Our Systems Thinking instructor, Karen Whistler, sent us an e-mail a couple of weeks in our graduate projects about Acumen's partnership with IDEO for their new online course, Human Centered Design for Social Innovation. Although I was hesitant at first since I was waist deep into my graduate project application, Host It, I registered anyway. Let me tell you--I'm so glad I did!

Design thinkers look for work arounds and improvise solutions and find ways to incorporate those into the offerings they create.

IDEO truly has a unique design process and here's why. Human Centered Design consists of 3 phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. Inspiration is the problem/opporunity. Ideation is the process of developing innovative ideas that challenge the norm. Implementation is the path that leads from concept to reality with rapid prototyping. I must admit, I've always been hesitant about getting my hands too dirty. I've never been comfortable with doing something hastily and showing it to people. But IDEO has been doing this for many, many years and it's always worked. I enjoyed our discussions on how much of an impact validating your ideas are.

In our first workshop, we were given the brief to design a better commute. We started by interviewing one of our group mates about his daily commute. He told us that his main concern was his safety, especially when he's walking late at night. We found out that he's constantly approached by homeless people selling drugs and this makes him very uncomfortable. So during our brainstorming, this was the problem that we chose to tackle and act on.

We began making a ridiculous prototype of an umbrella light that has built in cameras using cardboard, straws, paper, lots of tape, an iPhone, and coin holders. We timed ourselves and gave ourselves 15 minutes to do it. We were running around like headless chickens but in the end, we were able to come up with a completed albeit not-so-great looking and no-so-functioning-properly prototype. It was a lot of fun and I am definitely looking forward to our next workshop!