Design Thinking in Action: Innovating for a Better Workplace

On July 12 and August 15, 2024, the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) in collaboration with Ateneo’s University People, Team, And Organization Development Office (UPT&OD) and the Office of the Vice President - University Human Resources (OVP-UHR) hosted a two-part design thinking workshop entitled, “Innovating for Impact: A Design Thinking Workshop” at Faber Hall and Mateo Ricci Hall respectively. Designed to introduce a creative approach to problem-solving, the workshop equipped UPT&OD and OVP-UHR staff with the tools to tackle challenges using the design thinking methodology.

Group photo of DT Part 1

Group photo of DT Part 2

The UPT&OD and the OVP-UHR are offices that work hand in hand to support the University’s mission by cultivating a skilled, diverse, and engaged workforce. Together, they focus on staff and faculty development through training, leadership programs, and performance management, while ensuring the well-being of the university community. Both offices are committed to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and efficient work environment, addressing individual employee concerns, and advancing organizational goals through strategic human resource management, change leadership, and a commitment to dignity and respect for all employees.

This workshop aimed to strengthen their problem-solving abilities, enabling employees to address organizational and employee needs through innovative and user-centric approaches.

Workshop Objectives

The workshop focused on empowering participants to:

• Approach problem-solving creatively

• Build their confidence as innovators

• Learn how to empathize with users, define problems, and generate innovative solutions

• Rapidly prototype and test ideas with minimal resources

  
  

Part 1: Understanding the User Through Empathy

Part 1, held on July 12, introduced participants to the basics of design thinking, with an emphasis on empathy. In pairs, participants explored their partner's needs and challenges through a fun and interactive exercise centered on redesigning the gift-giving experience. This activity highlighted the importance of observing and engaging with users to uncover insights.

Mariela Alcaparas and Steve Chaves facilitating the workshop

Participants were then tasked with interviewing at least five stakeholders to better understand the challenges faced within their roles or units. Using a provided user persona template, they gathered insights that would be shared in Part 2.

Part 2: Problem Definition, Ideation, and Prototyping

In the follow-up session last August 15, participants shared insights from their interviews, revealing opportunities to improve processes and experiences within their respective teams. Using the “How Might We” technique, they reframed challenges as opportunities for innovation, setting the stage for creative problem-solving.

Ideation phase

Participants engaged in ideation exercises, such as rapid-fire ideation and group brainstorming, to generate a variety of solutions. Some of the innovative ideas included:

• User-centered communication materials

• Enhanced systems for collaboration and workflow

• Tools to streamline and simplify processes

• Interactive guides and resources for professional development

• Platforms for knowledge sharing and leadership growth

These ideas were then brought to life through rough prototypes, which served as tangible representations of the teams' creative solutions.

Working in teams to generate wild and creative ideas

Prototyping and Feedback

The hands-on prototyping phase allowed participants to bring their ideas to life through low-fidelity models. These rough prototypes helped teams focus on the user experience and allowed for easy iteration. The feedback session provided valuable input, as teams received constructive suggestions to refine their prototypes further.

Prototyping ideas using lego blocks

Conclusion

The “Innovating for Impact” workshop successfully introduced design thinking as a tool for creative problem-solving by UPT&OD and OVP-UHR teams. The ideas generated during the sessions have the potential to improve HR services within the University. Future workshops will build on this success, further fostering innovation and collaboration across the organization. By continuing to iterate on their ideas and involving stakeholders in the process, both the UPT&OD and the OVP-UHR can drive impactful, human-centered solutions.

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Interested in how design thinking can help you and your team? Visit aipo.ateneo.edu/designthinking or send us an email at aipo@ateneo.edu. 

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