Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019 - 26

Creating Your Design
Thinking Experience
Start by framing your design question as,
"How might we..." without mentioning
a specific solution. If you can ask that
question in this way, you're a strong
candidate for design thinking.
Then, consider the "who," "when" and
"how." Determine who to include in
the process. You'll want to include your
stakeholders, especially the ones with
strong opinions, and you'll definitely
want to include your learners.
Next, determine when you will work
together. Set aside enough time to
work through all the phases of design
thinking, which typically lasts two to
three days. Explain to your collaborators
that moving through the phases of
design thinking consecutively will take
less time, in the long run, than breaking
up the process - which can also help
you gain buy-in.

WHEN YOU DEEPLY
UNDERSTAND YOUR
AUDIENCE, YOU CAN
MAKE DECISIONS THAT
BEST SERVE THEM.
For a successful design thinking
experience, setting expectations is key.
Address expectations on attendance,
phone policies, lunch breaks and any
other relevant factors up front to ensure
everyone is on the same page.

Empathize: Taking
Audience Analysis to
the Next Level
When you deeply understand your
audience, you can make decisions
that best serve them. To do so, you
need to actually talk to them. The

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Is Your Learning Program a Good Candidate for Design Thinking?
Ask Yourself if this Program is ...
Sticky?
Is it connected to a "big problem"
that the business has struggled
with in the past but to no avail?
Are there are many stakeholders
with lots of opinions?
Do you suspect there are multiple
solutions to this problem?

Impactful?
Does this program span the entire
organization?
Does it have a very deep impact
on one group?

first stage in design thinking includes
empathy interviews (ideally face to
face or, alternatively, via video) with
representatives of each learner category
for your program.
Empathy interviews with learners are
different than SME interviews. In these
interviews, you want learners to take you
where they want to go. Ask open-ended
questions and, after they respond, follow
up for clarification. To be a real empathy
ninja, ask your first question and then be
quiet - don't ask a follow up question,
and don't make a comment. Just wait,
and your learner may offer a deeper,
subtler, more nuanced reply.
As you speak with your learners, listen
for three things: First, what do they know
(or not know) about the topic, both in
terms of knowledge and skills?
Second, what is their work life like?
Everyone has a different day-to-day
work experience. The more you can
understand their experience, the more
you can empathize with them.

Dramatic?
Does the business challenge
inspiring this learning program
make people want to run
and hide?
Are there mixed emotions around
this business challenge?

Frameable?
Can you frame the challenge in the
form of a "how might we" question
without implying a solution - for
example, by asking, "How might
we institute a coaching culture"
rather than, "How might we create
performance support materials to
institute a coaching culture?"

Finally, how do they like to learn? Do
they jump right in? Call a friend? Watch
a video? Uncovering learners' modality
preference is golden.

Define: Shaping
the Requirements
Next, your team will need to define
what the program needs to address by
focusing on three areas:
First, consider any constraints and/
or requirements at play, such as time,
resources, technology and budget.
Don't take items that surface as fact;
probe to understand them deeper.
Channel your inner two-year-old and
ask, "Why?" Although constraints and
requirements may seem restricting,
they can act as helpful guardrails and
encourage creativity.
Then, determine the business need the
program should address. Leaders may
give you lofty-sounding statements,
such as, "We need every employee to
demonstrate leadership" or "Employees
Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019

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