Question, Design, Test, Repeat

RAILS grantees practice solving problems with design thinking and learn to tell their story

Heading into December, our 2018–19 RAILS grantees have participated in five topical workshops to sharpen their skills, check in with us and other grantees, and acquaint them with Sacramento’s innovation ecosystem. October and November’s workshops were a crash-course in understanding the perspective of their stakeholders with the topics of design thinking and marketing and sales.

October: Design Thinking

October’s design thinking workshop was hosted by La Familia Counseling Center in the STEM Center and was led by Brett Taylor, Ed. D.. Brett leads University of the Pacific’s Social and Educational Entrepreneurship program which is putting on these workshops as a way to engage the community in thinking like an entrepreneur¹. He began the workshop by sharing his background and work with the University of the Pacific. Then, he dove into the principles of design thinking.

Grantees formed groups of three to address a problem identified by a group member. They went through the five-step design thinking process to identify said problem and develop solutions:

Empathy

Learn your stakeholders’ needs and wants

Define

Take insights learned to define the problem

Ideate

Brainstorm as many ideas as possible that would address the problem before deciding on one to test

Prototype

Bring the solution into vision through sketching, building, rapid prototyping, etc.

Test

Test the prototype with customers to determine if solution should be modified or if another solution should be implemented

When grantees completed the process, solutions ranged from a “Job Box” to pair employers with job seekers to a YouTube channel to engage residents and increase electric vehicle user adaptation.

While this was a fun exercise, participants walked away with a new tool to solve problems and connect with their respective communities.

November: Marketing and Sales

November’s marketing and sales workshop was hosted and led by Mark Haney of HaneyBiz.

The workshop began with a panel that included Mia Lopez, Marketing Director at Uptown Studios; Daniel Lowndes, District Manager at Anixter, Inc.; Donte Morris Co-Founder of HoopMaps; Chad Hodges President HSB Solutions; and Carmen Marsh, CEO and Co-Founder of Inteligenca.

Panelists spoke on subjects ranging from engaging stakeholders to building a team to how to hear what is not being said. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Share your Story — Start With Why has been a recurring theme in these workshops. Panelists’ advice was to “sell the problem” to potential stakeholders. Participants and patrons can better connect with what you are offering if you explain what motivates you and why your solution is important.
• Engage your participants — Participants are your biggest advocates. Make sure they know what you are trying to accomplish and your why so they can share with their communities.
• Have a clear message — A clear message is easier for stakeholders to understand and share. Confusion muddles your message, so know your message front to back. Practicing can help, but too practiced can come off inauthentic.
• Know your stakeholders’ needs — Another recurring theme… pay attention to the needs of your clients! While sharing your objectives, make sure you are listening to what your stakeholders need. You may need to pause and analyze the conversation to ensure you are not missing unspoken needs.
• Be confident in your mission — Your why and the problem you are addressing can be your biggest strength when sharing your story. If you lack confidence in yourself, tap into your why. Being authentic in sharing your message can help stakeholders connect with what you are trying to accomplish.

The meeting wrapped up with Medo Eldin of the HaneyBiz marketing team giving a presentation about the some of the work they do. The marketing team provided attendees with a handout with information on developing video content, putting together a good testimonial, and the basic items needed in a video production kit.

2018’s workshops have hopefully provided value for RAILS grantees. Check back soon for an update on grantee progress this grant cycle.

¹If you are interested in getting in touch with Brett and the University of the Pacific about these workshops, feel free to reach out to me and I can connect you.