1. Graphic design
2. Branding
3. Print design
4. Workshop design

CLIENT
 N Square Collaborative

TEAM
Megan Valanidas and Erika Gregory

DURATION
3 months

Wicked Problems & Innovation Workshop


Project summary:
 Wicked Problems and Innovation, a workshop created by Erika Gregory from N Square Collaborative in collaboration with Altimeter Design, aims to help professionals embrace iterative prototyping and collaborative problem-solving and apply those skills to complex spaces. In this workshop, you will first read and perform small exercises that explore alternative ways to express ideas and explore concepts such as biases, design iteration, and more to build a foundation of how to work in teams and rapidly prototype ideas. Once the first sprint is completed, the participants will go on to learn and identify wicked problems.


Goals ︎


  • Build a stand alone digital and print module for leaders tacklign hard to solve, wicked problems
  • Reframe design thinking practices for national security experts to adopt in their own wokspaces
  • Curate deep knowledge and readings that focus on systems thinking and biases we bring to our work
  • Design workshops that experts find fun and can build upon to push their own processes they have crafted over the years

Opportunity ︎


To create a fast, structured module containing  interactive workshops that can be adopted by national security experts to train their teams to think outside the box when problem solving complex issues and to systematically tackle wicked problems in a collaborative and sustainable way.

Outcomes ︎


  1. First fully tested curriculum specificaly tailored for experts takling wicked problems such as climate change and nuclear weapons
  2. First independent and branded digital and physical tool that is packaged and shared throughout the NSquare fellows network
  3. Application of design thinking in real-world scenarios to make direct impact current organizational systems and procedure.


Print and Digital Products


The physical form of this project was primarily driven by its content. Including interactive elements such as games, links to readings, and workshop assignments, there needed to be a system that enabled all of these elements to support and orient the participants while they were learning new terminology and abstract concepts.






Measured outcomes


92%


of participants felt confident in teaching others about strategies shared in the Innovation and Wicked Problems Module for working on wicked problems.

95%


of participants found the Innovation and Wicked Problems Module a valuable resource to use in working strategically.

98%


of participants walked away more confident in their work and felt they had the tools to work more creatively and efficiently.

92%


of participants would revisit the exercises and apply them to their workplace.


*Data points were obtained through Google form and were given by participants who volunteered to attend and work through the entire Innovation and Wicked Problems Module prototype







(A) Content structure



Tasks

︎ Design a module with group exercises, facts, and readings that build off of one another to thoroughly explain the design process and how it can be applied to solving the systematic and wicked problems our participants face in their professions.

︎ Build a content infrastructure adaptable to other modules with differing goals and content.
  




UNDERSTANDING

Breaking down the workshop


Upon shaping and constructing the module, the team began identifying the user experience by building a high-level framework for the module's experience and scaling down to each activity. Miro was a great tool to use as a conversation space to drop questions, collect inspiration, and map the elements in real-time.








Concept curriculum prototype

The module sections were broken up into single working sessions that used the following guiding framework:

Prepare ︎︎︎ Connect & Ground ︎︎︎ Disrupt & Discover ︎︎︎ Deepen Understanding ︎︎︎ Establish Value ︎︎︎ and Commit





︎︎︎



Finalized Curriculum Structure





(B) User experience mapping

Tasks:

︎ Independent from the content structure, articulate the experience a participant goes through during this module

︎ Define the roles of a participant, a group leader, and a facilitator as this workshop must stand on it’s without the architect’s assistance


(B) Prototyping

Tasks:

︎ Fully test the module’s information content, experience, and exercises with the target audience from beginning to end, collect user feedback, and mark the quality of exercise responses to better refine the module.

︎ Test facilitation notes and instructions. Note where more information would be required for participants to engage with the materials.

︎ Create an alpha prototype and test with experts in the future space, such as nonprofit nuclear deterrence groups, futurists, and technology leaders.





PROTOTYPING

Testing the content


The Wicked Problems and Innovation workshop was initially tested in a Miro board setting with volunteer professionals and a trained facilitator. Miro was the chosen workspace as it allowed people to collaborate in real-time in the same space while remote and provided a space to brand the workshop experience to keep the look and feel consistent across tools and platforms.



GOALS
1. Isolate any redundancies
2. Get feedback on how the exercises need to be presented, explained, and run for maximum participation and interaction between the material and participants
3. Locate areas for further explanation or possible pivots to exercise objectives for smooth transitions and information retention
4. Learn what the facilitator needs to run the module solo
5. Test the idea and get feedback from key audiences about how much they perceive the value of the module would have in their organizations.






PROTOTYPING

Feedback from participants





︎ Clarity of text and instruction

“Some of the instructions took a couple of attempts to fully understand what we are to do next.”


-User testing participant 1



︎ Fast summaries of the previous week’s content for quick recall

“Each week it took some extra time to ground myself again in this type of thinking. I had to skim over the readings again to remember what was going on.”


-User testing participant 3
︎ Collect feedback and activities that can be accessed later to be used as examples

“I wonder what this would look like in person as it is easy to gather the images and sketches when everything is online?”


-User testing participant 4










Testing Outcomes from Miro Workshop*


*Gathered via Google form taken at the end of each session


86%


of participants found the independent reading content relevant to the exercises

96%


of participants who interacted with the exercises and found them thought-provoking and comprehensive

90%


of participants felt the exercises smoothly transitioned into each other

77%


of participants could summarize confidently each module’s focus and learnings already seen them applied to their work







(C) Visual identity

Tasks

︎ Design a system of graphics and visual textures that were flexible and abstract enough to communicate complex subjects.

︎ Design must also be elevated enough to build the participants' trust while encouraging them to add information and celebrate imperfections.

Exploring graphics for visual systems


First, we needed to create a visual direction for all modules of this project. Here are several design samples shared with the client, which were used to choose a direction.

Imperfect sketches to encourage participation


From previous drawing exercises with experts, we found that if a page has too pristine of elements, participants will be less likely to draw on it as they feel they will “ruin the page.”

︎︎︎ Thus, in the design, we incorporated actions and sketched drawings so that participants would game-like inter feel comfortable adding their marks to the page.

Tone and physical product directions


While the original tests for the workshop were performed digitally using the whiteboard space, Miro, the ultimate medium in which the workshops would exist, would be physical books and booklets so that they could be sold and shared with a broader audience. For this phase, interviews with team leaders were conducted to understand the benefits and constraints they had with past workshop materials.

︎︎︎ From these interviews most workshops did not have additional notes for the facilitators and they had to create their scripts; most materials were shared in folders, and these made it easy for team members to lose; and the difficulty in collecting final materials from the team members such as exercises, feedback on readings, and other physical materials.







Next up...


The Practical Guide to Innovation and Wicked Problems is the first in a series of three, each focusing on a different critical thinking topic to further diversify solutions targeted at solving today’s problems. The other two additional modules, written by futurist Pupul and strategist Julie, will be designed will have the same stylization and graphic treatments.



Tools used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Miro
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