Ideation and Development Processes
of
Choosing the Prototype Idea:
Documentation of Standard Protocol for
Playground Meetings
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
1
Activity #3

Designing the Ideation Process
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
2
Approach Steps
Brainstorming Image visualization technique: Show random pictures in playground meeting and draw connections to
potential problems (ex. Picture of a car can connect to road safety for children)
Director/employee suggestions from personal experiences
Fieldwork: Observe children in classrooms, playgrounds, and parks
Identify key causes of the problems
Focus group and/or expert
interviews
Define focus group and find members (ex. Parents, teachers, children, child psychologists)
Conduct focus group with a facilitator for discussion on problems/struggles for parents and children
Share and consolidate findings among directors
Mind-mapping Organize and cluster ideas to provide more structure
Present how ideas connect or differ in a visual manner
Market research Observe buying behavior in toy stores or sections
Identify currently existing problem-solving products
The next product of Mobius Toy, Inc. aims to solve existing problems for parents and
children. The following process describes how existing problems will be identified.

Development Process
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
3
Objectives Questions for consideration
1. Level of innovation How different is the product compared to existing products in the marketplace?
2. Target market What is the size of the target market for a given prototype?
3. Estimated cost What is the estimated cost of production and marketing?
4. Educational value and level of parent
interest
What does this toy teach children? Will parents be interested in buying it?
5. Level of fun and interaction How entertaining is the toy? Does it require interaction with another person?
6. Eco-friendliness Can the toy be made of eco-friendly and sustainably harvested materials? How
big is the estimated carbon footprint of its production?
Directors will develop prototype ideas to address the chosen problem and vote on the
prototype ideas in playground meetings. Votes will assign a value of 1 to 5 for each of
the following objectives, with 1 as the worst rank and 5 as the best. The idea with the
highest score will be chosen.

Flow Chart of Ideation and
Development Process
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
4
Un-met problem
identification
• Brainstorming: image
visualization
technique, Director/emplo
yee suggestions, fieldwork
• Focus group/expert
interviews with
parents/teachers/children
psychologists (dir. Claudia)
Identified problems
communicated to Claudia,
who will keep a log and
schedule playground
meetings for directors and
employees with specific
expertise
1st playground meeting: problem presentation
Presentations by Claudia (for problems identified through focus group)
and directors/employees that have identified potential problems.
Vote on problem to be addressed.
2nd playground meeting
• Market research presentation
(Jean-Luc)
• Children psychologist
(identification of key causes of
the problem)
3rd playground meeting
Presentations of prototype. Each
director/employee presents a
couple of ideas. No Judgment
zone
4th playground meeting
Ideas brainstorming to refine the
initial concept.
No judgment zone
5th playground meeting: Prototypes ideas ranking
Ideas evaluated (from all directors and employees involved in the
process) from 1 to 5 (5 highest score) on the following objectives
1.Level of innovation
2.Target market size
3.Estimated Cost (production+ marketing)
4.Education value and level of parent interest
5.Level of fun and interaction
6.Eco-friendliness
6th playground meeting: Prototype presentation
Stefano in collaboration with idea champion and eco-material
consultant will build a prototype.
Playground members will evaluate prototype and give feedback for
improvement.
Elizabeth (operation director: selection of companies where to
outsource the production)
and Jean-Luc (marketing) will direct the product launch in the
marketplace

Problem Identification
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano Angeli,
Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
5
Potential problems identified in ideation process:
Directors voted to address the problem of teaching children to respect and protect
the environment.
Children do not know how to
manage technology and/or find
other ways of entertainment
besides technology
Children must be taught the
importance of respecting and
protecting the environment
Children often do not know how
to stand up for themselves and
how to address bullying
Children sometimes struggle
with physical coordination
Children should be educated to
accept diversity (cultural and
religious)
Children need to learn
orientation skills and how to take
care of themselves
Children may have difficulties
communicating their feelings
clearly
Parents have difficulties
communicating violent/traumatic
events happening (ex. Loss of
loved ones or tragic events like
Newtown shooting)
Parents want their children to
learn different languages
Parents want to teach their
children anger management and
patience
Parents want to teach their
children the importance of eating
healthy and leading a healthy
lifestyle.
Parents want to teach their
children math and quantification
skills

Ideation
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
6
Idea Description Champion
1. Card
Game
Each pack comes with 8 collectible cards containing a picture/diagram/icon related with environmental issues. It is played by
two children who have to guess the image on the card by making yes/no questions. The one who guesses first wins. Stefano
2. Strategic
Board Game
This board game requires at least two players, who will take on different roles: environmentalist, corporate representative,
and scientist (researcher). Each player has certain responsibilities and abilities designated by the rules. The team of players
will work together to try to prevent rapid deforestation that is occurring in different parts of the world. Players will draw cards
allowing players to take action or detailing good or bad events. For example, cards could say that trees are being cut down
in one region (bad event), or that the environmentalist (for example) can travel to one area to plant seeds (good event), etc.
The players lose if the deforestation reaches a certain level in each region, and they win if they're able to plant enough trees
and the forests recover to a designated level for each region.
Elizabeth
3. Carbon
Footprint
board game
The goal of the game is to reach the final square. The player who reaches it first wins. Players move from space to space by
throwing dice and moving their pawn the corresponding number of steps. The various spaces contain actions that can
increase or decrease the carbon footprint. When a pawn lands on a cell with a negative action, it will be forced to go back
some spaces (depending on how much the actions influence the carbon footprint); vice versa a positive action will allow the
player to move its pawn forward. Pawns and dice will be assembled through the origami technique.
Claudia
4. Family
Trivia
The goal of the game is to test the general level of knowledge of eco-friendliness. The toy is shaped like the company logo
and represents infinite possibilities of making environmentally friendly choices. The players will either roll dice or spin an
arrow that will advance the user on a board that is color coded. There are 4 colors, each representing an environmental area
such as Forestation/Water/ Earth/ Energy. Users gain a color card when they respond correctly to a question. The user that
has all 4 colors in the shortest time frame wins the game. Users that do not respond correctly have to give up a color that
they have already earned. Other options such as skipping a turn will also be included to continue motivating the game. The
game teaches the user to think about the different available choices in relation to the environment. The target is that players
gain a new understanding in a fun way and begin to practice the choices they have learned.
Carine
5. Family
Challenge
The game revolves around fulfilling tasks that are environmentally friendly in order to earn points that are accumulated on a
scoreboard. The family decides on specific measurable tasks and places markers next to the place where the task has to be
fulfilled (e.g. saving water while showering). During a week, the family plays the game and collects points so that a winner
can be awarded each week. In addition we will provide an online platform and/or mobile app that allows challenges across
families. Furthermore whole schools and/or classes can compete and earn prizes that we will collect by sponsors.
Jean-Luc
The following ideas for prototypes were selected to match with the objectives in the
next step:

Development
7/16/2013
Harvard Summer School, Cross-Border Innovation, Team Green: Stefano
Angeli, Claudia Dall’Osso, Carine Melhorn, Jean-Luc Winkler, Elizabeth Wu
7
Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3 Idea 4 Idea 5
Objective 1 2.8 2.4 2.4 3.6 3.4
Objective 2 4.8 3.8 4 2.4 4.2
Objective 3 3.8 3.8 2.2 3.2 4.2
Objective 4 3.4 4.2 4.2 2.8 5
Objective 5 4.8 4.6 5 3.8 2.6
Objective 6 4.2 4.4 3.2 3.6 4.8
Ø value 3.97 3.87 3.5 3.23 4.03
The ideas were evaluated by voting on the ability to fulfill the objectives. Each Director
voted by giving 1 to 5 points, 5 being the best score. The numbers represent the
average value of all directors’ votes. Idea #5 has the best ability to meet the objectives.
Family Challenge