- Rapid prototype:
- tests pieces of solution
- low fidelity
- not market ready
- Live prototype:
- tests how well solution resonates with the market
- moderate fidelity
- tests multiple parts of solution
- appears to be market ready
- Pilot:
- version of solution that is holistically feasible and viable in the market place
- high fidelity
- tests whole idea and whole systems
- actually market ready
- Bootstrapping
- no outside partners for funding
- for very lucrative ideas
- PROS: lots of control, can change quickly, not reliant on partner preferences
- CONS: costly, high risk, large staff, slow growth, compete with companies who could be collaborating partners
- Franchising
- selling or licensing product to funding partners
- good when other entrepreneurs like your idea
- PROS: moderate control, less costly, connections to supply chain
- CONS: difficult to maintain quality control, relies on will and preferences of outside partners
- Integration
- combine forces with external organizations
- good when solution complements an existing service or product or when partnering organization has the resources to scale up solution faster
- PROS: high impact, cheap, connected to supply chains, quick scale up
- CONS: difficult to maintain quality control, loss of control, reliant on will and preferences of partners
- Understand your target:
- what does solution mean to clients and those involved in its implementation?
- what’s the capacity of the implementation group?
- plot solutions in an Innovation 2×2 chart to identify incremental, evolutionary, and revolutionary ideas
- clarify user group (new or existing) for each solution
- identify and test solutions that fit gaps in the Innovation 2×2 chart
- Create an action plan:
- plan how design will make it to the market – identify key processes and partners
- make a roadmap – calendar that shows key milestones and interactions with key stakeholders
- staff project – assemble a team with specific skills or access to funding needed to implement products
- build partnerships – identify key partners and build relationships with these
- develop funding short-term and long-term funding strategies – short-term strategy is for product launch until sufficient penetration to market that it can get access to sustainable sources of revenue
- create a pitch
- explain how product works, why it counts, who benefits
- modify pitch for different listeners
- Launch your Solution:
- test idea in the real market place
- run a life prototype, stress test for market conditions
- define what to test. testable items include:
- pricing – how will it vary? how does it compare to competitor products?
- payment options – upfront? installments? subscriptions?
- incentives – how to pay employees? commissions?
- customer retention – which customers are most important? how to retain these?
- customer experience – are customers interested in product? does interest linger?
- go to pilot
- test ideas AND systems
- done after testing and refining a few live prototypes
- idea has proven to be feasible, desirable, viable, and scalable
- Keep getting Feedback & Iterating:
- keep getting feedback:
- measure and evaluate work
- dedicate a team to gathering feedback
- include key stakeholders:
- convene many stakeholders to get lots of feedback
- document feedback
- keep iterating
- improve solutions using feedback
- tweak things such as:
- communications strategy
- distribution plans
- keep getting feedback:
- Scale Towards Impact
- define success
- determine what success looks like over different time periods
- sustainable revisions
- assess new strategies
- total costs?
- reliability of funding?
- what relationships needs to be built?
- how much to sell to stay viable?
- how to retain customers?
- launch new products over time?
- scaling options – add locations? add products?
- assess new strategies
- measure & evaluate:
- identify measured of success and how to measure them
- define success
- HCD Implementation Steps applied to Solving Student Learning Design Challenge
- Recruit an implementation team (small) who has the skills needed to help you test and implement your live solutions
- Decide which of the implementation steps above are practical to trial in a school setting
- Decide which solutions you will take through live trials
- Scaffolding HCD Implementation Steps for Students
- Experience HCD process prior to facilitating it to learn how to better scaffold it
- Let students in design teams select a worthy design challenge (or assign one)
- Guide them through a student friendly, time affective version of the Inspiration phase
- Guide them through a student friendly, time affective version of the Ideation: synthesis phase
- Guide them through a student friendly, time effective version of the Ideation:prototyping phase
- Develop visuals and assign readings that teach students how to go through key steps in a student friendly, time effective version of the Implementation phase.
- Build relationships with community partners who can assist students with testing and implementing their solutions in authentic settings
- HCD Implementation Steps applied to solve student learning design challenge
- Plot solutions in Innovation 2×2 chart. See above
- Use Innovation 2×2 analysis to get inspiration for new solutions to iteration if needed
- Create an action plan. See above.
- Launch solution. see above.
- Gather feedback and continue to iterate. See above.
- Determine impact scale of solution and take steps to bring it to that scale. See above.
- Scaffolding HCD Implementation Steps for Students
- Facilitate student design teams through a student friendly, time-effective version of the steps listed above
- HCD Implementation Steps applied to solving a student learning design challenge
- Reflect on the entire HCD process
- Decide which steps in the process would be appropriate for scaffolding projects of varying levels of authenticity. Start to implement these phases and related scaffolds into student projects.
- Scaffolding HCD Implementation Steps for Students
- Let students reflect on how Implementation Steps can be used to implement and test solutions in other courses and in their own lives
- Have students reflect on how the HCD process changed their view of themselves as learners and as potential entrepreneurs
- Build relationships with actual companies who would like to implement real student solutions so that all HCD Phases can be implemented to a high degree of fidelity. For 2 tools to building relationships with partner, see this article.