Challenger Course 9

Innovate like a Pro: Master Development

About this course

Welcome to the transformative journey of becoming a role model and future teacher in the Makerspace!

This is Course 9 of Module 3 in a series of 9 courses, carefully curated for role models/teachers within the scope of the EU-funded project Challenger. All courses in this program are designed and developed by professionals from Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers.

This module is designed to provide you with the essential knowledge and skills to navigate the dynamic landscape of applied research in Vocational Education and Training (VET). By engaging in this comprehensive exploration, you will be equipped to foster innovation and entrepreneurial mindsets among your students.

Module outline:

  • Module 1:          Learning the basics
  • Module 2:          Working on hands-on projects for business
  • Module 3:          Creating your own innovations

By the end of these modules, you will have acquired valuable insights and skills and be prepared to guide and inspire future innovators in the makerspace. Let’s embark on this journey towards a future of innovation, sustainability, and transformative change together!

This course is offered for free. Upon registration and passing the multiple-choice tests at the end of each course, you will receive a confirmation of participation in the form of a digital badge. After completing all courses in the module, you will receive an innovation certificate proving your experience and gained know-how.

Get ready to engage in an enriching educational experience that will expand your horizons and empower you to become a competent and impactful role model in the makerspace. Let’s embark on this journey together towards a future of innovation, sustainability, and transformative change.

Innovate Like a Pro: Personal and Professional Development for Successful Innovation Projects

Explanation of the Innovation Process and Its Significance for Businesses

Innovation defined: Creating new ideas, products, services, or processes that add value to customers and drive business success.

Importance of innovation: Stay competitive, adapt to market changes, foster growth, and sustainability.

Stages of innovation process:

  • IDEA GENERATION: Generating and collecting ideas for potential innovations.
  • IDEA EVALUATION: Assessing and selecting the most promising ideas based on criteria such as feasibility, market demand, and strategic fit.
  • DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING: Turning selected ideas into tangible prototypes or concepts and testing them with target users or stakeholders.
  • IMPLEMENTATION: Bringing successful innovations to market and integrating them into the company’s operations.

Introduction to Methods for Identifying Innovation Opportunities, such as Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and iterative problem-solving

The Double Diamond Method

The Double Diamond method is a framework developed by the Design Council in 2005 to structure and visualize the design process. It is often used in design thinking to develop creative and innovative solutions for complex problems. The model consists of two diamonds, each encompassing two phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. These four phases are divided into two main cycles: the first diamond focuses on the problem, while the second diamond focuses on the solution.

Source: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/

The Double Diamond Process:

First Diamond (Problem Space):

  • Discover: Opens up to gather as much information as possible (divergent thinking).
  • Define: Closes down to analyze this information and come to a clear problem definition (convergent thinking).

Second Diamond (Solution Space):

  • Develop: Opens up again to explore various possible solutions (divergent thinking).
  • Deliver: Closes down to select and implement the best solutions (convergent thinking).

Advantages of the Double Diamond Method:

  1. Structured Approach: Provides a clear and traceable structure for the design process.
  2. Flexibility: Can be applied to various types of projects and problems.
  3. User-Centric: Emphasizes understanding and considering users’ needs.
  4. Promotes Innovation: Encourages the generation of diverse ideas and solutions.

Objective: To help students understand and apply the Double Diamond Method by solving a real-world problem.

Duration: 60-90 minutes

Materials Needed:

1. Sticky notes

2. Markers

3. Large sheets of paper or a whiteboard

4. Timer

Instructions:

1. Introduction (10 minutes):

   – Briefly explain the Double Diamond Method to the students, highlighting the four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.

   – Use simple language and examples relevant to their everyday experiences.

2. Phase 1: Discover (15 minutes):

   – Activity: Identify a common problem students face at school (e.g., long lines at the cafeteria, difficulty finding quiet places to study).

   – Action: In small groups, have students discuss and write observations about the problem on sticky notes. Encourage them to think about different aspects and gather as many insights as possible.

   – Outcome: A collection of observations and insights about the chosen problem.

3. Phase 2: Define (10 minutes):

   – Activity: Clarify the problem based on the insights gathered.

   – Action: Each group organizes sticky notes on a large sheet of paper or a whiteboard and identifies the core problem. They should summarize this in one clear problem statement.

   – Outcome: A well-defined problem statement.

4. Phase 3: Develop (15 minutes):

   – Activity: Generate ideas to solve the defined problem.

   – Action: Groups brainstorm potential solutions, writing each idea on a separate sticky note. Encourage creativity and considering different perspectives.

   – Outcome: A range of possible solutions.

5. Phase 4: Deliver (20 minutes):

   – Activity: Select and refine the best solution.

   – Action: Each group reviews their ideas and selects the most promising one. They then create a simple prototype or plan to test the solution (e.g., drawing, role-playing).

   – Outcome: A refined solution and a basic prototype or implementation plan.

6. Presentation and Feedback (20 minutes):

   – Activity: Share and discuss the solutions.

   – Action: Each group presents their problem statement, selected solution, and prototype to the class. Encourage peer feedback and discussion.

   – Outcome: Shared learning and constructive feedback to refine ideas.

7. Reflection (10 minutes):

   – Activity: Reflect on the process.

   – Action: Facilitate a class discussion on what students learned about problem-solving and the Double Diamond Method. Ask questions like, “What was the most challenging part?” and “How can we use this method in other situations?”

   – Outcome: A deeper understanding of the Double Diamond Method and its application.

Explanation of the Steps in Planning an Innovation Project

Define the key steps involved in planning an innovation project, emphasizing the importance of setting clear objectives, allocating resources effectively, and establishing a timeline for implementation.

Follow these steps:

GOAL SETTING: Define the goals and objectives of the innovation project, including desired outcomes and success criteria.

RESOURCE PLANNING: Identify the project’s required resources, such as funding, personnel, equipment, and technology.

TIME PLANNING: Develop a timeline or project schedule outlining the sequence of tasks and milestones to be completed within specified timeframes.

Introduction to Tools and Techniques for Project Planning, such as Gantt Charts – Notion

Numerous excellent tools are available to help streamline and organize workflows in project management. Each tool offers unique features tailored to different aspects of project management, such as task tracking, team collaboration, and resource allocation. However, for the purpose of this discussion, I will focus on Gantt charts and Notion’s project management capabilities. These tools are particularly effective in planning, scheduling, and visualizing project timelines, making them invaluable assets for efficient project execution.

GANTT CHARTS:

Gantt charts are visual project management tools used to schedule, track, and manage tasks over time.

They provide a clear overview of project progress, dependencies between tasks, and critical milestones.

They help identify potential scheduling conflicts, allocate resources efficiently, and prioritize tasks.

Source: https://www.usemotion.com/blog/gantt-chart

There are many excellent project management tools available, each with its unique features and strengths.

Some of the most popular project management tools include

  • Trello,
  • Asana,
  • Monday.com,
  • Jira,
  • Basecamp,
  • Microsoft Project,
  • and ClickUp.

While all these tools are highly effective for managing projects, I have had particularly good experiences with Notion. Therefore, I will briefly describe the key PM features of Notion that make it a valuable tool for project management.

NOTION: https://www.notion.so/

Notion is a versatile project management tool that supports collaboration, organization, and communication within innovation projects.

Notion provides flexibility with its database-like structure, allowing users to create custom views, templates, and workflows tailored to their project needs.

Teams can use Notion to plan, track, and manage project progress using features like kanban boards, calendars, and Gantt charts.

Notion’s integration with other tools and platforms enhances productivity and streamlines workflow management for innovation projects.

Executing an Innovation Project: Overcoming Challenges

Facilitate a discussion on the practical aspects of executing an innovation project, focusing on implementing changes and overcoming obstacles along the way.

Highlight common challenges during project execution, such as resistance to change, resource constraints, technical difficulties, and unforeseen risks.

Encourage participants to share their experiences and insights on effective strategies for managing change, fostering collaboration, and addressing obstacles during project execution.

MOM Test

The “Mom Test” is a concept popularized by Rob Fitzpatrick in his book “The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers & Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea When Everyone is Lying to You.” It’s a framework for effectively gathering feedback from potential customers to validate business ideas without receiving biased or misleading responses. The term “Mom Test” comes from the idea that if you ask your mom whether she would buy your product or service, she would likely give you positive feedback regardless of the actual market demand.

The main premise of the Mom Test is to ask questions that elicit honest and actionable insights from customers rather than vague or misleading responses.

Here’s a simplified explanation of the principles behind the Mom Test:

FOCUS ON BEHAVIOR, NOT OPINIONS: Instead of asking directly whether someone likes your idea, observe their behaviour and ask questions about their past experiences, problems they’ve encountered, and how they’ve attempted to solve them.

AVOID HYPOTHETICALS: Rather than asking people what they would do in a hypothetical situation, ask about their real-life experiences and actions in similar situations.

LISTEN MORE, TALK LESS: Practice active listening and ask open-ended questions, encouraging customers to share detailed information and insights. Avoid leading questions that could bias their responses.

LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF REAL PAIN: Pay attention to signs of genuine pain points or needs that customers are experiencing, as these are more likely to indicate a viable market opportunity for your product or service.

ITERATE AND VALIDATE: Use customer feedback to iterate on your idea and validate your assumptions. Continuously refine your approach based on real-world insights to increase the likelihood of success.

Personal skills

CREATIVITY: Ability to generate innovative ideas and solutions. It contributes to finding innovative solutions.

COMMUNICATION: Effective communication involves articulating thoughts clearly, listening actively, and fostering understanding. Strong communicators excel in public speaking, writing, negotiation, and interpersonal interactions.

LEADERSHIP: Leadership involves setting direction, empowering others, and leading by example. Effective leadership fosters teamwork, drives organizational success, and cultivates a positive work culture.

Instructions for the “Mom Test” Assignment:

Objective:

This exercise aims to help students learn how to gather honest and actionable feedback from potential customers. Using the “Mom Test” framework, students will practice asking effective questions to validate business ideas without receiving biased or misleading responses.

Exercise Instructions:

1. Introduction to the Exercise:

Explain to the students that they will be conducting an exercise to validate a business idea using the “Mom Test” approach. The goal is to learn how to ask questions that elicit truthful and useful feedback from potential customers.

2. Explanation of the “Mom Test”:

Introduce the concept of the “Mom Test,” emphasizing that it’s designed to help entrepreneurs get honest feedback on their business ideas.

Highlight the key principles:

Focus on behaviour, not opinions.

Avoid hypothetical questions.

Listen more, talk less.

Look for evidence of real pain points.

Iterate and validate based on feedback.

3. Choosing a Business Idea:

Have the students develop a simple business idea or provide them with a hypothetical business scenario. Ensure the idea is relatable and easy to understand.

4. Developing Questions:

Instruct the students to formulate questions based on the “Mom Test” principles. For example:

Instead of asking, “Would you buy this product?” they should ask, “Can you tell me about the last time you encountered this problem?”

Instead of asking, “Do you like this idea?” they should ask, “What solutions have you tried in the past?”

5. Role-Playing Exercise:

Divide the students into pairs. One student will act as the entrepreneur, and the other will be the potential customer.

The “entrepreneur” will ask their “customer” the prepared questions, focusing on understanding their needs, behaviours, and experiences.

6. Gathering Feedback:

After each role-playing session, have the pairs discuss the responses. The “entrepreneur” should identify key insights and pain points mentioned by the “customer.”

Encourage the students to refine their questions and conduct multiple iterations to improve their understanding of the customer’s needs.

7. Group Discussion:

Bring the class together to share their experiences and insights. Discuss common challenges and effective strategies for asking unbiased questions.

Ask the students to reflect on how their feedback could influence their business idea and its development.

8. Reflection:

Have the students write a short reflection on their learning from the exercise. Encourage them to consider how they can apply the “Mom Test” principles in real-world scenarios to validate their future business ideas.

Prompt them to think about the importance of genuine customer feedback in shaping a successful product or service.

Summary:

This exercise helps students understand the importance of asking the right questions to gather honest and actionable feedback. By practicing the “Mom Test” approach, they learn to validate business ideas effectively, reducing the risk of pursuing unviable ventures. This skill is crucial for developing successful and customer-centric products or services.

First Interview: HOW NOT TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS

Daughter: “Mom, Mom, I have a business idea – can I get your opinion on it quickly?” This idea is my pride and joy – please don’t hurt my feelings!

Mom: “Of course, sweetheart.” You’re my only daughter, and I’m ready to lie to protect you.

Daughter: “You like your iPad, right? You use it quite often?”

Mom: “Yes, of course.” Your question shows me that you want to hear this answer. Here you go.

Daughter: “Okay great, would you ever buy an app that’s like a cookbook but for your iPad?” I’m very optimistic as I ask this hypothetical question – you know what I want to hear from you.

Mom: “Hmmm.” As if I need a cookbook at my age…

Daughter: “And the app only costs €40 – that’s much cheaper than all the cookbooks on your shelf!” I ignore your lukewarm reaction and just tell you more about my amazing idea.

Mom: “Well… “Shouldn’t apps cost a maximum of €1?

Daughter: “And you can share recipes with your friends, and there’s also an additional app that can replace your shopping lists. And videos from your favorite celebrity chef.” Please just say “Yes”. I won’t leave you alone until you say how great this idea is…

Mom: “Oh, well, you’re right, that sounds really amazing. And it’s true, €40 is really a bargain. Will there also be pictures of the recipes?” I would never pay so much money for a regular cookbook, but for yours, yes, because you’re my daughter. Also, I give you a compliment without committing and ask about an app feature to seem interested.

Daughter: “Yes, pictures are definitely included. Thanks, Mom – mwah!” I completely misinterpreted this conversation and saw it as confirmation of all my assumptions.

Mom: “Come on, have a piece of lasagna!” I’m afraid you won’t be able to afford food soon. Please eat something!

*In italics are the thoughts, feelings, and observations of the speakers.

Second Interview: PASSING THE MOM TEST

Daughter: “Hey Mom, how are you liking your new iPad?”

Mom: “Oh – I love it! I use it every day.”

Daughter: “What do you usually do with it?” Whoops — I asked a generic question, so the answer won’t be incredibly helpful.

Mom: “Oh, you know. I read the news, do Sudoku puzzles, email friends. Normal stuff.”

Daughter: “What was the last thing you did on it?” I’m now asking a slightly more specific question about past examples to get concrete information.

Mom: “You know your father and I are planning a trip. I looked up which hotel we could book.” I use it for useful things and fun. I didn’t tell you that in the “usually” question.

Daughter: “Did you use an app for that?” I’m asking you a slightly leading question, but sometimes you have to push your conversation partners a bit towards talking about the topics I want to hear about.

Mom: “No, I Googled it. I didn’t even know there was an app for that. What’s it called?” I’m waiting for specific recommendations and not discovering apps like younger people do through the App Store. So, I think it would be important to find a marketing channel outside the App Store.

Daughter: “How did you find the apps you use?” I ask about interesting and unexpected answers to understand behaviors and motivations.

Mom: “There’s a section in the Sunday newspaper about apps of the week.” I often read and enjoy the newspaper, and it’s certainly a good channel to reach customers like me.

Daughter: “Makes sense. Hey, I saw some new cookbooks on your shelf – where did you get those?” I’m asking about his cookbooks because business ideas usually have many variables. In this case, it’s both the iPad app medium and the content of the cookbook.

Mom: “Those are the kinds of things you get as Christmas presents. I think I got that one from Helga. I’ve never looked inside. As if I need a new lasagna recipe at my age.”

Daughter: Interesting! From this answer, I can read a lot. Firstly, my mother apparently doesn’t need another collection of generic recipes. Secondly, the gift market might be a strong market. And thirdly, younger cooks might potentially be a better customer segment since they can’t cook the basics yet.

Daughter: “What was the last cookbook you bought for yourself?” For generic answers like “I NEVER buy cookbooks,” I ask again more specifically and ask for specific examples.

Mom: “Now that you mention it – I bought a vegan cookbook three months ago. Your mother and I are trying to eat healthier, and I wanted to improve my vegetable recipe game a bit.” At my age and as experienced cooks, maybe we still buy special or niche cookbooks.

*In italics are the thoughts, feelings, and observations of the speakers.

Course materials

Co-funded by the EU

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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