However I hope this next time will be in less sad  circumstances, and that next time we will all be able to meet in person and all stay in good  health.


Design thinking assignment Reflection - Mind mapping Speelgoedbank in a COVID-19 world Challenge Connecting the surplus of toys in rich families with the need for them in poorer families , the volunteers of Speelgoedbank bridge the gap by recycling used - and - still - good toys and books . Children from poor families come once every three months and collect two toys and a book for free for each child . We call it our “ toy store without a cash - register ” . With COVID-19 entering The Netherlands in March 2020 , the regular system of collecting , cleaning , repairing and handing out toys had to stop as it was too dangerous for the , mostly elderly volunteers , the parents and the children . Speelgoedbank closed its doors . When it became clear that the situation would last for longer than a few weeks , I was challenged to think about alternative ways to provide the kids with the goods , as we did not want to let them down . However adding to this challenge I felt a strong responsibility for the health and safety of our volunteers , the children and their parents . As the situation was completely new and the future very uncertain , experience from the past did not provide any solutions . Selection In order to come to a solution , we took a number of actions . First we started to collect data on COVID-19 hazards and safety issues . Then gathered information from other business areas like schools , theatres and shops . However the most important tool was the mindmapping session with our team of volunteers and a small group of customers . We choose this tool for a number of reasons . The team is diverse and by this creative way we expected to get the most out of their knowledge and experience coming from a variety of backgrounds . It is a creative process that ensures everyone to give their input . But most of all it is an engaging tool . And engagement is what we needed the most in this time of fear and social distancing . Application As we were not allowed to meet in person as a group during COVID-19 , I set up a digital meeting in MSteams . In the invitation I described how they could prepare for this digital meeting . This included : a pencil , a marker , different colors of paper , a computer with internet connection , a comfortable and quiet place in the home and an open mind . For some participants this was their first ever digital meeting , so we took plenty of time to make sure they knew how to use the technology of the video , audio , the chat function and the digital white board . I introduced the mind - mapping session by stating the purpose of the meeting “ gaining insights on if and how it would be possible to provide the kids with our toys and books safely during COVID-19 ” . We did 3 rounds of mind - mapping , each on a separate theme : safety / logistics / fun experience . In each round the participants gave their thoughts by writing each idea on a separate note . Each round had its own color of paper . For writing the ideas I gave them 10 minutes time during which they muted their audio and turned off the camera . After the 10 minutes , I asked the participants to switch on their cameras and audio and show at least 2 of their notes on camera while reading them out loud . The content of the other notes they wrote in the chat function of the digital meeting . This way I wrote all the ideas on the digital whiteboard . After round 3 we digitally turned to the white and together we clustered the ideas so that matching ideas were grouped . Even the “ outsider ideas ” got their own spot on the outside area of the whiteboard . Insights From the different clusters we gained several insights , which we translated into design criteria . One of the insights was that through our broad network we might find a temporary alternative location . So using our poorly ventilated basement of our shop could be avoided . Another insight was that there are many alternatives to having children “ shop around ” at our location and touch everything ( too risky during the COVID-19 pandemic ) . We could for example pre - package the toys . The package should then be suitable for the age and gender of the child . Before this session the team believed the shopping element was crucial to the experience and pre - packaged toys are just not fun enough . By asking the “ so what - question ” of Marketing Professor Marian More several times , the mind - mapping session gave us a meaningful insight on this . Comparing it to a birthday or a celebration , if the package suits the child ( age / gender / interest ) , and it is presented in a fun way ( wrapped / fun atmosphere ) then it can even contribute to the fun of receiving . So finding the right look and feel for the packages and creating a fun environment to collect the package became an important design criterium . Approach The mind mapping tool worked very well for us in this completely new and unstable situation . It equipped our team with meaningful insights and design criteria to progress from the “ What is ” phase to the “ What if ” phase . And just as important ; it created engagement and commitment for the plan and at the same time . Looking back at the experience my only regret is that I hesitated long before setting up the mind mapping session and had a sleepless night over it . Next time I will definitely use this design tool again . However I hope this next time will be in less sad circumstances , and that next time we will all be able to meet in person and all stay in good health .