Stanford Online: Design Thinking Action Lab Stage 3: Generate Novel Solutions - Ideate Submission by Shamik Chowdhury

1. Design Thinking Action Lab
Service with
a Smile:
Ideate
Shamik Chowdhury All icons courtesy www.iconfinder.com

2. Problem
Statement
The career coordinator at a hotel
school needs to explore ways to equip
her students with adequate
knowledge, understanding, skills, and
wisdom, because she wants them to
step into the hotel industry with
greater confidence and self esteem.

3. Design
Thinking
Challenge #1
Generate novel ideas
to address the
problem statement.
Practical
Disruptive
Blue
Sky

4. Design
Thinking
Challenge #2
Select three ideas
according to the
defined criteria.
Most D ruptive

5. Idea
Generation
“First they ignore us,
then they laugh at us,
then they fight us,
then we win.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

6. Idea Count:
80+
Practical & Logical
Simple & Obvious
Sans Frontières (blue sky)
Innovative & Disruptive

7. Practical
or
Logical
Implement a personality-based coaching model
Provide opportunities to continue education
Create a forum to help students interact with alumni
Implement an assessment strategy that rewards dynamism,
inherent intelligence, and inquisitiveness
Revamp the curriculum and classroom teaching methods to let
students “think” as much as they “do”
Involve techies and entrepreneurs, and encourage them to
invest in student development
Create learning that caters to multiple intelligences
Make learning interactive and experiential
Foster inquiry-based learning (question everything)
Encourage multi-disciplinary exposure to arts, humanities,
science, etc. (integrated learning)
Deliver Nano and Mobile-based learning nuggets
Provide opportunities to continue education
Introduce Externships and Master Class
Help students
“learn” better
Encourage growth
and participation

8. Practical
or
Logical
Help students improve interview handling skills, stress/time
management and other “soft” skills
Employ a professional for behavioural counselling
Conduct leadership development programs
Share stories that extol “passion for work”
Use Facebook, Twitter, Prezi, YouTube, Google Hangouts, etc. to
share knowledge and experiences
Customize learning to address learning deficiencies, learning styles
and disabilities
Conduct ‘class-to-work’ transition counselling
Collaborate with hotels to create better orientation and
on-boarding programs
Provide emigration and placement assistance
Provide post-employment guidance
Implement a cohort-based mentoring program
Provide work-life balance counselling
Set up work experience sharing blogs /video logs
Prepare students
for the job market
Ensure a smooth
“learn” to “earn”
shift

9. Simple
or
Obvious
“Design” a better
experience
Change the way
people “think”
• Employ teachers as intellectual and emotional guides
• Do better assessment of teaching resources and staff (apprenticeship)
• Leverage emerging technology - make learning collaborative
• Employ rigorous entry-level testing (IQ and EQ)
• Introduce business coaching, case studies and role-based scenarios
• Reduce the burden of classroom-based learning
• Introduce track-based education - slower students spend more time,
brighter students can fast track
• Redesign the curriculum to stress on non-academic modes of
personality development and effective decision-making
• Inculcate “Design Thinking” among staff and teachers
• Organize meditation and spiritual wellbeing sessions
• Conduct better entry behaviour assessment to define SWOT
• Conduct transition counselling to help channelize thoughts and beliefs
• Ensure industrial training is goal-oriented, rewarding, and effective
• Involve parents and community partners in 360 degree mentoring
• Expand the scope of counselling to include senior high school students
(counselling, targeting, mentoring)
• Increase awareness about hotel management education
• Introduce sports in the curriculum to foster team work and leadership
• Ask the DTAL community for help with innovative solutions

10. Innovative
or
Disruptive
Leverage technology
to inspire change
• Gamify learning (points, badges, levels, time-pressure, challenges,
rewards, risks)
• Create virtual reality environments / virtual worlds
• Use cultural immersion/ interaction platforms (cross-culturalism)
• Introduce game-based learning (e.g. hotel tycoon)
• Develop a low-risk virtual scenario-based assessment engine
• Set up cameras for live action recording and analysis of interviews,
group discussions, debates, and so on
• Create an online collaboration & communication portal to help
students exchange ideas and experiences with peers and alumni
Employ innovative
and/or disruptive
training methods
• Organize a “Tomorrow’s Hotelier” competition
• Offer custom-built MOOCs that enhance knowledge and awareness
• Host a ‘hospitality” reality show to make learning fun and experiential
• Create linkages between operational disciplines (cross-functional learning)
• Challenge students and teachers to innovate, and reward them for it!
• Introduce movie-based learning, and let students write their own scripts
• Create a game / an app / a tool / an innovation platform for collaborative learning
• Let students cross-training in other service sector industries (retail, logistics, etc.)
• Produce Mockumetaries (in line with series like The Hotel, Restaurant Makeover, etc.)
• Use TV serials and shows about hospitality to teach about customer service and cross-
cultural awareness
• Launch a college TV channel / Food show, and let students be the stars

11. Blue skies
(no barriers)
• Host a nation-wide TV show or
competition for would-be hoteliers
• Give every one a second chance to succeed
• Organize visits to the best hotels across the
world to interact with thought leaders
• Give students and teachers access to the
best research and innovations in the industry
Government and
community participation
Enhanced exposure
and well-rounded
development
Fantastical
thoughts and
ideas
• Encourage the government to improve
tourism infrastructure across the country
• Build more hotels across the country
• Educate prospective employers, and
bring about attitude change
• Get the government and private sector
to improve the work conditions in hotels
• Create deeper community bonds by
letting students participate in social,
cultural and development activities
• Create a time machine so students can travel to the future and understand
how they have changed with experience and exposure
• Create an alter ego (clone) for each student who will work in hotels and
report back experiences and observations about what works and what doesn’t
• Be a fly on the wall and observe customers and employee behaviour
• Let students interview and “select” employers during campus placement
• Let each student be the CEO of a hotel for a week
• Use hypnotherapy / subliminal reinforcement to develop the sub-conscious
• Implant chips that trigger positive thoughts and mature behaviour
• Provide funds and support to students to start their own businesses

12. Idea
Selection
“Life is a matter of
choices, and every
choice you make
makes you.”
- John C. Maxwell

14. Thank You
Design Thinking Action Lab
Shamik Chowdhury All icons courtesy www.iconfinder.com