Presentation at HELM Conference 2017 that showcased how the most forward-thinking, innovative organizations don’t just think in terms of human resources—they are in touch with their humanity. This way of working is contagious: When sparking organizational change - especially from the bottom-up, don't underestimate the power of using seemingly innocuous problems to demonstrate new ways of working. Taking a human-centred approach in the face of traditional solutionism ("Hey, it's an app!", "The other guys are doing it", "It worked in other markets") can help you spark new ways of working in your organization by bringing together cross-functional team members to shape enhanced the employee and customer experiences.

3. ONCE UPON A TIME,
THERE WAS A SMARTPHONE APP
THAT REALLY REALLY REALLY
DIDN’T WANT TO BE AN APP…

4. BUT EVERYONE SAID
“YOU SHOULD BE AN APP…
BEING AN APP IS COOL”

5. BUT THE APP JUST FELT LIKE
IT DIDN’T HAVE A PURPOSE.
“THE WORLD REALLY
DOESN’T NEED ANOTHER
APP, DOES IT?

6. THE PROBLEM:
SIGNIFICANT
# OF CALLS
High-speed internet customers were calling in to the call centre
because they did not remember their Wi-Fi network name or password.
BUSINESS
COSTS
CUSTOMER
PAIN
POINT

7. “Let’s build a smartphone app…”

8. “Let’s build a smartphone app…”
“Oh no…
here we go
again.”

9. YEAH! THIS IS EXCITING!
“ARE WE SURE THIS IS STILL
THE RIGHT THING TO DO?”
“I KNEW CUSTOMERS
WOULDN’T WANT THIS”
“WE’VE COMMITTED TO DO IT,
WE’VE GOT TO KEEP GOING.”
SOLUTION DISILLUSIONMENT CURVE
“I’M STUCK WITH
CLEANING UP
THIS MESS”
“FML”
COMMITMENT
TIME

10. The Mega App: 8 apps in 1
Music, radio, TV, news, weather, social media, web…

11. New TV platform: 6 years & $500M in the making

12. MONUMENTAL MISS

13. "The longer it takes to develop,
the less likely it is to launch"
Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp

14. "The longer it takes to develop, the
less engaged the team will be.”
Grupp Corollary to Fried’s Law

15. WASTED CAPITAL
MISALLOCATED RESOURCES
OPPORTUNITY COST
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
RISKS OF PURSUING THE WRONG SOLUTION

16. HOW DO WE GET OURSELVES INTO THESE SITUATIONS
3. COLLECTIVE
INSIGHTS
2. CASE STUDIES
(VENDORS!!!)
This was huge
in a the UK
market.“
“
1. COMPETITION
The other guys
are doing it…
why aren’t we.“
“

17. “Let’s build a smartphone app…”
try another approach

18. HUMAN-CENTRED
DESIGN APPROACH
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

19. EMPATHY PROBLEM
FRAMING
IDEATION PROTOTYPE
HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGN PROCESS
TEST & LEARN
Human-centred:
Not just customer-centred, user-centred or employee-centred.

20. 1. DEVELOP EMPATHY

21. 2. FRAME THE PROBLEM

22. 3. IDEATE & CO-CREATE

23. 4. PROTOTYPE

24. 5. TEST & LEARN

25. THE SOLUTION: A FRIDGE MAGNET
(Not an app.)

26. SIGNIFICANT
REDUCTION
IN CALLS
REDUCED
COSTS TO
SUPPORT
ENHANCED
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
THE RESULTS

27. THE HUMAN IMPACT IS EVEN GREATER…
EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
GREATER
COLLABORATION
(FEWER SILOS!)
CLOSER
CONNECTION TO
CUSTOMERS
GREATER
EMPOWERMENT

28. WORKING THIS WAY IS CONTAGIOUS…

29. BEYOND IMPROVING PRODUCTS & SERVICES
IMPROVING
EXISTING
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCES
DESIGNING
NEW
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCES
EXPLORING
NEW CUSTOMER
VALUE PROPS
ENHANCING
EMPLOYEE
EXPERIENCES &
INTERNAL
PROCESSES

30. THE SOLUTION: A FRIDGE MAGNET
ENHANCING INTERNAL PROCESSES & SYSTEMS
Developing empathy across teams Ideating solutions to solve problems

31. Human-centred design supports a
culture of continuous learning.

32. Theabilitytolearnfasterthan
yourcompetitorsmaybetheonly
sustainablecompetitiveadvantage.
AriedeGeus
FormerHead,
Shell'sStrategicPlanningGroup SHOUT OUT TO THE MOMENT! HI GUYS!

33. THE PROJECT PARADOXIMPACT
TIME
KNOWLEDGE OF
PROBLEM OR
PROJECT
CAPACITY TO ACT &
CONSEQUENCES OF
DECISION
SHOUT OUT TO THE MOMENT! HI GUYS!

34. Organizations need to develop the capacity
to consistently identify, create and adapt to
meet emerging human needs and market
opportunities.

35. This is also how engaged,
purpose-driven employees
expect to work.
They don’t want to told what the
solution is, but rather be empowered
to figure it out as a team.

36. 1. Plant the seed: Start with small pilot projects
2. Take people on the journey with you
3. Show, don’t tell
4. Build human-centred design capabilities
5. Foster a supportive leadership environment
HOW CAN YOU GET STARTED

37. CAPABILITY BUILDING CURVE
AWARENESS
CAPABILITY
TIME
UNDERSTANDING
FACILITATE
& LEAD
APPLY & MANAGE

38. EXPLORING NEW CUSTOMER VALUE PROPS
BUILDING CAPABILITY:

39. EXISTING MINDSET NEW MINDSET
Don’t question, execute Good problem framer
Precious about solutions Precious about problems
Technology First Empathy First
Execute the plan Iterative & Experimental
Opinion-based Data & insights driven
Output Outcomes
Governance Empowerment
FOSTERING A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
SHOUT OUT TO THE MOMENT! HI GUYS!

40. MAKE MORE FRIDGE MAGNETS.
BUILD FEWER APPS.