Empathize and Define assignment submission for the Design Thinking Action Lab course from Stanford University

1. Design Thinking Action Lab
Assignment > Empathize and Define
A. La Fond
August 5, 2013

2. About internships
I started half-way through college getting internships, some full-
time and some part-time. This is my 7th internship.
Every time I worked at a new place I felt a littler more
comfortable. I got used to how people would interact at work. I
got used to how more senior people acted.
I would like to have been a little more careful about where I
interned, and made more informed decisions.
You might think, “I have an internship, I don’t care what I do,”
Internships shouldn’t be a commitment, but you get in a certain
track and it’s hard to break out of it.
I applied for an internship but was turned down. I was told I must
be interested in PR because I had had a couple of PR
internships.
There were a couple of internships that molded me, when people
took me under their wing
About projects
In school, I made several websites. I did all of the aesthetics for
them. I would just do something and that was it. Now a designer
might hand me something and I think, where the hell did that
come from?
We did tem projects in school and there was some back and
forth, but everyone working on a project is playing the same
role.
I felt unprepared for the creative stress. That is, having other
people's opinions to deal with.
You have to trust that people are at least as good as you,
probably better. They’ve spent hours coming up with something.
I learned to ask why, to understand why someone wants to do it
a certain way. I had no experience in doing that from school.
The work flow is not always as logical as it was in school.
Sometimes I have to make a web site that doesn’t have a design
yet.
I’m still in transition, still living at home. I’m looking forward to
living by myself, to independence.
The scale of projects is different. At work every project take a
long time. In college, projects were much shorter. Spending 8
hours working on the same thing is new.
STAKEHOLDER: Ben is a recent college graduate, in his early 20s, living in the
US, and entering a knowledge-based profession such as design or programming
SAY

3. SAY
About routines
The hours are wildly different. Schools is on-off. Work is all day,
consistently sitting at a desk.
I had to get used to the schedule, an eight hour day at one desk
Now I get up early, even on weekends.
Getting home at 7:00 pm exactly everyday is strange.
I used to take weekend classes, and have Sunday and Monday
off.
About support
That first summer I was not at home and surrounded by family, I
talked with my friends a lot about what I was struggling with and
how friends are dealing with the same kind of situation
I have four very successful sisters. I saw the paths they tool. I
realized sooner than others in my class where I wanted to do.
One of my sisters was very helpful.
About evaluations
The review process is different at work. In school, I submit my
paper, now let me know my grade. Here, I have to talk to
different people to figure out if we’re done.
There are safety nets in school. You can talk your teacher into a
re-do. At a job there is no safety net. It's a more serious form of
"fail.”
About finding direction
I changed majors twice.
I wanted to be in sports. I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I had
a sports management internship with our basketball team. I
found out that sports is something I like, but it’s not what I want
to do.
In college they don’t really tell you what you can do, what
people in different jobs do.
The most help thing is watching what other people do.
There is no equivalent to guidance counselors at work. I could
talk to Bob [the department head], but it's not his job to hold my
hand.
Ben is a recent college graduate, in his early 20s, living in the US, and
entering a knowledge profession such as design or programming

4. Uses internships to learn about different jobs, not just
the job he’s doing
Takes an internship to show himself, his parents, and
maybe his peers that he’s preparing for a career
Work or tasks that are assigned to him (versus projects
of his own)
Watches and listens
Learns professional social norms
Learns how to collaborate with other professionals
Changes his daily schedule and forms new routines
Eventually stops relying on parents for basic needs
On-the-job experience is the most valuable
Any internship is better than none
As an intern, I shouldn’t impose on people at work
People will tell me what to do
Choosing the wrong job is failure
I can’t fail
My career is a big part of my personal success
Need to conform and please bosses (to get
recommendations for future jobs)
Reluctant to speak up or ask for help
Fearful of appearing to fail
Isolated, if not close or connected to friends
Tired
Uncomfortable from long periods sitting
Disoriented -- like being in a foreign country – different
language, different culture, different schedule
DO
THINK
FEEL
Ben is a recent college graduate, in his early 20s, living in the US, and
entering a knowledge profession such as design or programming

5. INSIGHTS
You don’t choose a career, you find it.
Finding a career can involve wrong turns and dead ends that are seen
as failures.
Early jobs aren’t as valuable as dedicated mentors.
Social and political skills are as important to career success as
technical or intellectual skills, but are seldom taught.
Starting a career often means losing control over and credit for your
work, which seems like a step backward.
Loss aversion and peer comparisons steer people to “safe” careers.
Experience is equated with passion, which isn’t always the case.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Ben, a recent college graduate in his early 20s, starting a
career as a knowledge professional,
needs a way to freely try many different kinds of work,
because a fulfilling career is found rather than chosen.
Ben is a recent college graduate, in his early 20s, living in the US, and
entering a knowledge profession such as design or programming