In it for the long haul

STAYING IN BUSINESS... AND GOING BEYOND FEEDBACK

In it for the long haul: An IntroductionThe Project:As part of the Strategic Information Design module at the University of Dundee, we were asked to redesign data or materials for our client's program, Starter 4 Six, which is an enterprise support project led by NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) in Scotland, which is open to individuals and teams with an innovative business idea in science, technology and the creative industries.

The FocusAfter a strategic review of the client's needs, toolkit, online presence and videos, as well as competitive partner sites, I chose to focus on building clarity in NESTA's feedback for their trainer programs.

The Design StrategyInstead of creating an aggregate design of their existing data, I chose instead to focus on taking a strategic look at how they approach teaching creative entreprise to their audience and incorporate these ideas to propose a redesign of their feedback mode. My hope is that this framework will better enhance their service model, both internally and externally.

This simple framework is a tool for understanding how to unite the general consensus between their participants' needs and their needs for long-term growth. In addition, thinking of our class as a team working toward a core client, it also serves a good complement to other students' data visualizations.

The strategic design itself is the visual model of FeedBACK:FeedFORWARD presented at the end of this presentation. For context, I've included it as part of an explanatory presentation.

I chose to carry forward NESTA's existing simplified style for this design, focusing on font, text, and color blocks and lines. Likewise, the model itself is meant to be simple and replicable within a workshop setting. In addition, the model builds upon NESTA values and philosophy as taught in their workshop and toolkit.

Thank you.

Han PhamUniversity of DundeeHan (at) designswinger (dot) com

Taking Starter 4 Six trainer workshops forward

WHAT NESTA KNOWS:

“The toolkit is difficult to track.”

“If you have 25 people on a program, it’s like 25 programs”

“Trainer sessions brought it to life”

“Amazing feedback... but don’t know what to do with it”

WHAT NESTA WANTS TO KNOW:

Who do we need to get on board... to create a product that can spread worldwide?

WHAT NESTA WANTS:

Use feedback longer term

... to help spread the word

... to build conversation and buy-in in Scotland and worldwide

IN ORDER TO BUILD CONVERSATION & BUY-IN, FEEDBACK NEEDS TO FEED... FORWARD

HOW?

HOW CAN NESTA GO FROM “OWNING” THE FEEDBACK... TO MAKING IT MORE OPEN SOURCE?

A LONG DAY CAN BE A BLUR:

“The emphasis on developing the person, rather than just the business”

“Would have liked more guidance on different models of delivering toolkit”

“Quite a lot of listening... could have been more condensed”

“Dessimination with colleagues could lead to useful collaborations”

“More access to sessions like this to creatives”

“Shadowing delivery would be great [in the future]”

* Feedback from Train the Trainer workshops

BREAK IT DOWN.FEEDBACK FIT 6 CORE AREAS

6 CORE AREAS:

1. TOPIC & TOOLS > “The emphasis on developing the person, rather

than just the business”

2. DELIVERY > “Would have liked more guidance on different models of

delivering toolkit”

3. TIMING > “Quite a lot of listening... could have been more condensed”

4. NETWORKING > “Dessimination with colleagues could lead to useful

collaborations”

5. INFRASTRUCTURE > “More access to sessions like this to creatives”

6. FOLLOW UP > “Shadowing delivery would be great [in the future]”

6 CORE AREAS:

1. TOPIC & TOOLS

2. DELIVERY

3. TIMING

4. NETWORKING

5. INFRASTRUCTURE

6. FOLLOW UP

USE THE BLUEPRINTING STRATEGY:

1. Do it in small steps

2. Map the entire process

* From Creative Enterprise Toolkit

IF A LONG DAY CAN BE A BLUR,IDEAS CAN GET LOST.

BREAK DOWN 6 CORE AREAS, TWICE.

step 1DURING THE SESSION

OFFER A “HOTPOINT” FEEDBACK SHEET TO

CAPTURE IDEAS AS THEY ARISE.

FEEDBACK IN SMALL STEPS

“HOTPOINT” FEEDBACK SHEET

TOPIC & TOOLS DELIVERY TIMING NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE FOLLOW UP

HOW IS THE CONTENT?

HOW IS THE DELIVERY STYLE?

HOW IS THE SCHEDULE & PACING?

WHO DO YOU NEEDTO CONNECT TO?

HOW IS THE PROGRAMSTRUCTURE?

WHAT SUPPORTDO YOU NEED FROM

NESTA NEXT?

“HOTPOINT” FEEDBACK SHEET

TOPIC & TOOLS DELIVERY TIMING NETWORKING INFRASTRUCTURE FOLLOW UP

HOW IS THE CONTENT?

HOW IS THE DELIVERY STYLE?

HOW IS THE SCHEDULE & PACING?

WHO DO YOU NEEDTO CONNECT TO?

HOW IS THE PROGRAMSTRUCTURE & REACH?

WHAT SUPPORTDO YOU NEED FROM

NESTA NEXT?

“Good emphasis on

developing the

person, rather than just the

business”

“... more guidance on

different models of delivering

toolkit”

“Could have been

more condensed”

“Dessimination

with colleagues could lead to

useful collaborations”

“More access to sessions like

this to creatives”

“Shadowing delivery would be great [in the

future]”

step 2AFTER THE SESSION

GET THE BIG PICTURE.

BIG PICTURE FEEDBACK

TOPIC & TOOLS

TIM

ING

NETWORKING

INFR

AST

RU

CT

UR

EFO

LLO

W U

P WHAT WERE OUR STRENGTHS?

WHAT COULD WE IMPROVE?

DELIV

ER

Y

FEEDBACK:

FEED

BA

CK

+ _

A BIGGER PICTURE

CV

TOPIC & TOOLS

TIM

ING

NETWORKING

INFR

AST

RU

CT

UR

EFO

LLO

W U

P WHAT WERE OUR STRENGTHS?

WHAT COULD WE IMPROVE?

DELIV

ER

YWHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT TAKE THIS FORWARD? (OBSTACLES, ACTIONS)

WHO CAN HELP YOU?

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT?

FEEDBACK:

FEEDFORWARD:

FEED

FOR

WA

RD

FEED

BA

CK

FIRST, FEEDBACK IN SMALL STEPS.

THEN, FEEDBACK THAT MOVES FORWARD.

... BY BUILDING CONVERSATIONS BEYOND NESTA

“Create opportunities to share perspectives... and for ideas to be cross-pollinated”

“Informal peer support can often be very valuable to validate thinking and inspire confidence”

“Informal peer support is often more effective than formal, tutor-led support.”

* From NESTA Tutor Notes

FEEDBACK|FEEDFORWARD CAN:

Use feedback longer term

... to help spread the word

... to build conversation and buy-in in Scotland and worldwide

CV

TOPIC & TOOLS

TIM

ING

NETWORKING

INFR

AST

RU

CT

UR

EFO

LLO

W U

P WHAT WERE OUR STRENGTHS?

WHAT COULD WE IMPROVE?

DELIV

ER

YWHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT TAKE THIS FORWARD? (OBSTACLES, ACTIONS)

WHO CAN HELP YOU?

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT?

FEEDBACK:

FEEDFORWARD:

FEED

FOR

WA

RD

FEED

BA

CK

MORE THAN FEEDBACK - FEEDFORWARD.

In it for the long haul

A STRATEGIC REDESIGN OF NESTA’S FEEDBACK SERVICE MODEL

Han Pham

University of Dundee, MSc Design Ethnography

Han@Designswinger.com

A STRATEGIC REDESIGN OF NESTA’S FEEDBACK SERVICE MODEL: IDEAS FOR IMPLEMENTATIONImplementation Service StrategyThis FeedBACK:FeedFORWARD feedback model was inspired by and incorporates not only NESTA’s philosophy and models, but also recognizes NESTA’s movement from owning the data to making it open source; from a paper-based kit to an online resource; from making it abstract to actionable.

This model improves on the current questionnaire aggregate feedback model in a few ways: It helps participants capture live feedback during the workshop; it focuses responses more specifically into 6 core topical areas suggested by existing feedback; the circuar model celebrates distinct individual trajectory of thoughts under a unified umbrella; and, most importantly it provides a blueprint for action for the participants themselves.

A blueprint for actionIt’s important for NESTA to know what they need to do next; however most of the feedback actually centered on what the participants needed to review, reflect or do -- the idea of feeding action forward into the community. Therefore while capturing feedBACK for NESTA, this also can be a take-home action plan for the participants themselves about what they need to do next: What steps they can take; Who they need to connect with; what impact they want to have. This ties in with two core NESTA philosophies: building conversation and encouraging peer networking and support.

An online modelNESTA can facilitate this online conversation easily, by offering customized online templates for automatic emails to be sent for general audiences and needs. Current feedback suggests that next steps fall into similar areas across participants: reviewing the materials with peers, reviewing the materials with a supervisor for buy-in, incorporating it into a current teaching plan; creating a new course; using the materials for themselves. This feedFORWARD model clarifies individual action points needed for these objectives.

For example, a participant needing to share the materials with a supervisor can click on an automated content/audience-appropriate “postcard update” to be sent to his supervisor from the NESTA website. Later, NESTA would be able to track both action steps, potential audiences through the feedback form as well as through the usage of the online templates, and trigger conversation efficiently with existing resources. High traffic for a particular audience or area forms natural affinitized communities that can be offered additional support at a later time through simple, shared online mediums such as, for example, a worldwide tweetchat for educators creating new courses using the toolkit.