We're at the end of March 2022, meaning that I have for about a year teamed up with change makers in the nonprofit- and labour union sector to create value among their members and target groups.
March 1st 2021 I sat down and created the VAT number for ReSearch Humanity, officially founding the company of my dreams. A couple of months earlier I had quit my exiting job at a Danish nonprofit in order to give all my focus to developing change making solutions for social actors. It sounds a bit fluffy, I know..
But the main point was that I wanted to team up with actors working with vulnerable groups or who seek to create societal change, to accelerate their work, so they could create even more change making efforts at a shorter amount of time.
Having worked in the nonprofit and labour union sector, I had experienced how daily routines and the somewhat complex dynamics of social change were putting new and innovative solutions in the corner - coining them pipeline projects that quite seldom got developed into existing projects.
I could also see how internal and external actors to the organisations wanted progressive development in regard to working closer with other stakeholders (such as government, other organisations and private companies) and the target group itself.
But while the organisations aspired to develop the best solutions and collaborate with various actors, different obstacles tended to come in the way. Being a development oriented person and loving to make diverse actors interact and collaborate, I wanted to be part of the solution to this challenge.
I knew that I wanted to team up with social actors to facilitate more effective as well as efficient development of user centered solutions, by amongst other creating a space for collaborative development of solutions with internal and external stakeholders.
In order to succeed with this, I set out on the journey to introduce more social actors to the methods of human centered development. Coupled with my project management and business development experience, I today team up with nonprofits and labour unions as a development consultant, facilitator and project manager, giving team members the space to focus and co-create value creating and change making solutions.
In the first year, I've been thrilled to collaborate with actors developing:
the basis for value based communication for young LGBT+ people
a new project, which seeks out to create more inclusive and intersectional school material and environments, and ensuring EU funding to this project
a new project addressing the barriers of gender norms and stereotypes, mobilizing young people to create awareness and change among their communities
solutions strengthening the positive experiences of being unionized
a digital booking solution to make lower the barriers of getting an STI test
a campaign addressing sexual health among overlooked populations
new user insights across target groups and clients
The benefits of co-creating solutions
The conclusion from working on these projects and with my clients for a year is that there are clear benefits for social actors to use methods for co-creation, user & human centered development and more efficient development processes. Of course not for the benefit of a great proces (which is nice), but for the sake of creating change among their communities they represent and exist for.
The core benefits can, in be summarized as the following:
Participants share their knowledge in a transparent way, giving all participants a more equal access to the insights behind the challenge etc.
By sharing perspectives among a heterogenous group, participants might be challenged on how they perceive the issue at hand, which can deepen their understanding
The specifically designed step-by-step proces, gives the team opportunity to solve complex challenges quickly, as sub-challenges and needs are mapped out and focus-points are decided upon
Decisions become more transparent, as they typically are taken in the room, and all participants take part in creating the basis for decisions
By collecting diverse perspective in the room, it becomes easier to identify and manage risks in the project or effort
Instead of lots of recurring meetings, and unstructured and slow-paced development of solutions, the team creates solutions within a specific timeframe, saving the team of resources as well as frustrations
Taken together, using co-creation and human centered development, teams create the solutions together; develop a better basis for collaboration and continuous decision-making; save time and resources; and not least strengthen internal motivation and drive as solutions take form and the team see the benefits of their efforts.
Seeing how more and more organisations integrate such processes into their work, I am certain we'll during the next couple of years see a boom in more creative, co-creational development of solutions and efforts that integrate and put their target groups at the center of all processes.
I'm definitely here for it, and I hope you are too!
Regardless, I invite you to follow along to see how more organisations and social actors take on the role as rolemodels in developing a more social, inclusive and sustainable future.
Follow ReSearch Humanity via the social media bar below to get inspired to how you can strengthen the co-creative processes in your organisation or company
ReSearch Humanity gennemførste bl.a. en design sprint sammen med Dansk Metal
The costumer & the challenge
The Danish Metalworkers' Union reached out to ReSearch Humanity as they wanted to create an app for their members, that could contribute to membership retention and recruitment. Moreover, the Union sought out to strengthen their internal competencies in facilitating and running processes fostering development, and in particular the Google Design Sprint, further developed by AJ & Smart.
We looked for a solution where we efficiently could facilitate and contribute to the analysis and idea generation when developing new digital solutions and improvement of existing solutions in our application for members.
Statement, Jacob Gammeltoft, application owner, Danish Metalworkers' Union
Following this challenge, we developed the following goal for the development process: Enhance the Union's understanding of membership needs in regard to their app, and develop a solution, that contributes to increasing member satisfaction.
How we went about it - in broad strokes
In order to reach the above mentioned goal, we mapped out three main steps that ReSearch Humanity would contribute with. First, we conducted interviews with members and developed a target group analysis. Thereafter, we facilitated the main part of the development process, i.e. the design sprint. Both Union employees and shop stewards participated in the design sprint. Finally, ReSearch Humanity designed and facilitated a workshop, where we, together with Union employees, developed objectives and key results as well as a timeline for the launch of the developed solution.
I've experienced how Karoline is passionated for developing solutions for organisations with a mission to support people, in our case our members. Furthermore, Karoline demonstrated a graphical style, knowhow, efficiency as well as interest for our mission, fitting to the way we wanted to work og develop solutions for our members and application.
Statement, Jacob Gammeltoft, application owner, Danish Metalworkers' Union
The solution
Som en del af design sprinten, blev der udviklet forskellige løsninger på udfordringen.
Through a co-creative design sprint, and by close collaboration with Union shop stewards and members, we developed and tested an app for union member, which was centered around members and shop stewards. We identified this solution after searching how the union could facilitate the best connection or contact point with members, and through that ensure the best support and consultation of members. As such, this solution aimed at making it easy for members to a) identify their shop steward, and b) find information on how their shop steward can service them in various situations.
After having conducted interviews with members, who did not give strong arguments for why they were members of the union or did not have a clear picture of how they could use their union membership, we identified the need to enhance members' grasp of the values and benefits of being a member in the Danish Metalworkers' Union. As a result, we developed a solution, which aims to inspire members of (new) ways of using their membership and highlights the core arguments and values of union membership.
The overall result of the process can be summarized in two parts. First, the process has contributed to new insights to what members need in an app. Secondly, and most concretely, the Danish Metalworkers' Union is left with a tested prototype, which is ready for actual development.
We learned new, effective and efficient ways to strengthen our collaboration, create focus, develop objectives and not least good and relevant experiences for our members. Within a short timeframe, the design sprint workshops gave us priceless insights to members' needs and wishes. We've built high fidelity prototypes, which already have been developed into existing features in the application. ReSearch Humanity has fully lived up to our first impression by consistently challenging team perspectives and motivating and guiding the process.
Statement, Jacob Gammeltoft, application owner, Danish Metalworkers' Union
The process behind the above mentioned solution had three main steps:
Conduction of interviews with members, and a target group analysis
Design sprint - a co-creation development process, including a prototype and iteration sprint
Development of objectives and key results, as well as a timeline for implementation
While the pre-sprint interviews contributed with the foundation for developing an app based upon what members need, the design sprint contributed with the framework for creating focus and develop concrete and solutions that could be tested. In short terms, the design sprint is a concentrated process based upon co-creation, where the sprint team achieve an enhanced as well as aligned understanding of needs, barriers and motivations, frame the challenge, and develop and test solutions. The sprint team in this case consisted of union employees, two shop stewards and ReSearch Humanity.
Den overordnede udviklingsproces
In order to evaluate whether the first aligned solution would result in the reaction we sought for in members, we developed a prototype and tested it on members. Through one-on-one interviews, members reacted to the developed features and content, and contributed with detailed feedback on how they experienced the app. After receiving this feedback, ReSearch Humanity again met with the union team to iterate on the solutions. Having found new solution to solve elements that wasn't working ideally and identifying quick fixes, we fine tuned the prototype to reflect these changes and took a new round of user testing.
As a final step of the process, we looked at the final changes to be made after the last round of testing, and completed a workshop where we identified objectives and key results, which the team should work towards in the final development and execution fase. As part of this workshop, we also created a timeline for final development and execution, and addressed how the team could solve key challenges during the coming four months.
The result
High fives efter, at teamet blev enig om en samlet løsning
As a result of our development process, the team has developed a prototype, which is ready to be forwarded to the developers. We also have a timeline and plan for the core steps the team is about to take up until launch date. Finally, with the tangible and measurable objectives and key results, the team has valuable tools to address and explain their priorisations regarding the app.
In addition to having developed a solution, which will create value for their members, the Danish Metalworkers' Union has also gained insights in regard to execution and facilitation of the design sprint. This will strengthen the team, as they are empowered to enhance their use of co-creation, workshops and development processes in their daily work as well as in focused development projects.
ReSearch Humanity's role in development processes as the current, can be summarized in the following bulletpoints:
Design of target group analysis
Conduction of interview with members
Tailoring of design sprint
Design of supporting workshops
Facilitation & counseling during the development process
Reporting & final recommendations
Karoline Barkvoll Holstad fra ReSearch Humanity faciliterer
Other central elements for ReSearch Humanity's work in this and similar projects is to contribute to alignment of the team, and to help identify and address challenges and barriers that can challenge or delay the execution of the agreed upon solution.
Including the target group
As we conduct different development processes, such as the design sprint, there exists several opportunities to include the target group in the process. The classic approach would be to conduct target group interviews before going into the sprint, as well as during the sprint, when we test the prototype. This level of inclusion of target group input will contribute with valuable insights for the development team, as we e.g. seek to strengthen the satisfaction among members.
Members' feedback on a prototyped solution can in many cases be particularly valuable. This is due to the concrete, detailed and realistic feedback that user testing can contribute with, as we test wether or not the solution influences given barriers and motivations. As a result of these user tests, we can minimize the risk for underlying misunderstandings of how we can meet target group needs in the solution we develop. Additionally, testing a solution on the target group, can be a great benefit if the team wants to test two competing solutions.
Også målgruppen blev inkluderet på flere niveauer i udviklingsprocessen og design sprinten
While this classic solution is an excellent option, many development processes will benefit from a more extensive inclusion of target groups in the actual development workshops, inviting them to be a part of the development team. This is particularly the case for organisations and unions, as well as public actors, who work to create change for or among communities.
Now you might ask, why particularly these actors?
While the answer to this can be multifaceted, we can identify three main reasons.
1. First, in many communities, organisations and other actors will receive validation from the community by including members at all levels of the development process. Abstaining this inclusion, however, might cause negative attention as the solution might miss vital features that the community could have contributed with, if they were included.
2. Consequently, the second reason is that many of these actors follow the premis of "nothing about us without us". Thus, including members who have lived experiences relevant for the challenge can contribute with novel perspectives that can be vital for the development of the solution.
3. Finally, many of the challenges these actors seek to solve, highly benefit from community members who experience ownership of the solution or initiative.
This was also the case for the Danish Metalworkers' Union, as we invited two shop stewards to take part in the design sprint in order to find solutions for the app targeted to members. The shop stewards took part in the process as we identified target group needs and developed and got aligned on a solution. As a result of getting the contributions from the shop stewards, we not only Not only did the shop stewards contribute with highly valuable perspectives during the development process, they themselves also found it valuable to be part of developing a solution, which benefited members, themselves and other shop stewards.
So, if you are one of these actors who work with and for communities, I highly recommend including the target group to the highest degree possible, as you go on to your next development journey.
If you are working on campaigns, I have also written a blog post on how the target group can be included in the development and content making of campaigns.
LGBT+ Danmark reached out to ReSearch Humanity seeking someone who could help develop and write an application for EU funding.
The challenge
ReSearch Humanity worked, in close collaboration with LGBT+ Denmark and partner organisations Mino Denmark and Sabaah, on framing the project challenge as well as finding solutions and which steps to take. After facilitating two workshops, ReSearch Humanity led the work on writing the EU application, while continuously receiving input from the organisations.
The result
Most importantly, LGBT+ Denmark, Mino Denmark and Sabaah received the funding as a result of this proces. The project received an application score on 88 out of 100, where applications needed to reach a minimum score of 70.
The needs have been clearly defined and the assessment is based on robust and reliable data, it is clear that action needs to be taken [...] One strength is the inclusion of input and co-creation with school professionals. [...] [The] inclusion qualification program seems a particularly promising method to achieve the stated objectives, and its contents have been identified in three modules.
- From the European Commission evaluation of the application
Other than receiving the funding, the proces contributed to a high level of contribution and involvement from the three project partners, thus contributing to building ownership and commitment.
Review from Susanne Branner Jespersen on the collaboration with ReSearch Humanity
The process
The collaboration on this project was initiated with an internal workshop for LGBT+ Denmark, mapping core challenges and brainstorming on broad solutions. During this workshop, ReSearch Humanity together with LGBT+ Denmark, defined the project framework and identified stakeholders and potential partner organisations.
Brainstorm on solutions for the project
Having identified the core elements of the project, ReSearch Humanity took on outreach to and onboarding of project partners, Mino Denmark and Sabaah. Representatives from these organisations further participated in the second workshop, where participants became aligned on the project challenge. During the three hour workshop, we achieved a greater understanding of what the project target groups needed, and we designed the framework for how the project should proceed to contribute to more inclusive schools.
After finalizing the two workshops, ReSearch Humanity took the organisations' input in order to finish the project design and write an application, following EU guidelines. This work included creating a detailed plan defining all steps, a risk analysis and an evaluation plan. The application was developed in close collaboration with the project partners, who had acces to the draft and contributed with input for various parts of the application.
