The document outlines the design thinking process for social innovation, emphasizing tools such as empathy maps and personas to address challenges faced by low-income communities. It covers stages of empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, encouraging a user-centered approach to innovation. Key examples include providing drinkable water and non-financial services, with insights on understanding user needs to create actionable solutions.

1. Social Innovation at IE
Design Thinking

3. Design
Thinking
for
Social
Innova4on
1. Introduction
2. Design Challenge & Empathy. Tool 1: Empathy maps
3. Define. Tool 2: Personas
4. Ideate. Tool 3: Diverge (brainstorming) & converge (selection)
5. Wrap-Up
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

4. How
might
we
provide
drinkable
water
to
low
income
rural
communi4es?

5. How
might
we
provide
non-­‐financial
services
to
our
microfinance
users?

6. How
might
we
provide
premature
baby
incuba4on
solu4ons
to
the
BoP?

7. o Higher Price -
transportation
Beyond anecdotes…
Credit: Flickr user MeanestIndian (used under CC license)
Base of the Pyramid as a Market
Item
Dharavi
Warden Road
Premium
Credit (annual interest)
600 – 1,000%
12 – 18%
53X
Water (per cubic meter)
$1.12
$0,03
37
Phone call (minute)
$0.04 - $0.05
$0.025
1.8
Diarrhea medication
$20.00
$2.00
10
Rice (per kg)
$0.28
$0.24
1.2
Source, Prahalad, CK,The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (p.36)

8. Base
of
the
Pyramid
as
a
Market

9. Theore4cal
Pareto
Efficiency
Fron4er
(Given
technology,
c.p.)
Income
at
the
Top
of
the
Pyramid
Inefficient
Equilibrium
curve
Due
to
Market
Failure
Income
at
the
BoMom
of
the
Pyramid
0
New
Efficiency
Fron4er
Technological
Improvement
NGO
Social
enterprise
addressing
Market
Failure
Social
enterprise
promo4ng
Technological
improvement
Social
Entrepreneurs
pushing
the
fron4er

10. Income
at
the
Top
of
the
Pyramid
Income
at
the
BoMom
of
the
Pyramid
0
Redistribu4on
of
Value
(NGO)
Crea4on
of
Value
(Enterprise)
Social
Entrepreneurs
pushing
the
fron4er

11. The
path
we’re
about
to
walk
Blurry beginning Traditional design process

12. The
path
we’re
about
to
walk
Explore

13. What
are
we
going
to
need
to
walk
this
path?
• Different
Processes
That
incorporate
both
users
and
crea4ve
tools
and
skills
• Different
Tools
Observa4ons,
mind
maps,
personas
• Different
Skills
Divergence,
judgment
delays,
Convergence

14. Customer
Driven
Innova4on
• Mul4disciplinary
Teams
• Dedicated
Spaces
• Finite
Timeframes

16. Design
Thinking
Process
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

17. Converge
vs.
Diverge
Focus
Flare

18. Converge
vs.
Diverge
Focus
Flare
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

20. Human Values
(Desirability)
Business
(Viability)
Technology
(Feasibility)
The
three
lenses
of
human
centered
design

21. Evolu4onary
Revolu4onary
Incremental
Evolu4onary
New
Offerings
Exis4ng
Offerings
Exis4ng
Users
New
Users
Not
all
innova4ons
change
the
world

22. Evolu4onary
Revolu4onary
Incremental
Evolu4onary
New
Offerings
Exis4ng
Offerings
Exis4ng
Users
New
Users
Not
all
innova4ons
change
the
world

25. What
next?
1. Introduction
2. Design Challenge & Empathy. Tool 1: Empathy maps
3. Define. Tool 2: Personas
4. Ideate. Tool 3: Diverge (brainstorming) & converge (selection)
5. Wrap-Up
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Focus
Flare

26. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge
Start
the
design
challenge
with
an
ac4on
verb
such
as
“Create”,
“Define”,
“Adapt”,
etc.
Or
phrase
the
challenge
as
a
ques4on
star4ng
with:
“How
can...?”

27. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge
• How
might
we
empower
youth
to
become
cri4cal
thinkers
and
designers
of
their
own
future?
• How
might
we
inspire
young
people
to
cul4vate
their
crea4ve
confidence?
• How
might
we
increase
social
impact
while
enhancing
our
value
proposi4on?

28. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge
• Recognize
exis4ng
knowledge
• Iden4fy
people
to
speak
with
• Who
is
your
end
user?

29.
Empathy
is
when
you
feel
what
the
other
person
is
feeling.
When
you
can
mirror
their
expressions,
their
opinions,
their
hopes.
What
is
empathy?

30. How
designers
approach
empathy?
• Without
judgment
• With
a
beginner’s
eyes
• Curious
• Op4mis4c
• Respec_ul
Expose.
Observe.
Engage

31. Let’s
Prac4ce

32. Let’s
Prac4ce
a
bit
more

33. Understand
the
WHOLE
experience
Use
Empathy
Maps

34. Empathy:
Ac4ve
listening
Interviews/Story
telling

35. How
might
we
design
the
ideal
wallet?
The
challenge
for
this
exercise

36. Interviewing
with
Empathy

37. Quotes
&
defining
words
Thoughts
&
Beliefs
Ac4ons
&
Behaviors
Feelings
&
Emo4ons

38. Empathy:
Debrief
What is the most relevant learning you gained from
the empathy exercise?

39. What
next?
1. Introduction
2. Design Challenge & Empathy. Tool 1: Empathy maps
3. Define. Tool 2: Personas
4. Ideate. Tool 3: Diverge (brainstorming) & converge (selection)
5. Wrap-Up
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Focus
Flare

40. Reframe
the
point
of
view
• A
unique,
concise
reframing
of
the
problem
that
is
grounded
in
user
needs
&
insights
• Understand
the
experience
• Iden4fy
user,
reveal
the
needs,
ar4culate
insights
• Reframe
the
problem
into
a
new
point
of
view

41. Why
should
I
define
a
user?
Because
usually
something
that
tries
to
work
for
everyone
doesn´t
works
very
well
for
anyone.
Because
if
you
don´t
know
who
you
are
designing
for,
you
won’t
know
what
characteris4cs
are
fundamentally
necessary
and
what
are
merely
a
secondary
benefit.

42. Focus
on
the
user,
his/her
needs
and
insights.

43. What
user
will
you
design
for?
Things
you
need
to
write
to
create
a
persona
• Name
• Age
• Gender
• Marital
Status
• Kids
• Hobbies
• Draw
their
face
• Work/Study
• Likes/Dislikes
• Service
context
• Quotes
• Personality
traits
• Goals

44. User/
Persona:
An
example
Typical
user
of
our
supermarket
Name:
Emma
Last
Name:
Peterson
Age:
75
Profession:
Stay home mom
Marital
Status:
Widow
Children:
2 daughters, 1
son and 5 grand children
Hobbies:
…
Personality
traits:
…
Product/Service
context:
…
Goals
in
life:
…

45. Focus
on
the
user,
his/her
needs
and
the
insights
User
Need
Insight
Why?

46. Let’s
see
an
example.
Meet
Ms.
Peterson
…
“Ms.
Emma
Peterson”
is
being
interviewed
by
a
designer
trying
to
gather
informa4on
to
design
a
beMer
customer
experience
for
a
supermarket.
Designer:
Ms.
Peterson,
could
you
tell
me
a
liMle
bit
about
yourself?
Ms.
Peterson:
My
name
is
Emma
Peterson,
I’m
75
years
old,
I
was
married
for
35
years
but
my
husband
passed
away
two
years
ago.
I
have
three
children
who
are
grown
ups
now
and
I
have
5
grand
children.
Designer:
What
do
you
come
to
this
supermarket
for?
Ms.
Peterson:
I
come
to
buy
food
and
cleaning
products.
User/Persona
Need

47. Let’s
see
an
example.
Meet
Ms.
Peterson…
Designer:
Could
you
describe
the
last
4me
you
came?
Ms.
Peterson:
Sure.
It
was
just
yesterday.
I
woke
up
in
the
morning
and
I
realized
that
although
I
had
a
lot
of
food
in
the
fridge
I
didn’t
have
freshly
baked
bread
which
I
buy
daily.
I
came
down
from
my
home,
which
is
right
around
the
corner
from
here,
got
my
bread
and
returned
home.
Designer:
Why
don’t
you
buy
frozen
bread
that
you
can
bake
at
home?
Wouldn’t
that
be
more
convenient?
Ms
Peterson:
I
guess
so…
But
then
I’d
have
nothing
to
do
in
the
mornings.
Coming
to
the
supermarket
is
a
reason
to
go
out,
get
some
fresh
air.
Insight

48. Challenge
User/
Persona
Need
(verb,
acKon)
Superficial
reason
Insight
How
might
we
increase
customer
loyalty
to
a
supermarket?
A
75
year
old
widow
with
2
daughters,
1
son
and
5
grandchildr
en
Needs
to
buy
food
and
cleaning
products
To
have
freshly
baked
bread
every
day
Because
she
doesn’t
have
much
to
do
and
she
enjoys
having
one
reason
to
go
out
from
her
house
every
single
day
To
keep
her
family
well
fed
when
they
come
to
visit
her
Because
she
wants
to
feel
that
she
is
s4ll
important
to
her
family.
To
get
first
hand
informa4on
from
the
shop
assistant
about
the
products
??????
Insights
for
Ms.
Peterson

49. Iden4fy
areas
of
opportunity
How
might
we…
Build
a
customer
experience
that
will
make
Ms.
Peterson
feel
that
she
is
s4ll
ac4ve?
Build
a
customer
experience
that
will
make
Ms.
Peterson
feel
that
she
is
s4ll
important
to
her
family
…?
Build
a
customer
experience
that
will
…?

50. What
next?
1. Introduction
2. Design Challenge & Empathy. Tool 1: Empathy maps
3. Define. Tool 2: Personas
4. Ideate. Tool 3: Diverge (brainstorming) & converge (selection)
5. Wrap-Up
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Focus
Flare

51. Idea4on
Goals
• Making
sense
of
data
• Iden4fying
paMerns
• Defining
opportuni4es
• Crea4ng
solu4ons

52. 7
Brainstorming
Principles
• Defer
Judgment
• Encourage
wild
ideas
• Build
on
the
ideas
of
others
• Stay
focused
on
topic
• Be
visual
• One
conversa4on
at
a
4me
• Go
for
quan4ty

53. Stay focused and go for
Quantity!
Idea4on:
Brainstorming
exercise
1

54. Vote
using
selec4on
criteria
“Most likely to succeed”! Place two votes on the ideas that you think most
effectively address the challenge"
“Most likely to delight”! Place two votes on the ideas that would
delight customers the most"
“Most breakthrough/
Innovative”!
Place two votes on the ideas that are most
innovative"

55. What
next?
1. Introduction
2. Design Challenge & Empathy. Tool 1: Empathy maps
3. Define. Tool 2: Personas
4. Ideate. Tool 3: Diverge (brainstorming) & converge (selection)
5. Wrap-Up
Empathy
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Focus
Flare

56. Fail
early
&
omen
$
Cost of
an
error
Project timeline Launch
Prototype, fail
and learn early
and cheap
Too late to fail

57. A
prototype
will
make
your
ideas
real
What does it look like?
How does it work?
How does it feel like?

58. Prototype
Forms
• Models
• Storyboards
• Role-­‐Play
• Diagrams
/
Mindmaps

59. A
few
examples
Prototype Finished Product/Service
Elmo’s
iPhone
Application
Kitchen
Nurses at
Keiser
Permanente
Hospitals

60. It’s
never
easy
You
might
need
many
pilots,
tests
and
itera4ons
before
you
come
up
with
the
product
that
fascinates
your
costumers.

61. Where
can
you
learn
more?
• IE
Business
School
• IDEO.com
• dschool.stanford.edu
• rotmandesignworks.ca
• The
Hub
• The
art
of
innova4on,
Tom
Kelley
• Change
by
design,
Tim
Brown

62. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge

63. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge

64. Iden4fy
a
Design
Challenge

65. “The most interesting part I see in competition is that
it gives people a feeling that they are valued and have
meaning, that they are as capable, as gifted and as
talented as anybody else…”
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda

67. THANK YOU!
Social Innovation at IE
max.oliva@ie.edu