This document summarizes two prototypes created to address the problem of helping employers identify talent and helping students develop skills for today's professional environments. The first prototype is an online portfolio/resume website with two access levels - one for students and advisors, and one for employers. The second prototype involves a system of issuing "badges" to students to demonstrate skills and achievements in areas like photography, design, and creative strategy. Feedback is provided on the prototypes, noting they could work well together and that more consideration is needed around incentivizing employer participation and guiding student selection of work for their professional portfolio.

1. Design Thinking Action Lab | Natasha Haugnes | Prototypes | Aug 19 2013
Prototypes for a solution…
Problem statement:
THIS forward-thinking, curious, 30-something, social-media savvy
academic director of a university advertising department NEEDS A WAY
TO help employers identify talent, and to help students emerge into
adulthood + gain skills for today’s professional environments BECAUSE
digital technologies and the profound shift in “where information comes
from and who owns it” is disrupting for higher education as we know it.
Ideation:
From a list of 40 ideas, these are the two that I am developing quick
prototypes for:
MY FAVORITE IDEA (from a list of 40): Portfolios/CVs/resumes with two levels of access
(one that only the student himself and maybe instructors or peers sees, a second level
to submit to employers) that students regularly update according to what they have
learned and how they have developed. Portfolios could include things like blog postings,
Intagram and Pintrest boards, traditional resumes, badges, coursework, “curated”
coursework, feedback from instructors, videos of feedback from peers.
MOST PRACTICAL IDEA: Unbundling the degree program, offering “Badges” (definition
here: http://chronicle.com/article/A-Future-Full-of-Badges/131455/) instead. This
seems to be the most practical as it is a system that is already taking hold in some
places. It seems very very practical for the skills based requirements of an employer. I
am not sure how it would work for the “maturity requirements of an employer
however—touchy topic to assess, unless it is unbundled into assessment of traits such
as collegiality, collaboration.

2. Design Thinking Action Lab | Natasha Haugnes | Prototypes | Aug 19 2013
Prototype #1:The portfolio/ resume plus website with two views
This is essentially a portfolio that students begin building from their first
semester in school. With the two views (one for the student/advisor, and
one for industry professionals), students develop an early metatcognitive
awareness of themselves as learners, but they also get used to presenting
themselves to employers and getting feedback from the “real world” well
before graduation day. And hopefully, they see the relationship between
these two “selves.” (Does this address the “emerging into adulthood” aspect
of the problem?)
Feedback from industry professionals will help guide students’ work, but it
can also help the director hone his program (adding skills to the curriculum
that are consistently lacking in the portfolios, for example).
Benefits to employers are less clear to me at this point. Why would they
want to participate? I suppose employers can use this tool to identify great
candidates early on. (That is one of the reasons ATT is bankrolling the new
computer science degree-through-MOOCs at Georgia Tech, according to
yesterday’s NYT front page article.)
This prototype needs to be made very visually pleasing—what is below is
very very simple …

3. Design Thinking Action Lab | Natasha Haugnes | Prototypes | Aug 19 2013
[website mockup]
Name
Title
Personal statement
and goals
Portfolio of best
work
What are you proud of?
Short annotations and
explanations can be
included.
Influences
Annotated list of
people/organizations you
follow (on social media,
authors, magazines
&journals etc.)
Work history Academic history
Degrees, or courses you have
completed.
References
People you have enjoyed
working with who can serve
as references
Skills
Pre-determined list of hard
skills that can be selected
(e.g. basic profciiency in
photoshop,). These could
also be “badges”
Academic Reflection
Journal
Prompts from your academic
advisor, responses from
student. Reflections on
process of education,
reflections on employer
feedback.
(not viewable to employers)
Employer feedback
and comments
(not viewable to employers)

4. Design Thinking Action Lab | Natasha Haugnes | Prototypes | Aug 19 2013
Prototype #2:Badges
Samplingof badges (with definitions) that could offered. Students would be issued these
badges as they are now issued official transcripts. The description of each badge needs
to be very concise:
“Breadth” Badges
Basic writing (ability to write focused, clear prose that is understandable to an
intended general reader)
Basic Information literacy (ability to research answers to a question and assess
the credibility of various sources, digital and analog.)
“Technical” Badges
Basic Photography and PhotographManipulation (use current photographic
software to perform basic manipulations such as exposure and color correction;
optimize resolution/size for a variety of uses of photographs)
Design Basics (use design skills to create and manipulate images to create visual
hierarchy)
Typography(…)
“Disciplinary thinking” badges
Basic Creative Strategy in Advertising(…)
Basic Art Direction in Advertising (…)
Intermediate Art Direction in Advertising (…)

5. Design Thinking Action Lab | Natasha Haugnes | Prototypes | Aug 19 2013
I like the ideas. I would see them existing in an
ecosystem together. This problem is too complex and
will never be solved by a single tool (or even toolbox.)
On the "Favorite Idea" would instructors/peers be a
gateway to the "employer potfolio" - stuff couldn't get
into it without approval from a trusted source (tied to
LinkedIn or someway of trust)? Or would there be a
badge system of approval? Reddit vote up? Does
anything differentiate the two beyond what the
student wants to allow? How do we not waste an
employer's time? (as you mention, I don't know why
an employer participates.)
Also, choosing what moves from student ->
professional portfolio, can that be a part of emerging
adulthood? Hmmmm.
I see no holes as of yet. Good prototype thinking.
Response from stakeholders