2018 NAEPSDP Conference

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION
Extension’s roots were born from innovation. Yet, creativity and the art of experimentation have been lost in our current culture of efficiency.

Design thinking, born from research by Tim Brown (IDEO) and the Stanford D School, provides an actionable step-by-step process for creative design that can help Extension professionals develop creative solutions to current complex challenges and opportunities. This innovative approach includes five stages of design – empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test – and is ideal for Extension because it offers a human-centered approach to issues identification and program planning.

While traditional models of program planning, like the Logic Model, are still very much relevant to how we plan and identify resources and objectives, design thinking offers a more robust and agile method to plan engagement opportunities by moving evaluation up in the planning process and guaranteeing a higher level of impact.

Design thinking leans heavily on empathy and incorporates ways to actively engage clientele in the program planning process. Even more, design thinking encourages failing early and pivoting where necessary to ensure every idea will be met with success.

This session will provide participants with an introduction to design thinking, examples of how it is currently being implemented in Extension, and an introduction to hands-on design thinking activities for an immersive experience. Participants will leave the discussion with a better understanding of the non-linear process necessary for designing solutions to complex challenges and opportunities.

Participants will be armed with daily habits and activities they can utilize right away in their work and with colleagues. Additional information will be provided for further design thinking collaborative learning opportunities for continued learning and development.