5 ways we’ve designed Frontier Tech Futures to have enduring impact
Frontier Tech Futures is an immersive experience designed to build the local tech connections and capabilities of DFID departments and country offices around the world.
In this post, we talk about five design characteristics we’ve included to promote enduring impact in the offer. Because we believe in the methodology we promote, we’ve tested with users and built features based on their feedback.
1. It solves a real problem
Too many programmes are either born from the desires of a few people (e.g. senior management), or are things that sound good but no-one wants (the equivalent of the ’sitcom idea’)
Futures is different: it was born after a real user expressed a real need. The DFID Bangladesh office expressed a desire to become more confident at integrating technology into its strategy and programming, to better achieve development goals.
This correlated to our emerging hypothesis from two years of Frontier Technology Livestreaming (a DFID programme providing seed funding, coaching and matchmaking to DFID staff with ideas for how technology might play a role in their work): DFID Advisers are not fully able to consider how tech can help their work because they do not know what tech is out there.
We went to Bangladesh and delivered a prototype Futures over four days to: a) test whether this need was real or imagined; and b) experiment with different approaches to see what met the real need. We are deeply thankful to DFID Bangladesh to being such willing early adopters to our minimum viable service.
2. An in depth co-creation phase
We want to be involved in the design process, to make sure we’re coming together around real problems (DFID official)
Every DFID country office or department is different, and they all have different problems and opportunities that Futures could help solve or realise. Futures has a dedicated initial engagement phase for digging into what these underlying problems or needs might be, using techniques like the 5 Whys and the project pre-mortem.
After this, we bring in an external voice through tech startups and our local facilitators (more on these later) in co-creating the Futures experience — ensuring everyone has a voice and everyone is aligned on what the experience is.
3. A pick ’n’ mix menu
Value for us would be if this was tailored to our current programmes (DFID official)
We have 25+ activities that DFID departments can choose from to shape their Futures experience: everything from quick wins like methodology training, speed-dating technologists and setting up a virtual Slack/Whatsapp community around the tech ecosystem, to high-investment, high-impact options like setting up a rolling makerspace or a startup-DfID secondment programme.
This pick ’n’ mix has some core activities that are must-have, with optional activities that the department can choose. They fall under three main buckets: exploring the tech (knowledge), meeting the ecosystem (network) and connecting the opportunities (legacy). Having this consistent framework means we can learn what works and what doesn’t across the three buckets to iterate and enhance the service.
4. Going local
I love the idea of DFID as a convener. But it would be have to be well structured… a combination of tech innovators showcasing and working on real problems (DFID official)
If you’re serious about harnessing tech to meet development challenges (as we are), then the only sustainable way to do it is to connect with and nurture the local tech ecosystem. That’s why we’ve created a pivotal role for a local facilitator in each Futures engagement.
We’re very excited about the catalytic potential of this person. He or she connects the DFID department or country office to local tech innovators, advises on local tech trends, and can support or lead on legacy initiatives. Additionally, both the co-creation phase and lots of options in the pick ’n’ mix menu involve local and regional tech start-ups.
5. A legacy
We don’t want this to just be something cool that ends up in a newsletter (Technology innovator)
During our Bangladesh pilot and in further conversations, we were pressed on the ‘so what’: how might we sustain momentum in tech after the engagement?
The final phase of Futures is dedicated to sustaining a legacy, and, as with everything else, we co-create legacy from a range of options. An internal ambassador network? A map and strategy for how tech aligns to your programmes and priorities? A virtual or in person community?
Underpinning these ‘hard’ outputs is something less tangible but just as important: a shift in mindset and confidence in embedding tech in a rapidly changing world.
As important as being inspired by new tech is to be exposed to a new way of working and thinking (DFID Official)
We’d love to hear your thoughts on our approach, and ideas for how we can better harness the potential for technological innovation to increase our development impact.
Following from our successful pilot with DFID Bangladesh, we will engage with several more DFID country offices and departments throughout 2019. Watch this space for news of Futures engagements!
