d.school news

d.school Tailgate BBQ

We are inviting the whole d.school community (you!) to a tailgate BBQ this Saturday.

Come hang out with the d.school community.

Saturday November 7, 11 am on Maloney Field near the corner of El Camino Real and Sam MacDonald Road.

Head off to the game [12:30 pm start] or stay with us into the afternoon.

We'll have BBQ food, drinks, and fun people.  You bring a dessert to share.

Excited to see you all there!

Please RSVP (dschoolrsvp@gmail.com), to let us know how many people (including yourself!) you'll be bringing ... 

You can find Maloney Field next to Stanford Stadium on this map

Redesigning Retirement

Our Bootcamp students wrapped up their second design projects this week, and the results were spectacular.

Twelve teams spent three weeks using the design process to re-invent “the Golden Years” for rebellious Baby Boomers. Students were asked to give particular focus to the empathy phase of the process, and develop a strong user Point of View (POV). 

How do you do that? Partly by getting out into the world, spending time with people to understand their needs, then narrowing down to develop your solution when you’ve found a really rich need. Here’s an example of how that’s done:

This team--Micol Seferin, Lee Redden, Ashutosh Bagaria and Jacob Klein--had been out talking to users all over town. But when they realized they’d only talked to men, Ashutosh set up another interview, with a Stanford librarian who’d he’d met in his first week on campus. Her rediscovered passion for sewing and need to share it was so compelling, that they did what any great design thinking team would do: they narrowed down to focus on designing for her. That meant moving fluidly past the other users they’d talked with rather than getting stuck trying to design a one-sized-fits-all solution for everyone they’d talked with.

Another fundamental aspect of the design process is iteration: the ability to keep re-inventing your solution based on feedback you’re getting from users. That can be tough when the feedback is: “This sucks,” and you need to start over again. But that’s exactly what the Time Capsule for Superheroes team did when their first idea fell flat with users. Team members Juan Valverde, Karen Cheng, Matthieu Rouif and Tanya Flores tossed out their first idea and came up with something new. You can some of their iteration process through the story they told:

A huge congrats goes out to all of the Bootcamp teams for their great work on the Boomer challenge!

Question of the day

Our bootcamp students are deep in prototype-test-iterate cycles for their second design project, and they’re asking a question that’s fairly universal for design-process learners: Do I have to test my prototype with the same users I designed it for?

The short answer is: Heck no!

It’s always best to get as far out of your own experience as possible when you’re looking for users, because outside your comfort zone is where you’ll find the deepest insights. But when it’s crunch time and you’re zooming through prototypes, don’t be constrained because you don’t feel like you have time to go back to users. Sure, your roommate, classmate, or those veteran user-testers otherwise known as d.school staffers can always test a prototype in a pinch, even if they’re not the Baby Boomer you’re designing for. But before you go that route, spend one minute brainstorming a quick way to get to your user group, or a good analogy for your user group. (The analogous testers can sometimes produce the most serendipitous results.) Even if time is so short you think you can only get one user, go get them! A tiny time investment in user-testing can pay massive innovation dividends. 

(Pictured user tester: maureenhanratty)

Applications for Design Thinking Bootcamp are now available!

 

Future innovators, prepare yourselves to become breakthrough thinkers and doers. Cross the boundaries between technology, business, and human values. Use design thinking to work on BIG projects with multidisciplinary teams. Be human-centered, prototype driven, and mindful of process in everything you do. Get a jump on your skills for d.school classes and Labs offered in the Winter and Spring quarters.

Topics include design processes, innovation methodologies, need finding, human factors, visualization, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, storytelling, and project leadership. We are looking for a magic mix of graduate students from across all disciplines and fields at Stanford to experience hands-on projects. Expect in-class exercises, guest lectures, and a Friday lab for design thinking workshops and team time.

Number: ME 377
Teaching Team: George Kembel, David Baggeroer, Jeremy Utley, Thomas Both
Time: Monday, Wednesday 1:15-3:05PM, Lab Friday 1:15-3:05
Location: Building 524, 451 Panama Mall
Enrollment Limit: 2 sections, 24 students per section
Grading: Letter Grade

Application: Available here.

This Fall: Design Thinking Bootcamp for Stanford Grad Students

Future innovators, prepare yourselves to become breakthrough thinkers and doers. Cross the boundaries between technology, business, and human values. Use design thinking to work on BIG projects with multidisciplinary teams. Be human-centered, prototype driven, and mindful of process in everything you do. Get a jump on your skills for d.school classes and Labs offered in the Winter and Spring quarters.

Topics include design processes, innovation methodologies, need finding, human factors, visualization, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, storytelling, and project leadership. We are looking for a magic mix of graduate students from across all disciplines and fields at Stanford to experience hands-on projects. Expect in-class exercises, guest lectures, and a Friday lab for design thinking workshops and team time.

Quarter: Autumn 2008
Class: ME377
Teaching Team: George Kembel, Scott Doorley, David Baggeroer, Corey Ford, Erica Estrada, Joel Sadler, Scott Witthoft
Time: Monday, Wednesday 1:15-3:05PM, Lab Friday 1:15-3:05
Location: Building 524, 451 Panama Mall
Enrollment Limit: 2 sections, 24 students per section
Grading: Letter Grade
Applications: Available on the d.school website September 15, they are due by midnight September 22 (the first day of class). Decisions will be made by September 24. 

Plus, check out some of the other classes we'll be teaching this year in Winter and Spring Quarters...

On the radio!

Fast Company has a nice article this month about a recent exercise in design thinking experienced by the staff of New York's WNYC. 

Executives from WNYC and PRI spent some time hanging out at the d.school learning about design thinking by doing design thinking.  The fruits of their new skills and approach are documented here: 

Startup Radio Show The Takeaway Recreated the Morning Edition

Radio Redesigns

On a Wednesday evening, a small group of design thinkers made history
within the cozy walls of the Product Design Loft.  The innovators were
students from the d.school's Experiences in Innovation and Design
Thinking class (affectionately nicknamed Bootcamp).  Their capstone
project was a joint collaboration with New York Public Radio (WNYC)
and several other radio affiliates to redesign the sound of morning
news radio.  In a few months, WNYC will launch a new radio show that
will redefine the face of news radio, and their secret weapon is
design thinking.
     The final presentations were a particularly memorable collection
of skits, videos, and reenactments that demonstrated the hidden needs
of people that have not yet been reached by public radio.  The
resulting ideas for news radio were bold yet actionable, and the radio
executives that gathered in the Loft--including the presidents of WNYC
and Public Radio International--gave the teams a standing ovation for
their ideas and their enthusiasm.  In the next few months, WNYC will
weave these new ideas into their plans for the show, and when it
launches in the spring, you may turn on the radio and hear morning
news in a way you've never before experienced.  When you do, remember
that it all started here.

Innovation "boot camp" class next quarter

Experiences in Innovation and Design Thinking

Immersive experiences in innovation and design thinking, blurring the boundaries between technology, business, and human values.  Explore the tenants of design thinking including being human-centered, prototype driven, and mindful of process in everything you do.

Topics include design processes, innovation methodologies, need finding, human factors, rapid prototyping, team dynamics, storytelling, and project management.  Hands-on projects, in-class exercises, and guest lectures.  Rich in frameworks and methods that support breakthrough thinking.  Students and faculty collaborating from all areas of the university including business, earth sciences, education, engineering, humanities and sciences, law, and medicine.  Preparation for leading real world innovation and for advanced d.school courses. 

what you need to know: Limited enrollment.  Application required.  Deadline and details below.

Students last year said:

• "I learned more about innovation in a week at the d.school, than I did in a year in my other classes"
• "You think you are coming to a take a class, but you leave with a higher self-awareness and a commitment to personal growth"
• "This space has a change-the-world energy.  It makes me want to think out loud"

Details:

Number: ME 377
Title: Experiences in Innovation and Design Thinking
Days: MW 1:15-3:05
Room: Sweet Hall, 2nd floor
Instructors:

• Alex Kazaks 
• Alex Ko
• David Kelley
• George Kembel
• Scott Doorley

And many interesting guests!
Units: 3
Grading: Satisfactory/No Credit

Application details:

If you are a Stanford graduate student with an interest in changing the world, please apply to be a part of our class and community.  To apply, please email the following to  dschoolbootcamp2007@lists.stanford.edu:

• Your coordinates: Include Name, Email, Phone, Degree Program, and Year in Program
• Three reasons you why you want to take this class and what you hope to contribute (less than 200 words)
• An 8 1/2 x 11 page in a standard digital format (Word, pdf, jpg, etc.) of any content to help introduce yourself
• Your resume

APPLICATIONS DUE NO LATER THAN THE END OF THE FIRST CLASS SESSION (3:05pm January 10th, 2007)
Email applications to dschoolbootcamp2007@lists.stanford.edu   
Class list will be announced by midnight after the first class

Early applications will be given preference

d.school teams tackle Bike Safety

The Stanford Daily reports on Experiences in Design Thinking student teams applying newly sharpened design thinking skills to the issue of bicycle safety on campus.