On January 16th, 2014, the Design For America Stanford Studio gathered to share their progress on topics including patients and pills, distracted driving, support for parents of children with autism, and others. This session was designed to design fast experiments to advance understanding of the problem space by testing assumptions and possible solutions.

1. Mad Scientist Lab
credit:
Jim
Bouldin
Erin Liman | Innovation is Social | @liman
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2. Experiments Speed Learning
Measure
Build
Learn
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3. Lab Goals
•
•
•
•
Identify assumptions to test
Decide which assumption to test FIRST
Brainstorm the fastest way to (in)validate this assumption
Design 1-2 experiments to run over the next 2 weeks
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4. 5
STEPS

5. 1
2
3
4
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Share “as-is” and “to-be” stories
Collect and prioritize assumptions
Brainstorm experiments with a Mad Scientist
Select the “best” experiment
Present your experiment, enlist help

6. Stories Guide Product Development
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7. Compelling stories
are about change

8. Figure out
the current story
Tell a
new story

9. Stories enable us to step into another person’s shoes

10. Questions to Answer
1. Who has this problem?
2.What’s the pain?
3.How severe is this pain relative to others?

11. Story: Re-thinking the MRI for Kids

12. Transforming Terror into Delight

13. Examine Anxiety Points
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2
3
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SEPARATION
WILL MY PARENTS LEAVE ME?
PAIN
IS THIS GOING TO HURT?
THE DOCTOR
SPEED AND EFFICIENCY IS OFTEN SEEN AS DISLIKE
THE UNKNOWN
KIDS OFTEN ASSUME THE WORST

14. Transforming Terror into Delight
“As is”
“To be”

15. Figure out
the current story
Tell a
new story

16. Experiment Protocol:
1. Choose a team to collaborate with.
2. Decide which team talks first. This is team “A.”
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17. Team A performs a skit
to share the problem
with Team B
Team B listens deeply and notes
assumptions (one thought per Post-It)
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18. Team B performs a skit
to share the problem
with Team A
Team A listens deeply and notes
assumptions (one thought per Post-It)
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19. Tell the New Story
1. Establish characters and relationships
2. Show the the character’s objective
3. Set the scene (where)
TIPS:
Show how she overcomes the challenge
Show outcome, with main character as the hero NOT the product
Person changes as an outcome of the experience

20. Brainstorm a skit to show
how you’ll reduce or
eliminate the pain

21. Team A performs a skit
to share the solution idea
with Team B
Team B listens deeply and notes
assumptions (one thought per Post-It)
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22. Team B performs a skit
to share the solution idea
with Team A
Team A listens deeply and notes
assumptions (one thought per Post-It)
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23. Rank assumptions
Order assumptions from most to least important
Most
Least

24. Design experiments to test
your top 1-2 assumptions

25. Plan: what to test. It should be a piece of your bigger idea.
1. What we believe is (un)true... (assumptions, guesses)
2. What we want to learn (prove / disprove)

26. Elect Mad Scientists
One member of each team rotates to the team
on the right to suggest wild ideas

27. Stoke

28. Brainstorm Experiments

29. Little bets. Build on the ideas of others with a “Yes, and...,” Be as visual as possible.
Encourage wild ideas. One conversation at a time. Headline! Defer judgment. Stay on topic.
Brainstorm ways to test an assumption in the smallest way possible.
3. How might we prove / disprove... (Little bets)
Come up with at least 6 wild ideas for experiments:

30. What will you commit to?
We, <team name> commit to learning... (something to prove or disprove)
What we need to learn first is...
To do this, the experiment we will run is...
We’ll measure success/failure by...
The help we need is...
<Name> will post results on myproject.is by <specific day, THIS month>
Add it to your calendar now!

31. Team Sharing / Enlisting Co-conspirators
We, <team name> commit to learning... (something to prove or disprove)
What we need to learn first is...
To do this, the experiment we will run is...
We’ll measure success/failure by...
The help we need is...
<Name> will post results on myproject.is by <specific day, THIS month>

32. Il
...
ke
i
I wish...

33. Thank You!
Erin Liman
Innovation Accelerator, Team Whisperer
Innovation is Social, LLC
twitter: @liman
blog: innovationissocial.com
linkedin.com/erinliman
about.me/erinliman
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