DI Toolkit
We developed our Design Innovation Toolkit as a compilation of a range of key elements that serve as the “recipe” for how we approach the concept of design innovation at 鶹ӰԺ State.
The DI Toolkit is essentially a mash-up of design, design thinking, human-centered-design, and innovation strategies that we believe are essential to the practice of becoming “fearless collaborators.” The DI Toolkit consists of eleven "elements" that are interwoven, overlapping, cyclical, and provide a practical foundation for how you can apply Design Innovation in impactful ways. The eleven elements of the DI Toolkit include:
| SuperpowersSuperpowers are the unique abilities that you contribute to your team. When you understand and embrace your superpowers, and those of your teammates, you collectively activate your combined skills and perspectives to maximize success. |
| StorytellingStories make ideas more accessible, enabling others to connect emotionally to your ideas and act on them. Use storytelling to create engaging narratives that clearly communicate problems and solutions to your community. |
| Collaboration and Team DynamicsSuccessful collaboration requires diverse perspectives and effective communication to form strong, cohesive teams. In nurturing the dynamics of your team, you enable creative problem-solving and encourage novel thinking. |
| The Role of EmpathyEmpathy is the ability to develop a deep understanding of the feelings, perspectives, and experiences of others. Practicing empathy helps you connect with people and ensures you design solutions that are meaningful and impactful. |
| Gain Deep Insight into ProblemsGaining deep insight means engaging with people and their environments to uncover the root causes of challenges. These insights allow you to reframe problems and co-create solutions that have real impact. |
| Play and the Creative ProcessPlay fosters a safe space for experimentation where teams can unlock creativity, explore new ideas, and push past mental barriers. Use play to help you and your team uncover novel solutions by connecting seemingly unrelated ideas. |
| The Power of MakingMaking is a powerful communication tool that can translate abstract ideas into tangible solutions. Through making, you and your team can visualize, share, explore, refine, and test your ideas through hands-on engagement. |
| Supercharge Your BrainstormingSupercharged brainstorming uses creative techniques to generate a wide range of potential ideas and solutions. This approach helps you expand your thinking, discover fresh perspectives, and uncover unexpected possibilities. |
| Reframe the ChallengeReframing the challenge means intentionally seeing a problem from a different perspective to reveal otherwise hidden opportunities. With this mindset, you examine assumptions, ask questions, and ultimately redefine the problem to solve with greater clarity. |
| Implement Powerful and Novel SolutionsA thoughtful implementation process ensures solutions are effective and adaptable over time. This helps you turn your ideas into actionable and sustainable plans that address the needs of your audience. |
| Iterate and EvaluateUsing iteration and evaluation strategies ensures you achieve the best possible outcomes by continuously refining your solutions and responding to evolving needs. These strategies help improve your ideas through cycles of testing, evaluating, and adapting based on feedback. |
Employing the DI Toolkit
What might it look like to use the DI Toolkit to become a "fearless collaborator"? A fearless collaborator knows their own superpowers and recognizes both the strengths and ‘shadow side’ of what that might mean when they work in teams. They get good at recognizing others’ superpowers as well, and at thinking about how to thoughtfully communicate and build trust with collaborators who are not like them.
They employ thoughtful and intentional strategies for “visualizing or seeing” complex problems together with their teammates, so that collectively everyone can view the problem from multiple perspectives. They employ empathy to gain deeper insight into how the problem is experienced and utilize a variety of tools to help them ideate.
In short, a fearless collaborator is someone one who is willing to jump in and tackle problems together even when they don’t have specific expertise related to the challenge. They are confident enough to utilize key tools and resources to build trust and learn together with the goal of arriving at truly novel solutions.
This kind of thinking is not groundbreaking, but is increasingly important in the context of higher education and the evolving work of the future. The ability to create the conceptual space, ecosystem and culture to practice becoming a fearless collaborator inside large academic institutions is critically important. We ALL need support to be able to explore and fail fast, to reach beyond our comfort zones, to tackle the really messy problems together…
Creative Commons License
The DI Toolkit is openly licensed via .