The Ask
Help us impart design thinking skills to select cross-team staff members so that we can start the journey towards improving internal innovations as a Safaricom
The Observation
Cross-department collaboration is uncommon in large organizations like Safaricom, where market-driven products are often developed by individual departments without input from other teams. This siloed approach can hinder innovation.The Process
- Design Thinking Workshop
- A three-day hands-on workshop conducted in collaboration with Utu.
- 36 participants, divided into two groups, were trained in fundamental design thinking methodologies.
- The curriculum included:
- Basics of design thinking.
- Methods for conducting user research.
- Prototyping and testing ideas.
- Pitching concepts to secure managerial buy-in.
- Participants conducted guerrilla field studies to practice research and testing techniques.
- Implementation Support
- Post-workshop, Made provided light design thinking support as participants developed and refined their ideas over a six-month period (December 2018 – May 2019).
- Pitches to Management
- Participants presented five developed, tested, and refined ideas to the management team.
- A second round of pitches was held to determine which ideas would move to market.
The Outcome
- Hands-on design thinking skills imparted to participants with no prior experience in the methodology.
- Development and testing of five innovative ideas with managerial buy-in.
- Awaiting results of the second pitch round to identify ideas that will go to market.
- Safaricom has taken a key step towards fostering cross-departmental collaboration and innovation by equipping staff with practical tools for solving real-world challenges.