Here's the paper that was submitted to DMI. Jon helped me edit it and thought of a really fancy title for it; "Breeding an Innovative and Socially Minded Designer: A Proposal for a Non-Profit Design Consultancy"

I will begin my final undergraduate Industrial Design class on Monday; IDUS431 Senior Studio. I'll probably be revamping my site in the next week so that I can document the new course. I'm also taking Wheel Throwing I, so perhaps I'll post some of that work periodically.

Here's my process book. It summarizes everything I've done in the past 8 weeks.

Now all that's left is to prepare a short publishable paper to submit to various magazines and journals. I think I'm going and submit to DMI, Ambidextrous Magazine, and Innovation.

A couple intresting things from Google and their contribution to the nonprofit sector.

They just hired Dr. Larry Brilliant to head up Google.org, a charitable spin-off.

And I just found out about Google Grants. Which apparently gives away free advertising to nonprofit organizations.

Cool stuff from a cool company.

Here's the first draft of my final proposal. I got some good input in class yesterday so I'm currently making some of those tweaks.

But for anybody out there that has time, I'd love for you to look at it and let me know what you think.

((UPDATE: Now it's version 2))

Here are some concepts put together by my good friend Cameron Frantz. I've also included my original idea. I'd like to get some feedback from you guys. Vote for your favorite in the comments.

Here are some budget variations I've been working on. I had originally planned to rely on grants and donations to cover the operating expenses of this organization, but after a class discussion I learned that may be too optimistic. So I've done some budget ideas that would allow all the costs to be recovered by a fee paid by the volunteers. This would allow me freedom from restrictions and guidelines associated with most grants. This fee could be tax deductible and be paid by the individual, their company, or from funds raised by the individual.
Thoughts?

Here's an updated version of the timeline I posted earlier today. I expanded some of the details of the system and have included the consultancy/corporate perpsective. I also changed the name to a Business Flow Model, I think it better reflects its intention.

Here's an image that explains the flow of this nonprofit consultancy. It also introduces the idea of having a partner to assist in the operation. I think this is a vital component that I recognized during my research. I saw first-hand how an executive director can become bogged down with the day to day tasks and lose sight of the overall vision. I want to avoid this pitfall in my organization.

A scenario is a narrative involving personas. It is written to help explain what you are doing and to identify any holes you may have in the design.

This scenario is written about Evan and Consultancy X. If you haven't read those personas, you should probably look at those first. I definately identified some kinks and gaps in my ideas with this process and will be using it to refine my ideas.

While checking his usual online forums, Evan sees a post from a peer describing a volunteer experience he had. Evan thinks back to his experience at the soup kitchen and is interested to see that this individual was able to use his professional skills to assist nonprofits. Evan immediately begins to redesign the flow of the kitchen in his head, like he does every Thanksgiving.

Evan clicks on the link where the poster says who his friend volunteered with. He is taken to the website of A Red and Gray Group. As he peruses around the site and sees some of the projects completed he reads more testimonials from volunteers and gets increasingly interested. Evan is intrigued by the volunteering process. The volunteer must pay for their travel expenses, but since Red and Gray has it's own dormitories and kitchen there is only a small fee for room and board. As a participant he is also asked to contribute one week of his personal vacation time. He is also told to ask his company for one week paid time off so that he may volunteer for a mandatory total of two consecutive weeks. He likes this part because he feels like his efforts are being rewarded and recognized by his company but is nervous about the principals of Consultancy X agreeing to this. Evan is relieved when he finds a document written specifically to his bosses. It explains why this experience is important for employees and also the benefits for Consultancy X. Eventually he decides to go ahead and apply so that his profile and resume can be in consideration for future projects. He also prints off the document for his employers and quickly reviews the tips on how to approach your boss.

Evan enters the office of his manager and hands him the document. He explains that he's decided to volunteer a week of his vacation time this year and would like the support of the company with another week off. The boss sounds intrigued about this request and quickly glances at the document. He tells Evan that he'll look over the document and speak with him the next day.

The next day Evan finds two new emails waiting for him. One is from his manager, he explains how community involvement is a high priority at Consultancy X and is glad to see Evan taking initiative on this opportunity. He goes on to explain that Consultancy X would be happy to support his efforts and is willing to award him one week of paid time off. He has also offered to pay for all of Evan's expenses.

Evan is enthused. He checks his second email which is from A Red and Gray Group. This is a personal email from Hillary the project manager. She welcomes him to the family and is excited to offer him a position on a project upcoming two months away. The project will involve an audit of a nonprofit organization, The Safe House, that offers services for battered women. The team will need to quickly asses the current programs that are being offered and will work with the employees there to improve their curriculum and enrollment systems.

Evan checks his schedule and makes sure that the dates don't conflict with any of his projects at work. He receives the okay from the boss and replies to Hillary letting her know that he will be able to volunteer at that time and that he's looking forward to meeting her.

One week before Evan is scheduled to leave he receives a packet from A Red and Gray Group. It includes a contract for him to sign. It explains the mission of the organization and how a volunteer fits into that mission. It also receives some initial research on the The Safe House. Included are some statistics on abuse and testimonials from victims. Hillary has also included a questionnaire, it includes questions like his favorite music, soda, and meal. It also notes that if he wants to, Evan can offer to cook his favorite dish or specialty during his two week stay.

Evan flies to A Red and Gray Group's headquarters and is greeted by Hillary at the airport. She welcomes him with a hug and helps him load his bags into her car. On the drive to the studio, she explains that the other 4 team members have already arrived. She answers his questions concerning the history of the organization and how she got involved.

Evan enters the converted warehouse that is now A Red and Gray Group's headquarters. Immediately he is approached by Chap, the Founder/Director of the organization. Chap shakes his hand vigorously and expresses his gratitude for his envolvement. Chap introduces him to the four other team members; Peter a graphic designer from Farmer's Insurance, Sarah a interior designer for Applebee's, Robert a usability expert from AOL, and Jessica an interaction designer from Frog Design.

Robert grabs the bags he's carrying and leads the way up to the sleeping rooms. Evan inspects his surroundings as he walks. He is surprised to see the cluster of high-end workstations in one corner and a small yet comprehensive model shop in another. It's not that he expected it to be outdated he just didn't expect the facilities to be on par with his own consultancy.

That evening the entire group eats dinner together at a large table in the center of the space. They share some of their expectations of the next two weeks and some of their concerns.

The next morning they make a one hour drive to The Safe House. They are greeted by the executive director and told to do whatever is needed to get the information they need. Two of the team members start by doing one on one interviews with all of the staff as well as some of the clients they serve. Evan sets up a camera and observes the executive director in his daily routine. The team continues this process for another 3 days, sitting in on therapy sessions, going through internal documents, inspecting marketing material and generally observing all aspects of the operation. They also take multiple trips to homes were some of these abused women live.

The group then spends the next few days organizing all this information and synthesizing it into an understandable form. They use this shared understanding to envision a new safe house. They rethink all the the roles of the employees and the people they are trying to assist. They create a new system designed around the needs of these women and make the administration duties more manageable for the staff. They create a comprehensive proposal for the Safe House and present this with the findings of the research to the board. It goes well and they executive director is enthused about the possibility of this new system.

In the evenings they eat dinner and discuss the days events. They also spend some of their free time exploring the local community on bikes provided by Red and Gray.

On the day before Evan is to leave, the group spends the day dissecting their experience. They talk about how they are going to bring what they've learned back into their home companies. The group spends a few hours collaborating on a powerpoint that each will use to explain the experience at their respective companies.

Evan returns to Consultancy X feeling refreshed and energized about his role as a information architect.

A week later Evan receives a package. In it is a handwritten note from Hillary and Chap. They thank him again for his participation and encourage him to contact them anytime. A plaque is included recognizing Consultancy X for their contribution as well as a poster to hang up at work. A few information cards are included for him to pass out to interested coworkers. He is reminded about the presentation and sets an appointment with the design team. He also invites management.

After his presentation Evan thanks the management again for their great contribution, and speaks to a few designers one on one who expressed interest. He tells them more about his time and encourages them to participate.

Evan remains an active annual volunteer even though he has switched jobs recently. He made sure to emphasis the importance of this experience for him and the support of his employer while interviewing.

My good friend Evan Gale just sent me a link to Design for Africa. It is a project by a group of industrial designers that wish to harness the design process to positively impact the country of Africa.

My favorite part of the site so far:

"Much of the Western world considers design to be the creation of aesthetically pleasing products, appealing and available to the consumer. While this is one function of design, there are other functions far more important to local communities.

Design is problem solving – it’s a work in progress which requires non-conventional, abstract and creative thinking. A design arises from the application of an uncomplicated method that can be learnt by anyone with an open mind. This method applies to all products and services regardless of shape, size and function."

Personas are a design tool developed by Alan Cooper and introduced in his book The Inmates Are Running the Asylum. A persona represents a person who will use or be affected by a design. These embodiments are loosely based around actual people encountered during research but may incorporate attributes from a variety of individuals. Although personas can be exaggerated for emphasis and may appear stereotypical on the surface, these specific archetypes are crucial to a user-centered design process. It is important for these characters to have names and faces so that they may be an active participant and a valuable contribution.

Personas are effective because they help us keep in mind that actual human beings will have to interact with our creations. They create a shared understanding of these individuals for the entire design team. They also are good reminders that we're not designing for ourselves. For example; A designer may love ordering and customizing products on the internet, but if he is presented with designing a wheelchair distribution system for senior citizens one of his personas might be an older woman who isn't comfortable with technology. This persona, and the end users that it represents, must be taken into consideration and affect the final solution.

For these project I have also chosen to personify a corporation. This will help me to understand their perspective of a nonprofit consultancy and will allow me to be sensitive to some of the specific concerns they may have.


Consultancy X
Consultancy X is a fast paced, high stress consultancy that primarily develops internal software for technology companies. Employees are expected to be "billable" or working on a project 90% of their time. The company often utilizes nights and occasional weekends to make short deadlines and cut down on expenses. Average length of employment is 2.5 years. Employees range from human factors specialists to sales associates.

The principal owners of Consultancy X realize that a volunteer program or charitable contribution to the community is important for public relations. But, because it has no immediate financial return and would require expenses to create and maintain such a system, the idea has fallen by the wayside.

The increasingly short stay of employees is beginning to worry management as recruitment and training costs is increasingly affecting overall profitability.


Evan
Evan is a 26 year old information architect working at Consultancy X. He typically works 90 hour weeks and spends the majority of his free time blowing off steam with computer games or a night out on the town. He loved his college education at Kent State because of the engaging conversations and debates with fellow students. He also misses the high level problems that don't seem to come his way often at Consultancy X.

Evan feels drained at his current job. With so many projects, he never gets to spend time diving deep into research or really understanding the underlying problems. Although He original got into the field to "change the world" and make the complex clear, he knows that his skills aren't be utilized to their fullest. He's currently looking into graduate school and thinks that with a master's degree he may be able to move up the food chain and influence change from a higher position.

Growing up Evan volunteered at Salvation Army every thanksgiving with his family. This is a tradition he has carried on to adult life, but with every visit this becomes an increasingly frustrating experience because of the kitchen's disorganization and overall inefficiency.


Michael
Michael is 35 years old and is currently working as a graphic designer at Bank of America. He originally received a degree in computer science from Virginia Tech. During the infamous dot com boom of the late nineties he got interested in graphical user interfaces. He landed a job at eToys working on website interfaces and rode the bubble economy all the way to bust.

After the turbulence of his last job, Michael decided he would feel more comfortable at a corporation. Although it doesn't offer the extreme partying and excessive pay, he doesn't miss the all-night work sessions. This stable atmosphere offers a clear and unifying mission that he felt was lacking at eToys.

Because of Bank of America's long-term strategy plans, Michael has begun to ponder his own future and career opportunities. He's not interested in another riotous start-up, but thinks that a design consultancy may offer a little more room to experiment and learn about some new design avenues. Since most of Michael's friends are computer programmers at BOA, he knows he must begin to network with other people outside the company to get his foot in the door at a consultancy.


Jim
Jim is 45 years old currently serving as executive director at a small nonprofit, The Star Center. Their primary mission is to offer an after-school program for local neighborhood children. He earned his bachelor's degree in communication from Ohio State and fell into the nonprofit sector inadvertently. After working for the city government for several years he was offered this position because of his love for children and his exceptional organizational skills.

After 7 years at the center Jim feels overwhelmed. The previous director was the founder of the organization and subsequently ran things in a very specific and eccentric manor. Jim scrambled to get up to speed on the operation and had little time to question the system. Many of the programs don't seem to be effective as they use to and enrollment has steadily declined since Jim took over. He is afraid that he might not be the best person for the job, after all, "I have no formal education in the matter."

The majority of Jim's day is filled with paperwork and answering phones. He is rarely able to use any of his communication or organizational skills and just tries to keep his head above water. He hardly ever thinks about the future strategy for the The Star Center, although he is required to submit a yearly plan. He usually just updates the previous year's document a couple days before its due.

Jim knows The Star Center could be doing a better job, but feels like bringing up the situation with the board may cause more trouble than it's worth.

Obviously we need to get some real graphic designers in here. I've put in a call to my old roomate, half German, half Japanese, 100% graphics wizzz... CAMERON FRANTZ!

Possibly too pill-ish- but it might help.
From: Stefanie Danhope-Smith

What do you think of "A Red & Gray Group"? Red for heart and gray for brains.

Mission Statement

The mission of this organization is to provide a respite for professional designers, allowing them to use their skills to address social problems and empower people in need. To achieve this, we will do the following:

Recruit top design talent from corporations and consultancies to volunteer their time and expertise.

Foster relationships with humanitarian nonprofit organizations that are interested in forward thinking and innovative ideas.

Utilize contextual research techniques to assist these organizations in achieving their mission or refining it.

Educate social workers and philanthropists on the benefits of a user-centered iterative design process and how they can utilize these techniques themselves.

Vision Statement

This organization is envisioned as an interdisciplinary consultancy; which places a high value on the greater good, individuals, education, and the impoverished as opposed to bottom-line profits.

We aspire to change the perspectives of designers who feel like tools of industry by offering a meaningful experience. We will awaken their passion for ingenuity through the unraveling of complex social problems.

We seek to inspire the nonprofit sector with a radical approach, irreverent enthusiasm, and untraditional insight.

We have a hunger to enlighten altruists about the power of design.

Here is the paper I turned in yesterday. It summarizes everything I've done on this project so far. Read it over and let me know what you think.

I've had some great opportunities to interview some knowledgeable people. Right now I'm transcribing all of those. I never really appreciated how helpful this process is. You really do miss a lot of detail and information if you just take notes during the interview instead of recording.

Is there anybody out there in close contact with a person who has started a nonprofit? It's harder to find these people than I had thought.

Here is the refined focus statement the class helped me come up with.

The focus of my project is to develop a humanitarian consultancy that matches social problems with designers' skills in order to empower people in need.

And for the continuation of my research phase I'm going to explore the key terms in that statement.

After my initial presentation, pitching the idea of the nonprofit design consultancy, my professor Jon Kolko has given me some great feedback on what he thinks I should create for this project. Here are his thoughts.

I recommend revising your schedule by working backwards from your final deliverable; consider what, exactly, you plan on handing in. I feel that your final design package should, in some way, address the following elements:

1. A mission statement


2. A vision statement


3. A description of the business, including marketing, competition, potential employees and potential clients


4. A description of financial data, including a discussion of capital equipment, supplies, income projections, etc


5. A breakdown of fixed costs, including physical space, utilities, and licenses


6. Name and brand identity exploration / recommendations


7. List of services provided, and an understanding of the various industries that you attempt to participate in. A “design consultancy” is vague. Will you make physical products? Digital? Print?


8. A visual illustration, chart or diagram explaining exactly how the mechanics of your consultancy will operate. Who will you work with? What sort of projects are explored? How does money and information flow through the system to create some sort of social value in the end?


9. Templates of contracts


10. Some form of allocation of resources, indicating how you intend to control a nonprofit status (ie, all money is accounted for within the business)


11. Some form of “launch”, indicating that the business is ready for action. This could be the public announcement of a website, a press release, etc.


12. A description of how you attempt to find and recruit top design talent to work for “free”

Feel free to comment and add your ideas.

I'm going to be contacting Chris Rockwell for an interview this week. Chris started the design research company Lextant where I had an internship last summer. His background is in human factors and he teaches interdisciplinary design at Ohio State University.

I think Chris is a good example of a small design business owner because he has had a wide range of experience in the industry. He begin researching as a child with his father, performed research at a corporate job, started his own consultancy, grew the business to multiple locations, was forced to downsize, and has an understanding of working with investors. Of course Chris has a lot more expertise to offer on this topic, these are just off the top of my head from casual conversations we've had. It is my goal to capture as much of this expertise as possible when I interview him this week.

Here are some questions I'm thinking about, feel free to comment and add your own recommendations.

Why did you decide to start your own business (as opposed to staying corporation)?

What do you do on a daily basis?

What have been some of the most enjoyable times?

What have been some of the most difficult times?

Are there things you wish somebody would have told you when you were first starting out?

What kind of professional development opportunities do you offer your staff?

How do you see Lextant's contribution to the local Columbus community?

Have you ever considered volunteering your staff's skills to assist a nonprofit?

Ryan, Daniel, and I came up with this diagram. It is an attempt to graphically show the steps of learning from a direct experience.

First someone has an experience. This could be anything; reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to a song. For this illustration we focused on first hand experiences, like an encounter with a houseless person or a discussion with an elderly family member.

Then that event is processed internally and weighed against individual beliefs and experiences.

Later in a safe place, often in the company of close friends, one feels comfortable enough to share the experience without fearing judgement.

This act of sharing can produce self-discovery, inspiration, and reconciliation with previous convictions or prejudices.


We discussed the idea of viewing this nonprofit as the safe place, but decided that to try and artificially create a safe place would not be successful. It would be more productive to focus on offering challenging contextual experiences from which this process can make its natural order.