Want to Be More Nimble? Try Design Thinking.
An Interview with teenyBIG.
Design Thinking in action!
I’ve heard that despite initial enthusiasm, many nonprofits’ strategy and planning efforts are quickly out of date. Or that the planning process is drawn out, expensive, and results in a dry document that doesn’t engage staff or board members.
My colleague, Emily Taylor, is the Principal of the nonprofit consultancy, teenyBIG www.teenybig.com, using the effectiveness of Design Thinking to help member- and visitor-based nonprofits make a bigger impact on their mission and the way they integrate it.
Design Thinking has become increasingly popular in recent years—it is often used in for-profit business to understand consumers and sell more products. But Emily’s approach of applying this strategy to the nonprofit world is really interesting so I wanted to dig a little deeper.
1. What the heck is “Design Thinking,” Emily?
Design Thinking is a process that allows strategic decisions to be made while being focused on, and in collaboration with, users. It is traditionally the 5 steps listed in the graphic below (Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test) but it has been adapted to different formats. What is important is that as a strategy is developed and feedback from the people affected by the decision is collected and incorporated rather than directives coming from the top down.
2. Why do you think this method works so well when applied to a nonprofit?
I think this is so important to nonprofits because this means they can be focused on the people who are impacted by their mission throughout a strategy.
Nonprofits are often great experts at what they do but because of this ‘Curse of Knowledge’ about their area of service they can have a hard time connecting with or make assumptions about people who do not have that knowledge.
For example, I recently conducted volunteer interviews for a nonprofit who was surprised to find out that some of their highest level supporters felt like the organization was moving away from its mission as it started to have higher attendance. We discovered that their success in event promotion was drowning out their mission work for some of the most important people to them, even though they thought they were being loud and clear. Now they can ask the question, how might I better share our mission work with our strongest supporters?
But the benefits of design thinking go on, as it is also collaborative, which helps with buy-in from supporters, partners, and funders. I recently held a workshop with an economic development organization that had business owners, property owners, and nonprofits who disagreed with how to move forward, all at the same table. Through the course of a few hours, they were able to align on the challenges and collaboratively create high level ideas for equitable development, giving the internal team guardrails for what was important to keep everyone on board.
Lastly, the prototyping and testing portion of the process helps to reduce assumptions about our strategy and build confidence that it can impact our mission. Adding reality to an idea and getting it in front of people is the quickest way to understand how people interpret our ideas. I could go on, but it might be best to check out my 3 part blog posts on A Crash Course in Design Thinking for Nonprofits.
3. What makes your process “nimble”?
When we focus on people’s perspectives we can start to learn what the most important parts of an organization’s impact are to the people that are most affected by them. From here we can prioritize an organization’s efforts so that we know what can change without eroding the organization’s mission and where it can grow. In using the iterative prototyping and testing parts of the process, we also build in agility.
Ideas don’t have to be scrapped because organizations fear their failure, they can be tested in appropriate ways and be improved upon while building team confidence in their outcomes.
Not only does this build better programs and strategy, but by seeing it as flexible, it keeps an open mind for change when the inevitable shifts arrive.
4. How do you use graphic design in what you do?
Though graphic design is supposedly not essential in design thinking, I feel that visual communication is very important in a user-centered process. As society changes, we need to communicate our ideas quickly and visual communication can help us say more, with less lingo, across boundaries.
When I present a strategy to a team, I present findings through visual representations - photos, simple graphics, charts - that quickly give a sense for what is happening and make a memorable impression. These elements help tell the story of my strategy to my clients, but also help them tell their story to their supporters. I’m excited to see nonprofits using companies, like Sunny Day Design, because it does help them communicate more effectively with people.
I love hearing that graphic design can be an effective component of the design thinking process! I’m definitely talking with more clients lately about how a simple infographic, for example, can quickly and beautifully capture the key points of their strategic plan, evaluation results, or annual report financials.
Thanks for the insights, Emily!
If you’d like to hear more about how design thinking can improve your member- or visitor-based organization, contact Emily Taylor.
Hello!
I’m Cristina, Founder and Creative Director of Sunny Day Design.
I specialize in working with nonprofits and social enterprises to create unique and powerful communications that raise awareness, inspire action, and make a bigger impact in the world. My blog provides helpful nonprofit marketing insights and fresh creative ideas to help your organization stand out.
Send me an email and I’ll add you to my mailing list.