"What if we tried..." Practical Prototyping for Tinkerers, Inventors & On-the-ground Innovators

www.kristinwolff.com PAGE 1
“What if we tried…”
Practical Prototyping for Tinkerers,
Inventors & On-the-Ground Innovators

Mission: Making purposeful learning, inspired work,
and innovation-for-good more universal, every day.
Data/Civic
Tech
Social
Innovation/
Enterprise
Coworking/
Main St.
Eship
Workforce
Research/TA

www.kristinwolff.com
Prototyping Poll
PAGE 3
Re: Prototyping:
✳ Proto-whaaaa???
✳ I know what prototyping is
(in concept).
✳ I prototype everything
I do.
✳ My colleagues & I are proto-
type ninjas.

Prototyping is a structured way of
thinking through change before you
implement it.
That’s it.
You do it everyday.
Prototyping.
Let’s demystify.

Prototyping.
You get dressed – and then change into something
that suits you better.

Prototyping.
You dress (most days anyway…).
You paint (right?).
You cook – and you tinker.

Prototyping.
You dress (most days anyway…).
You paint (you do paint…?)

Prototyping typically happens after ideation,
before piloting, and alongside research…

…no matter what innovation process model you
use.

Why do it in workforce innovation?
Work is changing.
Opportunity not equitably distributed.
No crystal balls.

POWERPOINT PROPOSAL
PAGE 11

The Future of Work is a thing.
PAGE 12

Technology.

The workforce needs you.
“Technology is a catalyst for bigger changes but by itself technology
doesn’t raise living standards. It’s requires a host of complementary
innovations – investments in education, reorganization of work, new
policies.
I don’t see us being nearly as good at those complementary
innovations or nearly as fast …as we have been in the core
technologies.
[That’s why median incomes have stagnated for over a decade.]
...We need to rethink our policies, retrain people, boost
entrepreneurship to invent new goods and services...and people
need to work harders to upgrade thier own skills.”
Erik Brynjolfsson in conversation with Dan Moss
Bloomberg Benchmark Podcast, September 7, 2016

1. Exploratory Prototyping –
Early stage. Think lo-fi, low-tech,
bubble gum and string.
PAGE 15
Figuring out those complementary innovations is
what the Workforce Accelerator Fund is all
about. Prototyping is a big part of how we do it.
Prototyping boosts efficiency by
maximizing smart inputs and
eliminating flaws early in the design
process.
Two Types:
2. Developmental Prototyping –
Low cost, but still detailed.
Allows user testing, supports
your “pitch.”

Prototyping: The How (insert drumroll here…)
PAGE 16
Many methods. Be intentional:
✳ Determine what do you want to learn
✳ Collaborate with diverse people
✳ Document

✳ Reveal assumptions
✳ Unearth knowledge/identify
gaps in knowledge
✳ Focus energy on the right
problems
✳ Cultivate shared ownership
(Yes, increase efficiency, too)
Prototyping can…

A Note About Prototyping for Apps/Websites
PAGE 18
✳ Balsamiq.com
✳ BlankCanvas.io
✳ Concept.ly
✳ Proto.io
✳ Marvelapp.com
✳ Mural.co
Bundlr List: bundlr.com/b/prototyping-tools-resources

A Note About Toolkits & Resources
PAGE 19

Where to find tools/toolkits
PAGE 20
bundlr.com/b/prototyping-tools-resources

Today’s Methods/Tools
PAGE 21
1. Describing Personas
3. Journey Map/Story Board
2. Prototype Planning

Prototyping is a
structured
process to guide
improvement or
invention.
That’s it.
PAGE 22

1. Describing Personas
PAGE 23
A. Tool
B. Instructions
Gather as a project team. Identify the target customers for whom your project/
innovation is intended to meet a need Use sticky notes.
- Who are they? (role in family, industry, community, workplace/home)
- What are they like? (demographics, type of firm, place in sector/economy)
Draw them on the left third of page. Describe them in the middle. Identify what they are
trying to do and the challenge/s they face that your project seeks to remedy. Highlight
the priority challenges (pain points) your project can best address. Complete one sheet
for each target customer type (persona) up to three.

2. Prototype Planning
PAGE 24
A. Tool
B. Instructions
Gather as a project team. Use sticky-notes. Use the prompts on the Prototype Planning
tool to help you determine what you seek to learn through prototyping, and begin to
identify action steps to get you started. The tool uses “weeks” as a reference point –
if months or days better suites your timeline, go ahead and change it.
This tool can be used in combination with the Persona tool.

3. Journey Map/Storyboard
PAGE 25
A. Journey Map Sample Tool C. Storyboard Tool
D. Instructions
Gather your project team. Use sticky notes to
brainstorm key touchpoints/activities that will
occur once your project is implemented. What
will services look like? The storyboard can be
used to support walk-through experiences as
well as simply mapping them.
B. Instructions
Gather your project team. Use sticky
notes to identify touchpoints/activities
in your current service model and note
whether those touchpoints are
positively or negatively experienced by
target customers. Use the results to
prioritize elements of your prototype.

POWERPOINT PROPOSAL
PAGE 26
We are solving problems
& building a new kind of
ecosystem. Experiment
meaningfully, learn deeply,
share generously.
#WAFLab

Kristin Wolff
kristin@thinkers-and-doers.com
@kristinwolff
Thank you!
#workoutloud #futureofwork #socinn #socent #civictech
#innovation #jobs #gig #portland #diy #hack #policy
#cities #ideas #lab #community #story #socap #future
#leadership #WEadership #tech #art #economy
#socialgood #photography #publicspace
#entrepreneurship #crowdsourcing #shareconomy
#chocolate
When I’m not on the
road, I can be found at
Hatch, a space for
visionaries and realists
working for a better
world.

"What if we tried..." Practical Prototyping for Tinkerers, Inventors & On-the-ground Innovators

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to "What if we tried..." Practical Prototyping for Tinkerers, Inventors & On-the-ground Innovators

More from Kristin Wolff

Recently uploaded

"What if we tried..." Practical Prototyping for Tinkerers, Inventors & On-the-ground Innovators