Design Thinking in a 100 year old Automaker
Challenge
Unleash the creativity of 20 engineers and designers to create new driving experiences for the future users of a classic American muscle car and create working teams and plans to bring those new concepts to fruition.
Solution
I organized and conducted a 3-day design thinking workshop to help the group empathize with the users through research findings and engaging activities, leading to the creation of 5 novel driving experiences and an innovative concept for a new digital product.
Impact
The new drive modes and digital product were made with direct and active consideration of user insights, thus the vehicle and product will have the impact on consumers of feeling listened to by one of the largest automakers in the world, leading to more brand trust and loyalty. The drivers will also have a more engaged experience in their vehicles than competitors who were not as steadfast in their application of design thinking.
- Client stakeholder on working with Chris
Chris took the leadership role in a multi-day workshop to help the team ideate around new features for one of our critical programs.
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I was very impressed with Chris' ability to keep the enthusiasm/energy at a high level throughout. Chris was able to get significant engagement from the team - especially from team members that are traditionally introverted. Leading the dialogue and interactions came very natural to Chris, he made it look easy and we had a very successful outcome.
For a more detailed breakdown of the project, processes, and the full report, see below.
Design Thinking workshop for developing new drive modes
My internship at a large US automaker involved a large mix of different projects and working teams, but the largest part by far was a three day design thinking workshop that I planned and conducted with about 20 participants ranging from engineers to designers. The desired outcome was new drive modes not found in any other vehicle in the industry. Novelty and user needs being addressed were the main drivers for our work. Below are photos of the garage I shaped into a workshop space for our project. If you're interested in the other aspects of my internship, check out the report I wrote at the bottom of the page!
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I employed idea generation tools such as design heuristic cards, analogical thinking, morphological thinking, and my personal favorite, brain writing.
I set the space up for small teams to collaborate, with ample whiteboard writing space, pens, markers, sticky notes, and of course, snacks and water. The top photo shows a vehicle we put in the room to bring participants through some role playing exercises.
Practicum
As part of the practicum in my Design Science Master's degree obtained in December of 2019, I took an internship in a large US automaker in the Detroit area. I was hired into the human centered design team and worked on a wide array of projects, ranging from data synthesis from interviews with dealers, community engagement interviews and workshops, as well as design thinking workshops from one day to three days long exploring new technologies and new product features. I ran a three day workshop focusing on rethinking drive modes for a popular sports car this large automaker produces.
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Other than actually carrying out the internship I was required to write a 20 page paper and present to my cohort as the other part of my practicum. The paper dives into the detail of what I did as part of my internship, what I learned through the process, and how it all relates to my studies. Clicking on the image below will open a pdf of the paper I wrote. I hope you enjoy!
