TOOLKITS FOR CO-CREATION

Experimentation is a great way of learning in conditions of uncertainty – such as a pandemic! Exploring and testing new solutions can help to mitigate short-term adverse effects of crises, but also build new capabilities to leverage in the long run.

While the myth of a lone inventor seems to persist even in the present day, there is increasing evidence on how connections and networks are in fact the key to innovations. Here, we’ve collected some tips and tools to get you started in finding untapped potential in your networks through the interactive stakeholder mapping tool (coming soon), look at challenges from multiple angles to create diverse solution options through the ideation toolkit, and help plan how to bring initial ideas into something you can try out through the experimentation toolkit. Mix and match these free-to-use tools depending on your own needs.

Looking for inspiration for sustainable design instead? Check out the Design+Sustainability Card Deck here!

Toolkits in English
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JOIN FORCES TO IDEATE TOGETHER

Exploring solutions beyond the easy and obvious is an essential component of the design process. Although it may seem counterintuitive to consider wild ideas that are really out there, diverse ideas act as stepping stones for new solution directions – paving the way for workable solutions that are smarter, more novel, and have a higher chance of success. The ideation toolkit is a facilitated team activity where members of a team are guided through a series of steps to generate ideas. These tools are free to use, created for anyone who wants to develop better solutions.

Why?

Ideation is a great way to create a large number of ideas with a wide variety. Exploring solutions beyond the easy and obvious is an essential component of the design process. Although it may seem counterintuitive to consider wild ideas that are bizarre or preposterous, it is useful to embrace these as they may inspire you, paving the way for workable solutions that are smarter, more novel, and have a higher chance of success.

How?

The ideation toolkit is free to use, to support your team in developing better solutions. Below you find a handbook for the facilitator, a cheat sheet, as well as printout templates for a physical session and a Mural template for a virtual session.

We recommend starting by reading the handbook. Do reach out to us if you have any questions or comments.

HANDBOOK

This document is for the facilitator to prepare for a session, as well as during the session itself. This is your handbook with detailed descriptions of all exercises.

TEMPLATES

This document should be printed before the session on A3. Some pages you should print more than once, depending on the number of participants.

CHEAT SHEET

This document will help the facilitator and participants during the session itself. This is your quick reference.

MURAL TEMPLATE

This takes you to a Mural template which you can use instead of the physical templates. All instructions are repeated here to guide you through the session.

PLAN A JOINT EXPERIMENT

Early experimentation is meant to maximize learning and to understand what works, what doesn’t, and most importantly, why. By learning before investing, the stakes and costs remain low to make adaptations. The experimentation toolkit is a facilitated team activity where members of a team are guided through a series of steps to come up with an experimentation plan. These tools are free to use, created for anyone who wants to develop better solutions.

Why?

Experimentation can be a tool to validate new products or services, but more often, it is relevant to start experimentation earlier in the process. Early experimentation is meant to maximize learning and to understand what works, what doesn’t, and most importantly, why. By learning before investing, the stakes and costs remain low to make adaptations. Overall, experiments can support concretizing an idea to understand which aspects of the idea prove difficult or impossible to implement, receiving early use feedback to make appropriate changes, or to create buy-in and build momentum for the chosen direction.

How?

The experimentation toolkit is free to use, to support your team in developing better solutions. Below you find a handbook for the facilitator, a cheat sheet, as well as printout templates for a physical session and a Mural template for a virtual session.

We recommend starting by reading the handbook. Do reach out to us if you have any questions or comments.

HANDBOOK

This document is for the facilitator to prepare for a session, as well as during the session itself. This is your handbook with detailed descriptions of all exercises.

TEMPLATES

This document should be printed before the session on A3. Some pages you should print more than once, depending on the amount of participants.

CHEAT SHEET

This document will help the facilitator and participants during the session itself. This is your quick reference.

MURAL TEMPLATE

This takes you to a Mural template which you can use instead of the physical templates. All instructions are repeated here to guide you through the session.

BETA! IDENTIFY POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS

While experimenting inherently is a way to explore something new, when collaborating with people who bring different perspectives, ideas are more likely to be novel and innovative. The stakeholder mapping tool (Beta) guides you through a series of steps to identify potential collaborators to begin to experiment with. It suggests ways to both leverage your existing networks and to craft new relationships.

Go to the Stakeholder Mapper Tool (Beta)!

OTHER RESOURCES AT AALTO

CONTACT

Tua BjörklundToolkits for Co-creation