Influencers Map
Article written by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign
Looking for ways to maintain reach with your community can be a challenge. When starting up a new endeavor you choose the most obvious paths such as popular blogs or specific stores to get in front of that community. However, after that first push it can be hard to reach that next round of people or re-engage your early adopters.
When I run across this challenge for TYTHEdesign or for any of my clients, we use a ‘design thinking’ activity called the Influencers Map, to identify all of the external elements (people, places, things, press…) that influence our community. If you can identify their behaviors, such as reading mommy blogs or watching specific TV shows, you will be able to identify new opportunities of outreach.
So how to create an influencers map?
- Using post-it notes, a wall or a whiteboard, identify as many of the external influences of your community as you can.
- Identify what your community READS (note… if they are teenagers don’t be presumptuous to think they read the newspaper… be realistic).
- Identify popular TV program or stations that your community WATCHES
- Identify what and who your community LISTENS to (friends, family, co-workers religious leaders, politicians, musicians… Be honest, not all products will engage each of these external influencers)
- Identify where your group is most EXPOSED to ADVERTISING (if you community is an on-line community think of popular sites or think of your community mode of transportation)
- Once you have as many post-its as you see fit in each category above, on a large paper or whiteboard, draw one large circle filling two-thirds of the page, then draw another circle inside about half the size and lastly place your user in the center.
- Then take your post-its and place each ‘influencer’ in the first ring if they have large impact or in the second if they have passive impact. For example, someone your community speaks to regularly will have more impact that a poster on a bus.
- Once all post-its have been placed on the map, you should be able to identify new possible opportunities, within the first circle, to reach your community. For example, if friends and blogs are the most important influencers – then perhaps your next campaign will be focus at blogs and give discount to friends who recommend another.
One thing to remember is that before you can reach your community you must know your community. If you can’t answer the question of what they read, watch, listen to or are exposed to then you need to do more research (both in person through interview/observation and on paper) about your community. Also, make sure you are identifying mediums that match your products or message as well. Just because your community read the newspaper doesn’t mean it’s the right avenue if you have an on-line product, for example.
To learn more about how to use this tool or have any questions about how to adapt it to your user or challenge please contact me.
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. TYTHEdesign uses design-based approaches to support the goals and needs of agencies in the social sector, drawing on communication and organizational design to increase the impact of their work. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help
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How To Get The Most Out of a Brainstorming Session
Article written by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign
In early January I was invited to teach an interactive design thinking workshop for ‘The Center for Leadership Innovation‘ (TCLI) 2012 National Summit in New Orleans. TCLI is an organization that serves communities through leadership training. During the event, I learned a lot about the frustrations a lot of executives share when leading their team through these kinds of exercises so I came up with sometips I that can help everyone looking for a productive brainstorming session. Here they are:
1. Pick a person to be the facilitator. This person will lead the group through the activity. Remember that the role of the facilitator is to keep the ideas flowing, not stir the conversation. The facilitator doesn’t have to be the project lead; it could be a team member, which is a great way to empower your team.
2. Before starting, briefly introduce the challenge you are working on. Providing handouts with the needs and the overall goal for the session. If possible, post the handout so everyone can see it. This way the team will stay focused.
3. If it’s a large group, divide them up into smaller sub groups. This gives everyone the opportunity to be heard and it might allow for more ideas to be building simultaneously.
4. Start the activity by asking your team to take a few minutes and write down their first ideas before starting as a group. This makes sure that everyone gets heard right away.
5. Set ground rules with your team. Ask everyone to defer judgments; there are no bad ideas at this point. There will be plenty of time to narrow ideas down later. As a facilitator if you notice a team discussing the ideas or talking through the details, encourage them to put the idea out there and move on.
6. Ask that there be only one conversation at a time. This allows each participant to be heard. As a facilitator, if you notice one person putting out most of the ideas, ask them to allow others space to share.
7. This should be fun, make sure to encourage wild ideas. Even if an idea doesn’t seem realistic, it may spark a great idea for someone else.
8. Draw your ideas; don’t just have them write them down. Sometimes stick figures and simple sketches can say more than words.
8.Be realistic. Your team can only come up with ideas for a short amount of time. Limit the whole process to 10-20minutes. This keeps your team engaged and will end on a high note.
Also check out how to create an empathy map and how to ask the right questions, other tips I’ve shared with What Women Make readers.
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. TYTHEdesign uses design-based approaches to support the goals and needs of agencies in the social sector, drawing on communication and organizational design to increase the impact of their work. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.
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A Gift Guide for Your Intellect
Design Thinking Book Guide
by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign
As the holidays are fast approaching, I thought I would have a bit of fun and put together a ‘design thinking’ book list. These could be a great options to buy for your team members, your boss (maybe as a way to kindly suggest some changes) or even as a list for yourself. I thought these books could be inspiring, make beautiful coffee table books or even just a good read.
Without further ado, the ‘design thinking’ book guide (presented in no specific order):
1.
CAD Monkeys, Dinosaur Babies, and T-Shaped People: Inside the World of Design Thinking and How It Can Spark Creativity and Innovation by Warren Berger ($12)
This is a great book to introduce yourself to the concept of design thinking and the concept of social design. Berger argues that design isn’t just about the aesthetics but about changing the world. I believe the book was written as an introduction to the value of design to the non-design community. That being said, as a designer myself, I very much I enjoyed the read. An easy read with a lot of real-world examples and good practices.
2.
Gamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo($19)
The book is chock-full of copious brainstorming activities and methods for overcoming that group creative block that can sometimes plague idea generation meetings. In addition to covering many of the techniques we use at TYTHEdesign, this book offers almost 100 methods for drawing out creativity, increasing meeting productivity, and inspiring engagement and cooperation among groups. A worthy book for anyone looking to get new ideas out of your team while bringing the team together.
3.
Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder ($20)
This is a must have for any one thinking of starting a business, it will help identify the basics of your business model in tangible steps. We at TYTHEdesign use techniques from this book on a daily basis and share them with our community. It’s remarkably useful, helpful and easy to follow. We would recommend this for creative thinkers planning on going out on their own in the business world.
4.
Visual Meetings: How Graphics, Sticky Notes and Idea Mapping Can Transform Group Productivity by David Sibbet ($20)
If you have ever reached for a pen to explain your idea, then you will love this book. It’s not about drawing but how to use visuals (text, simple drawn images, photographs…..) as a part of engaging your team, explaining an idea to a client, analyzing and innovating. Even though we at TYTHEdesign come from a design background, we love using this book to keep us inspired. The book has a ton of useful information that can be easily implemented. We recommend this to anyone looking to add some fun to your regular meetings.
5.
Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation By Tim Brown ($19)
As the CEO of famed design consultancy IDEO, TIm Brown makes the argument for the relevance of design thinking in all global business. He believes that for a company to survive in this era, design thinking is a must. The book dives head first into practical design thinking providing a blueprint for its use across all categories.
Good luck with your holiday shopping and see you all in the new year!
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. TYTHEdesign uses design-based approaches to support the goals and needs of agencies in the social sector, drawing on communication and organizational design to increase the impact of their work. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.
Asking the right questions
Article written by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign
No matter what the project or challenge, understanding the needs of your users is one of the most essential parts of the design thinking process. Finding out what those needs means connecting with the community and learning through surveys, interviews and observation.
Here are a few tips on how to ask useful questions to learn more about your users needs:
1. Overcoming challenges of honesty, the right method. Ask your interviewees if they’d prefer to have a conversation with you or use a questionnaire. In my experience, if you are asking personal or private questions, people tend to feel more comfortable with a questionnaire.
2.Prepare your questions beforehand. It is important to ask everyone the same initial questions before asking more individualized questions. If each conversation is very different, it will be hard to do any reliable comparison.
3. Asking useful questions without being leading can sometimes be a challenge. If you have assumptions around your users needs and wants, put those down in a list and ask someone to rank them in importance. Following the ranking, ask them to explain why they chose the most important one and the least important one.
4. Use language in your questions that help your users feel important. They are the experts so let them know that their voice matters. People tend to speak more freely and honestly about their point of view when they are shown that they are valued.
5. Don’t ask someone ‘why’ or ‘please explain further’. These statements are impersonal. Find a way to ask ‘why’ with full sentences.
6. If your are interviewing someone, practice your questions. If you’re comfortable with what you’re going to say, your interaction with your interviewee will be that much better.
7. Provide an opportunity for people to tell a story around their needs, feelings or experience. Stories can help you understand the context and offer deeper insight into why their needs are important.
Figuring out what how to ask the right questions might take a few tries to resonate with your community. Hopefully these tips will help you on your way.
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. TYTHEdesign uses design-based approaches to support the goals and needs of agencies in the social sector, drawing on communication and organizational design to increase the impact of their work. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.
Design Thinking Through Empathy
Last month, I introduced my monthly What Women Make column dedicated to design thinking tools that entrepreneurs can use to solve business challenges.
The most important element that sets design thinking apart from other methods of problem solving is the fact that it’s a user-centered process. A traditional top-down process, on the other hand, involves presenting a design brief describing the problem, devising a solution and then testing that solution with a focus group. User-centered design is great because it engages the end user of your business throughout the entire process.
Here’s a tool that will help you do that. It’s called a “User Empathy Maps”. Empathy mapping exposes user needs, offers community insights and reveals opportunities to reach out and connect with your end users which will help make sure you’re creating a meaningful solution.
So how do I use an empathy map?
The goal of this map is to identify the true needs of your user and to eliminate your assumptions so it’s best to do the exercise before engaging your user in order to pinpoint what you don’t know, and what you need to know and again after to see the difference between your assumptions and what you’ve learned.
- On a large paper or whiteboard, create 6 equal sections and place your user in the center.
- Populate the map by taking notes of the following six traits of your users. I would suggest using post-it notes or writing on the piece of paper/whiteboard.
- SAY/DO: Who they are in their world? What are their attitudes and actions in public? Appearance? Behavior? Where do they spend their time? What are some quotes and defining words your user said (based on interview or research)?
- THINK/FEEL: What might your user be thinking? What about their beliefs? Whose opinions influence them? What emotions might your subject be feeling? What really counts? What feelings and beliefs guide their behavior?
- HEAR: Whose options influence them? Who are their friends? What beliefs are they hearings?
- SEE: What is surrounding the users? Environmental factors? What is on the market? Friends’ behavior? Context for challenge?
- PAIN: What are the fears and frustrations of the user? What influences their behavior based on the challenge?
- WANTS/NEEDS: What are the elements the user wants changed? What are their aspirations?
- Take a step back to examine the needs of your users. Pay attention for a couple important factors.
- What is a ‘fact’ versus an assumption. If you don’t know something is true but think that is how your user behaves or thinks then put a question mark. This will identify what you need to confirm before moving ahead.
- Watch for solution posting as needs…. Either remove the post and save for later or reframe by asking ‘why do we need (solution)?”
New creative solutions to challenges are more effective when you eliminate assumptions about the needs, wants, and behaviors of the person who is going to ultimately use your product or service.
To learn more about how to use this tool or have any questions about how to adapt it to your user or challenge please contact me.
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. TYTHEdesign uses design-based approaches to support the goals and needs of agencies in the social sector, drawing on communication and organizational design to increase the impact of their work. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.
Introducing Our New Design Thinking Contributor, Kristina Drury of TYTHEDesign
I’d like to welcome Kristina Drury who will be talking to you on the 2nd Wednesday of every month about design thinking. She will introduce you to design thinking in her next post and from there on out, help you to solve challenges in your business and creativity using this methodology. We thought WWM could use an infusion of how-to about the topic of design research – which endlessly fascinates me – so I invited Kristina to help out. Luckily, she was happy to oblige so without further ado…
- Chauncey
Article written by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign
Lately, the term ‘design thinking’ has become quite a catch phrase. You hear about companies using it to tackle challenges, meet the needs of customers, even re-brand whole countries. Through my posts on whatwomenmake.com, I’m going to show you design thinking techniques that can be put to use to by designers and non-designers alike to aid in any organization or project. I’d like to be resource for those of us in the female entrepreneur community.
A bit about me…. I am a passionate social and environmental designer. I began TYTHEdesign in 2010 after working in the social sector where I observed organizations struggling with challenges that sprung from unsuitable structures and/or inefficient communication strategies. After working with these groups, I saw that they benefited from a design-based approach. I felt it was important to use my skills to make a positive impact for the greater good. Working with non-profits and social ventures, we support their communication and organizational needs.
spatial organization and the design at the service window of a mobile soup kitchen (RV) in Brooklyn
Over the past year we have been fortunate enough to work with some great organizations including TEDxBrooklyn, Cleargreeen Advisors, SSBx (Sustainable South Bronx), and Crop to Cup. We’ve also designed organizational efficiency systems for a mobile soup kitchen, developed a life skills training program for women in a family shelter, and now we’re developing an after school program teaching life skills through entrepreneurship in the South Bronx. Here are some more of our recent case studies so you can see all the details.
Prior to that, I was the New York Chapter Head for Project H Design, a charitable organization focusing on product design for social change. I was one of the lead designers of one of their programs called Learning Landscape. It was an educational, active learning playground, built in locations from Tanzania to Mexico. It was featured at Cooper Hewitt’s 2010 National Design Triennial. I worked also as the Assistant Director at the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, in the consulting wing of an organization that looks to support and grow social/environmental enterprises. We worked with with clients like UNESCO, WestElm and Starbucks and a series of small non-profits and entrepreneurs.
Look for my first tips on the second Wednesday of every month!
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KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from McGill University and a Master’s in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.
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