The B2D toolkit

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The B2D toolkit

A graduate thesis project written and designed by Kristin Riger. Graduate student at the Academy of Art University 79 New Montgomery Street Fifth Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 Find out more about this project at b2dtoolkit.org. View more work by Kristin at kristinriger.com. Graphic Design Department Chair: Mary Scott Department Director: Phil Hamlett Associate Department Director: Hunter Wimmer Graduate Advisor: Michele Ronsen and Carolina de Bartolo No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording, or otherwise with-out the express written permission of the publisher.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright Š Kristin Riger. All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America

A GRADUATE THESIS PROJECT Kristin Riger b2dtoolkit.org

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Contents Foreword

06

Background

08

Research

18

Preliminary Development

44

Final Solution

66

The B2D toolkit

FOREWORD

My love affair with design began as the Marketing Director of a small business. When I discovered that basic knowledge of design principles helped me do my job, I started to wonder why design tools were not more accessible to people like me.

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

For almost seven years after receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing, I was the Marketing Director of a small financial consulting company in Tampa, Florida. At the time, we were rapidly growing. The recession had been good to us, since we served clients and their stakeholders who were in financial trouble. The President, a dynamic entrepreneur who had built the company from the ground up, had countless ideas on how to market our services. And he relied on me to see those ideas to life. After a few years in that position, my to-do list started to pile up exponentially as I became responsible for more projects. I was soon creating all of our sales presentations, sending out e-mail marketing pieces every two weeks, managing requests for proposals, writing press releases and creating any other form of written material that went out about our company. We didn’t have the budget to expand our team. Creating these materials fell entirely onto me. My writing skills were excellent, but I knew nothing about typography. I was clueless on how to effectively create marketing material that was visually compelling. Communicating with printing companies also seemed like a foreign language to me. To create effective marketing materials, I knew I needed to work with a graphic designer or understand graphic design techniques. But I didn’t know where to find a designer, how much of our budget could be allocated to design or how to communicate our needs.

07

The stream of marketing strategies that came through my desk were also never really thought out. It might have seemed like a good idea, but was it really? My team and I never thought through our growth plans, nor did we ever reach out to our clients to get their thoughts on the materials that we were distributing. I was unsure on how to measure roi or how to pitch a design need to management. I started to search for reliable resources to help with my continuous questions, but the results were often frustrating and unsuccessful. Nothing was geared toward small business or really effective in teaching me how to navigate and communicate design needs. Thankfully, my experience led me to discover my love for graphic design, as I devoured every design blog or book I could find, and I eventually decided to pursue a formal graduate education. Now, here I am, about to finish my Master’s Degree. But I know that most people in my position will not take the same path, yet still be in the same predicament. Now, using my experience in small business and knowledge in design thinking tools and strategies, I hope to change that.

01

Background

“Small business isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the brave, the patient and the persistent. It’s for the overcomer.” —Unknown

The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER ONE  THE ISSUE

Small businesses are the backbone of America. They create 75% of the net new jobs in our economy, and pay more than 44% of the nation’s private payroll.

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER ONE  THE ISSUE

Many small businesses, which represent approximately 99% of all employer firms in the United States, are struggling to make ends meet, and the demands of managing a small business are hard to answer. According to a 2013 Mavenlink survey, the most difficult aspects of running a small business include:

53%

50% 35% 22% 12%

Having to cover multiple jobs

Not enough time

Making a profit

Staying ahead of competition

Managing employees

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER ONE  THE ISSUE

The Fragmented Office To the small business owner who is juggling multiple roles on a daily basis, time is a precious commodity as they keep up with their business’ demands. According to a recent survey of small business owners, time is viewed as the most valuable asset, considered more important than tangible resources such as computers or cell phones. According to a 2014 eVoice survey, small business owners say their most common time-wasting tasks include:

94%

91% 80%

Waiting for information

Unscheduled communication

Inefficient coordination

79%

Planning to plan

78%

Barriers to collaboration

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

59%

57%

55%

54% 42%

Lower offsite productivity

Customer complaints

Business trip expenses

Trips to synch up

Working at home

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER ONE  THE ISSUE

Resource Deficiencies Marketing is an important way for any business to reach new clients. With a limited budget, it can be a struggle for small business owners to reach their target audience. Many entrepreneurs just starting out lack experience in marketing a business. As the sole manager, developing a strategy can be frustrating. In a 2014 survey of 20,000 small businesses conducted by the Chamber of Commerce:

of small business owners had no plans to increase spending on marketing, due to lack of resources and budgetary constraints.

was the average monthly amount that small businesses reported spending on marketing. About 32% spend less than $100/month. And just 6% spend more than $1,000/month.

remained unsure of their plans for the next 12 months in terms of strategic planning or marketing strategies, due to lack of time to plan for the future.

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

Original objective

Without the deep pockets that most corporations have, small businesses do not have the time or the resources to spend on quality graphic design. As a result, my initial objective was to help small business marketing teams learn technical design skills to assist them in creating compelling marketing materials in a cost effective and timely manner.

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02

Research

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” —Zora Neale Hurston, anthropologist and author

The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

Design Research Approach Small business owners can use design to effectively manage their business.

Redefine the Problem

Test Solutions

Understand the Users

Prototype Solutions

Identify Unmet Needs

Create Ideas

Design solution

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Research began by clearly defining the challenges I wanted to address in my thesis, determining how I would tackle them and what the outcomes might be.

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Assumptions I believed to be true when I began my research included the following: 1 Many small businesses do not have the resources to fund investment in services to help their business. Small businesses don’t have the budget to invest in outside assistance. 2 Small business resources are comparatively lesser than those in larger corporations. Large businesses are equipped with larger budgets and a network of professionals. 3 Small businesses could be more effective if they had better tools available. When marketing teams make educated decisions on design elements, their branding standards will subsequently increase. 4 Small businesses need to communicate more effectively with one another. An effective marketing strategy is essential for any business to reach new clients. 5 Many small businesses are uncertain about their future, causing them to hold back on capital expenditures. With limited marketing budgets, effective communication to an audience is a struggle. 6 Small businesses do not know how to budget for marketing costs. Small business owners underestimate the cost of service providers and are unsure how much to allocate for marketing in their budget.

7 There are no comprehensive resources that help small business connect with the help they need. Many of the search results for small business resources reveal poorly designed directories with an overwhelming amount of choices. 8 Marketing in small business environments is handled by unqualified professionals. Very few small business owners have a design background or education. 9 Small business teams are missing expertise for effective marketing strategies. Without this, small businesses are at a disadvantage in creating viable, long-term brands. 10 Small businesses have difficulty finding the help that they need. Knowing when to hire and how to find reliable help is difficult for small business owners and entrepreneurs. 11 Graphic design is not a priority for small business teams. This perpetuates a continuing trend of ineffective design used in small business marketing strategies. 12 Quality design plays an important role in creating a successful strategy. Without an effective marketing strategy, business profitability can decline.

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Existing organizations, analogies or ideas that were similar to my objective included the following: 1 Resource directories Lists of vendors ranging from printers, seo, PR, advertising, social media, video tools • Inker Linker: Connects professionals with local printers • Yelp, Manta, Open Directory Project 2 Online skill share services Learning communities that provide software training and educational course • Skillshare: Learning community • Lynda.com: Educational training 3 Referral source A resource that recommends a person or organization for services to a client or user • 1-800-Dentist: Dentist-matching service 4 Consulting Firms Consultancies specializing in branding, public relations, seo and marketing strategy 5 Professional development Workshops for professionals interested in developing skills for their career 6 Networking conferences Organizations that bring professionals together to learn and connect 7 Digital Divide Differences between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to knowledge of information technologies

8 Cross-cultural communication How different cultures bridge gaps in the ways that they connect and communicate 9 Cross-professional communication • Typography for Lawyers: Teaches lawyers about basic design principles. • Don’t Fear the Internet: Teaches basic html and css to Non-Web Designers. 10 Reference materials Learning resources from experts • The Brand Gap (Marty Neumeier): Bridging the distance between strategy and design 11 Merchant organizations Provide services to assist small businesses • SF Council of District Merchants: Helps enhance SF’s Business Community 12 Umbrella organizations or service roll-ups Coordinates the activities of a variety of disciplines that have one common purpose • Ogilvy & Mather: On a larger scale, unites a variety of disciplines under one entity 13 Persuasive Power Communicating an idea that in such a way that transforms the way people think and act • Made to Stick (Chip Heath): How to develop an idea that sticks in our audience’s mind

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Internet searches found many resources that provided design tools for a wider audience, but none adequately specialized in educating small businesses on sound design principles. 1 Amateur design, little guidance, and biased design firms 2 Too many choices, hard to determine what is viable 3 Do not address the marketing and design team relationship 4 Most are not targeted towards small businesses

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Because my original scope aimed to help marketing and design teams collaborate, I created a mind map that identified relevant keywords within that space.

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CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

The B2D toolkit

Qualitative Research In order to source insights from small businesses in all geographic regions of the United States, 1-hour phone interviews were conducted with small business owners, marketing managers and entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries over a two-month period in 2013. NAME

TITLE & ORGANIZATION

INDUSTRY

SIZE

LOCATION

Michelle Tupps

Owner, Event Resources, Inc.

Event planning company

<$1MM

Safety Harbor, FL

Candi Maybin

Owner, Scarlet Boutique

Women’s clothing store

<$1MM

Hendersonville, NC

Douglas Acres

Marketing Manger, Fizz Corporation

Direct marketing

$5MM

San Francisco, CA

Chrissy

Self Aesthetics & Therapeutic Spa

Medical spa therapy

<$1MM

Franklin, MA

Lois Armstrong

Partner, Solstice Healthcare

Healthcare management

$2MM

Scottsdale, AZ

Keith Hyatt

Marketing Manager, Power Design

Electrical contracting

$25MM

St. Petersburg, FL

Katrina Secrest

Marketing Assistant, Power Design

Electrical contracting

$25MM

St. Petersburg, FL

Nick Tebeau

Social Media, Pogoda Companies

Self storage company

$15MM

Farmington Hills, MI

Abby Albaum

Owner, Dance Instructor & Artisan

Crafts & dance lessons

<$1MM

St. Petersburg, FL

Deborah Kaldunski

Marketing Director, Medical Research

Medical research

$30MM

San Carlos, CA

Brian Diethorne

Sales Manager, Medical Research

Medical research

$30MM

San Carlos, CA

Rachael Silvers

Marketing Manager, Consulting Firm

Financial consulting

$25MM

Chicago, IL

Julie Benjamin

Executive Assistant, Consulting Firm

Financial consulting

$25MM

Chicago, IL

Jen Frost

Owner, J&M Home Management, LLC

Home watch Services

<$1MM

Tampa, FL

Alison Cobb

Owner, The Contact Concierge

Interactive writing services

<$1MM

St. Petersburg,FL

James Rubenstein

Watch Reseller

Wholesaler of designer watches

<$1MM

Farmington Hills, MI

Connie Christy

Christy Collection International

Interior design services

$1-2MM

New Albany, OH

Rachel Wagner

Owner, Etiquette Trainer

Professional training consultant

<$1MM

Bixby, OK

Andrea Hall

Etsy Shop Owner & Artisan

Artist, Jewelry craftsmen

<$1MM

Asheville, NC

Joanne Weiland

Owner, Link to Expert

Database of expert consultants

<$1MM

Safety Harbor, FL

Danielle Seaberg

Owner, Grand Events of Florida, LLC

Event production agency

<$1MM

Tampa, FL

Paul Oppenheim

Owner, Voidpop, LLC

Software & web development

<$1MM

San Francisco, CA

Jaclyn Costello

Owner, Enlighten Life Coach

Life coaching

<$1MM

Las Vegas, NV

Jessica Acres

Marketing Assistant, Beverage delivery

Beverage delivery service

<$1MM

San Francisco, CA

Jenny Schisler

Marketing Director, AMPC

Publishing company

$15MM

Atlanta, GA

Claire Johnstone

Exec Asst, Classic Design Services

Law firm

$1-2MM

Denver, CO

Glenn Haege

Owner, Radio station

Radio station

$1-2MM

Detroit, MI

Brooke Maynard

Marketing Manager, Sage Software

Software company

$200MM

Tampa, FL

John English

Lawyer

Law firm

$10MM

Tampa, FL

Alex Lambert

Freelance

Web development

<$1MM

San Francisco, CA

Debbie Anderson

Franklin Performing Arts Center

Musical lessons & performances

<$1MM

Franklin, MA

Cindy Dervech

Breezin’ Entertainment & Productions

Hospitality services

<$1MM

Tampa, FL

Kim Schultz

Gotcha Sprayer

Pest control products

<$1MM

Minster, OH

Ginger Reichl

Owner, Pinstripe Marketing

Marketing consultants

<$1MM

Tampa, FL

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

“I wish there were better ways for me to be able to tell if something is working or not.”

“If I had more money, I would definitely get more help. There are never enough hours in the day.”

“I don’t really know if some of the things we do are effective. We just feel like we should do them.”

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

“It’s hard to find good people. Usually we go by recommendations, but that’s never a guarantee.”

“Online resources are way too overwhelming and confusing for me to take the time to figure it out.”

“Good graphic design is important, but I know better than to try and do it myself.”

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Research Insights Marketing

1 Referral sources and networking topped the list of most effective marketing tools amongst respondents. Other tools included e-mail marketing, web marketing and social media. 2 Small business owners who manage the marketing side of their business often struggle to keep up with new marketing tools. 3 Respondents starting their business said figuring out financial management and how to set up a marketing plan were major challenges. 4 Direct mailers were widely viewed as an ineffective marketing tool, but most felt having some printed material was still important. 5 When marketing materials are created in-house and a designer is not on staff, Microsoft Publisher or templates found online are typically used. 6 When asked how they would use an unlimited budget, the majority of respondents wanted to hire more people to do various jobs.

Design

1 Marketers feel graphic design is important (none scored its importance below an 8 on a 1 to 10 scale), but they do not want to learn technical graphic design skills. 2 Small business marketers and owners almost always choose their designer based on a referral source or through someone they know. 3 Small business marketers largely feel that content comes first, good design comes second on the priority scale for effective marketing strategy. 4 The most common issue cited in communicating with designers or creative agencies is the amount of time needed to execute creative work.

Management

1 Finding reliable small business employees is a major challenge for small business owners, and high turnover is often an issue. 2 Word-of-mouth is the number one tool for small business marketing. 3 Most respondents had a specific approach for their online marketing strategy, but they were unsure if the investment and time were paying off. 4 Some of the difficulties in managing a business included time management, keeping up with new technology, finding a target audience, developing contracts, understanding marketing strategy, maintaining a reliable staff and vendors and budget management. 5 Marketing strategies are often tried because everyone else is doing it, such as social media, without understanding how it’s helping the bottom line. 6 The majority of respondents used an accountant for financial management, but did not have a budgeting tool for marketing.

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Social Media

037

1 All respondents use some form of social media. LinkedIn seems to be the most important, followed by Facebook, then Twitter. 2 Most small business marketers have a very positive response to LinkedIn for networking and hiring purposes. There are mixed reactions to Facebook. Some are not sure of its value in terms of creating new clients. The majority of had a negative reaction to Twitter. 3 Small businesses feel comfortable using social media. Many respondents said that they had to learn how to use social media when the trend started several years ago, but most now seem comfortable using these tools.

Demand

1 Out of all the small businesses surveyed, small business owners who were either just starting their business or who were responsible for all of their marketing initiatives showed the most desire in a service or resource that helped them run their business. 2 Of these respondents, sub-categories emerge based on need, which included the following: • Creatives that loved marketing their business, but hated dealing with budgeting, accounting and financial management. • Entrepreneurs running an independent businesses that are more technically savvy but are struggling with the marketing side of the business, how to create marketing materials and how to reach new clients. • Established independent businesses that were looking to learn new digital marketing techniques, particularly search engine optimization. • New business owners that did not know where to start and needed all the help they could get in terms of marketing, budgeting and overall management of their business. 3 When asked where they looked for information to answer their questions, most said they read books, attended industry-related professional events or spoke with friends for advice.

Professional Development

1 When searching for resources for managing their business, small business owners turn to Google. They find sites such as the sba and other resources to be difficult to navigate. 2 Small business owners don’t have time for professional development because of their responsibilities managing their business. They want something accessible and free of charge. 3 Many small businesses turn to industry-specific professional associations to network and seek marketing and management advice.

The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

A-HA! Moment No. 1

My qualitative research revealed that small business owners, rather than marketers, had the highest need for better resources. They did not want to learn technical design skills, but more effective ways to manage their business. My thesis scope needed to change. I determined that a community of resources that offered strategic design thinking tools could more effectively help my newly defined target audience.

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To answer these demands from my users, I revised my objective to create the following: 1 Develop a toolkit and online resource that helps small business owners approach business challenges with a design thinking perspective.

2 Help small business owners find the right design team with engaging tools on how to find, evaluate and hire graphic designers. 3 Create an online presence that will help them connect and share stories on their experience.

I will do this by: 1 Identifying archetypes within my target audience and developing targeted solutions for each of these groups.

2 Benchmarking to compare and contrast what outside resources are currently available for small businesses and determining how my service will set itself apart.

3 Working with small business owners for their feedback on the value of the deliverable as it is being developed.

The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Four audience profiles were identified based on needs as a small business owner or entrepreneur, including the ideator, the analyst, the go-getter and the novice. Toolkit solutions were based on the needs of each user.

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

The Ideator The Ideator is passionate about their business and has a constant flow of ideas on things they can do to improve it. Marketing comes easy to them. They want to spend their time doing what they love and work with inspiring people to help realize their visions. KEY NEEDS

Collaboration resources, bartering services

The Go-Getter The go-getter has been running their business for a long time. They are confident. They’re knowledgeable of industry trends and open-minded about trying new business strategies. Their customers are important. Time management is an issue. KEY NEEDS

Customer experiences, collaboration

The Novice The novice is in the early stages of starting their business. They are still researching the market, developing a business plan, determining their competitive advantage and defining their process for managing and marketing the business. KEY NEEDS

Design thinking, marketing strategy, collaboration The Analyst The analyst is less marketing savvy and much more comfortable with numbers and analytics. They’re organized and manage their business methodically. They are weary of the value of new marketing tools and wish there were more ways to for them to effectively measure ROI. KEY NEEDS

Strategic marketing, business strategy

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER TWO RESEARCH

Competitive Analysis To determine market needs, a competitor analysis was conducted on current small business resources. The first analysis reviewed community-based versus self-guided resources against the size of the target market. Providing more self-guided learning tools to a more targeted group, appeared as an opportunity area in the space. The second competitive analysis reviewed the quality of the user experience in small business resources, as well as if a subscription was required for use. It was found that user friendly resources specifically targeted towards small businesses were minimal and most required a subscription.

Community Learning

Yellow Pages  Localpages  Superpages

Book of Lists   Yahoo Local

Topix

Yelp

Yalwa

Open Directory Project  Yellowbook

Angie’s List

AreaConnect

Think Local

Google+ Directory

eConsultancy.com

EZLocal

BBB.org

CitySquares

Bluebook  Local.com

Chamber of Commerce  Bizjournals.com   SFSB Directory

Merchantcircle

Allbusiness.com  Ezlocal.com

Manta

SFGate.com

Square   American Marketing Resources

Bayview Merchants  Data.SFGov.org

B2D toolkit  SFAMA

Soc for Prof. Mktg Srvcs

Inker Linker

B2b Marketing Self-Guided Learning Broad Target Market

Narrow Target Market

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

043

User Friendly

Yelp  Square   Inker Linker

Allbusiness.com   Google+ Directory  Yellowbook

B2D toolkit

B2b Marketing

Yahoo Local

Independent We Stand  Topix

SFAMA

LocalDatabase  Merchantcircle

Book of Lists

Data.SFGov.org

YellowMoxie

Angie’s List

Superpages  Bizjournals.com

Declare Media

Think Local   Chamber of Commerce

EZLocal  SFGate.com

CitySquares  Localpages  eConsultancy.com  Ezlocal.com

Am. Mktg Resources   SFSB Directory

Soc for Prof. Mktg Srvcs  Local.com

Bluebook  Yalwa

Tupalo  BBB.org

Yellow Pages   Open Directory Project   Bayview Merchants

Manta  AreaConnect

Confusing Subscription-Based

Non-Subscribe

03

Preliminary Development

“Design is what you do when you don’t yet know what you are doing.” —George Stiny, MIT professor

The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

Project Name Research Due to the change in target audience and deliverables, new project names from the original Branding Alliance name were explored. I conducted an exercise where I wrote down words that came to mind from three nouns, which were small business, design and education. The object of the exercise was to visually see all the words, emotions and acronyms that could be associated with my project. I then started to combine them into potential names while considering:

1 Emphasizing connection and partnership 2 Simple and easy to remember 3 Unique to other toolkit names in the industry Through this exercise, I discovered that at the core of what I providing was a connection point between two disciplines, business and design, so the name became:

Business to Design = B2D Since B2D doesn’t fully exemplify the educational aspect of the deliverable, the full name became the B2D toolkit, a simple acronym that easy to remember and emphasizes the project’s purpose for its target audience.

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CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

Identity Exploration

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

I divided toolkit content into four sections, each geared towards an audience profile. Ideator Needs The Ideator already has the ideas. They just need the right people to help them carry those ideas out and a more processed approach to developing a reliable, passionate design team.

Targeted Toolkit Topic Collaborate with the right people

Novice Needs The Novice is new to entrepreneurship. They have a business idea, but they aren’t sure where to start. They need tools to help them implement an effective strategy.

Targeted Toolkit Topic Design a business strategy

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

The Go-Getter The Go-Getter is confident about their business and cares about their customers. They are willing to try new things and take risks. But they need cost-effective, time-saving tools to help them innovate.

Targeted Toolkit Topic Create memorable customer experiences

The Analyst The Analyst takes a more cut and dry approach to management. They rely on numbers and roi to help them make decisions. As a result, they need more reliable tools to help market themselves.

Targeted Toolkit Topic Develop a compelling marketing plan

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The B2D toolkit

CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

Building Toolkit Content 1

2

3

Introduction to design thinking for small business

How does it apply to small business?

Process

This first section talks about how to approach business strategy and problem solving from a design perspective

Why is this toolkit relevant for small business? What can it help them do that is specific to their needs.

Show the process of combining creativity and analysis. How is tailored specifically for small business and entrepreneurs?

7

8

9

Develop sources of inspiration

Learning from users

Quote or example

How small businesses can approach branding and marketing with a series of exercises

Identifying the metaphor for your business brand. Library, hub, etc. Helps define the brand DNA.

13

14

15

Brainstorming

Quote or example

Prototype

Identify design technique for ideation

Synthesize ideas into findings

19

20

21

Creating a project time line

Getting feedback from users

Quote or example

How to move forward

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

storytelling

digital tool

activity

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infographic

4

5

6

Research Ideate Prototype Test

Research

Design thinking research

The role that research plays in solving a problem in a small business setting

The role of research in developing a business or solving a problem for an already existing business. Types of research, methods, etc.

10

11

12

Ideate

Creating stories and insights

Defining design principles

16

17

18

What is prototyping

Quote or example

Text

Using images to develop a sense of feeling for the brand. Can define the way you communicate, etc.

What is prototyping, different types, how to use them

Getting feedback from users

22

23

24

Scope your own

Case study

Case study

Activity materials that helps the user scope their own design challenge

Use quotes or storytelling to show how using the design process has helped a specific small business

Use quotes or storytelling to show how using the design process has helped a specific small business

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CHAPTER THREE  PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT

Building Toolkit Content 25

26

27

Diagnostic tool

Interactive questionnaire

Areas of focus

Help users define how to use this tool for their purposes. This will allow users to use what most relevant to them.

Ask simple questions to help them navigate to the section most relevant to them. Areas of focus have been defined based on qualitative research.

Starting a business Marketing and branding Live customer experiences Digital customer experiences

31

32

33

Marketing & branding

Metaphor activity

Image activity

How small businesses can approach branding and marketing with a series of exercises

Identifying the metaphor for your business brand. Library, hub, etc. Helps define the brand DNA.

Using images to develop a sense of feeling for the brand. Can define the way you communicate, etc.

37

38

39

Case study

Live customer experiences

Customer journey map

Use quotes or storytelling to show how using the design process has helped a specific small business

How small businesses can approach branding and marketing with exercises

A process which documents the customer journey which may identify areas for improvement

43

44

45

Is your site usable?

Responsive design

Story share

Help users determine how well their site is functioning and usable for customers

How should your digital experience work across all platforms

Provide a stage for small businesses to share how the process worked or didn’t work for them

Design Thinking for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs 

storytelling

digital tool

activity

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infographic

28

29

30

Starting a business

Context mapping tool

Case study

How do you define your strategy and where to start

A group activity that guides the user through identifying industry trends, economic climate, technology factors, customer needs, uncertainties

Use quotes or storytelling to show how using the design process has helped a specific small business

34

35

36

Approach to identity and color

Developing a marketing strategy

Communicating with vendors

When should I hire a designer? An in-house team?

When should I hire a designer? An in-house team? A process-oriented approach for this.

40

41

42

Empathy

Case study

Digital customer experiences

Gaining a deeper understanding of your customers needs, wants, etc.

Use quotes or storytelling to show how using the design process has helped a specific small business

How small businesses can approach branding and marketing with a series of exercises

46

47

48

Metrics

Design thinking jargon

External resources

How can all of these efforts be measured so you know whether you are or aren’t successful?

Using images to develop a sense of feeling for the brand. Can define the way you communicate, etc.

Using images to develop a sense of feeling for the brand. Can define the way you communicate, etc.

Using images to develop a sense of feeling for the brand. Can define the way you communicate, etc.

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Visual Inspiration I kept Pinterest boards throughout the course of my research to document the evolving visual direction my thesis could take. Explorations in overall visual aesthetic, color and illustration were considered.

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My initial site sketches explored how the content could be organized, as well as how the tools and the community section could work as a cohesive unit.

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Iconography Inspiration

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Packaging Research With my print deliverables consisting of four toolkit books, an exercise workbook, supplemental posters and marketing materials, I needed to find a way to package the items as a cohesive unit. Some of the options I considered were the following: 1 The exercise workbook printed as 11x17 one-sided sheets,

2 3 4

5 6

side-stitched with a shorter flap listing the exercises included inside. A simple folder with loose worksheets slid inside. Kraft envelope boxes to house all materials. Posters could be printed on large format paper, and then folded over the worksheets. When you open up the packaging, you see the sheets and the poster also. A large portfolio folder to fit all loose worksheets and toolkit books. Printable boxes with logo printed on the outside.

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Marketing Explorations

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Final Solution

“A great product isn’t just a collection of features. It’s how it all works together.” —Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.

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The prototyping process actively involved users with toolkit materials to ensure that they understood the content and how to use it.

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Phase One After the prototypes of the print material had been created, I conducted user testing with entrepreneurs, small business owners and people currently interested in starting their own business to get their feedback and understanding of the toolkit content. Testing was conducted in-person or via phone with respondents from the first round of testing. 1 Users were asked to read through the material and provide feedback on their understanding the content, and if sections confused them. 2 A large portion of users really liked the concept and overall visual aesthetic of the material, but found it hard to understand material in terms of how to apply it to their own agenda and strategies. 3 Users wanted to see more examples in order to put it into a frame of reference. 4 Users thought the toolkit books were a great reference, but thought having something to mark up or write on would be more realistic to apply on a regular basis.

A-HA! Moment No. 2 Through my first prototyping session, I learned that my audience needed more guidance on how to use the toolkit, and that I needed to provide more case study examples in order for them to put the tools into context.

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“It’s fun! It feels friendly, like I wouldn’t feel too intimidated when I first looked at it.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do. Maybe the directions just need to be clearer.”

“Is there any place I can go to learn more about my specific type of business? Examples?”

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Phase Two As a result of my first prototyping session, I began to create more case studies for the website and toolkit books, and I also developed accompanying tabloid worksheets for small business team to use for design collaboration and strategy. 1 I held another user testing session to see how people would respond to the tabloid worksheet idea. 2 Users felt the spacing made it easy to fill out ideas and jot down notes. 3 Adding guiding tips and examples to the content were helpful in understanding how to use them. 4 Issues arose when trying to understand how to put them together. When presented with a bunch of worksheets, my users had no idea where to start. They were looking for guidance on a process for it all fitting together.

A-HA! Moment No. 3 Through my second prototyping session, I learned that I needed to take these tools and put them into context. Now that it was easier to understand how to use them, I needed to show users how they all fit together as a whole.

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Toolkit Process Flow

How do the tools work with the design thinking process?

Empathy Map

Customer Journey Map

Value chain analysis

Understand your customer’s needs and wants

Lay out their journey; see where you can improve it

Identify how you can improve all of your partnerships

Understand the Challenge

Define the Challenge

Ideate Possibilities

Context Map

Research Plan

SWOT Analysis

Understand the environment you are operating in

Determine the audience. Who are you designing for?

Identify your strengths and weaknesses

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Define the Brand DNA

Marketing Strategy

Designer Brief

Visualize your Brand

Understand what is at the core of the brand identity

Define a plan based on your brand’s DNA

Communicate your solutions effectively to design teams

Keep visual reminders and analogies of how your brand to look

Prototype Solutions

Test Solutions

Use visualization throughout the design thinking process.

Napkin Pitch

Designer Evaluation

Visualize Customers

Summarize your concepts out of the ideation phase

Develop solutions with the right designers or team

Develop archetypes to keep your customer’s needs at the forefront of your strategies

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Final Toolkit Components

B2D WEBSITE

RESOURCES Inspiration, design information and further education

TOOLS A range of exercises designed for each audience profile

Compelling business strategies

Memorable customer experiences

Compelling marketing plans

COMMENTS Readers share stories on resources that helped them, ask questions, give feedback

Collaborate with the right people

COMMUNITY A place for small business owners to connect, share and learn

Bartering Bartering Services Services

Asking Questions

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B2D MARKETING

B2D TOOLKIT

TOOLKIT BOOKS A range of exercises designed for each audience profile

Bartering Print Services Books

DESIGNER WORKBOOK All the exercises printed on larger format paper meant to write on and use

Asking E-Book Questions

PACKAGING A kit of design thinking deliverables for B2D subscribers

Bartering Folio for Services Worksheets

Asking Slipcase Questions

POSTER CAMPAIGN A design thinking poster series

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Site Map Home Page

Main Navigation

Tools

Community

Resources

About

Sign Up

Slide show Log-in or Sign Up Tools

Community

Tools Landing Page

Tool Description

PDF Download

Discussion Board

Post Questions

Case Studies

User Comments

Create a Barter Swap

Chat

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Resources

About the Toolkit

Sign Up

Sign Up

Create a Profile

List of External Links External Website

User Profile

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Website

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Case Studies The B2D website provides case study examples demonstrating how small business owners can use incorporate the toolkit into their design process.

Tool Sharing Download toolkit worksheets and share your story with the online community and message board.

Resources Outside resources are also provided, including design thinking books, digital tools, further education and design thinking jargon.

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Identity The B2D logo is born out of a hexagonal shape. The hexagon is symbolic of forms that fit and work seamlessly together, appropriate for the toolkit brand, whose intention is to help small businesses work more collaboratively.

60°

60°

60°

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Logo mark

No subtitle

Single color

Minimum Size

1 inch

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Visual Standards Color Palette

B2D red Pantone 180C

C10 R215

M85 G80

Y70 B80

K0

B2D dark red Pantone 7608C

C20 R184

M83 G83

Y70 B70

K10

B2D cobalt Pantone 7699C

C82 R58

M55 G95

Y40 B116

K16

B2D dark cobalt Pantone 7546C

C87 R44

M69 G69

Y43 B91

K31

B2D turquoise Pantone 7475C

C84 R39

M38 G120

Y43 B129

K9

B2D dark turquoise Pantone 7546C

C88 R30

M48 G97

Y48 B106

K21

B2D sky blue Pantone 7702C

C67 R34

M15 G146

Y11 B184

K0

B2D dark sky blue Pantone 7688C

C80 R30

M29 G97

Y15 B106

K0

B2D green Pantone 7490C

C66 R106

M22 G152

Y82 B94

K4

B2D dark green Pantone 555C

C79 R59

M31 G119

Y85 B76

K18

B2D gray Pantone 5507C

C45 R148

M26 G168

Y29 B171

K0

B2D dark gray Pantone 444C

C60 R110

M39 G130

Y44 B130

K7

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Vector Illustration Icons and graphic elements were used through the toolkit materials, ranging from simple icons to more complex illustrations. The visual aesthetic is aimed to be fun, friendly and modern.

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Iconography Set

Large icons

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Toolkit Books

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Toolkit Books

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Toolkit Books

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The toolkit books are accompanied by a folio of tabloid worksheets and posters for users to start collaborating with and designing their own strategies.

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Posters

Posters included a promotional piece, an infographic on the design thinking process, and a flow chart on how all tools fit within the design thinking process framework.

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Worksheets

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Visions for the future

Upon receiving my Master’s Degree, I hope to use the materials developed for this toolkit to teach workshops and cultivate the digital community space on the Web site.

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Building workshop materials 1 The toolkit content could be built out into structured workshop materials for non-designers. 2 Basic design thinking principles would be taught, followed by activity sessions that could apply the concepts to real business challenges presented by the conference attendees. 3 Workshops have the potential to be offered through organizations such as the Luma Institute, General Assembly or the AIGA. 4 If successful through these avenues, workshops could eventually be developed into my own brand that independently works with small businesses in teaching design thinking.

Cultivating an online community 1 Currently, the toolkit website shows how the functionality of an online community could work. These files could be handed over to a developer to make the site fully functional. 2 The fully functional site would cultivate a community presence, allowing small business owners to connect with each other and share ideas, stories and barter for services. 3 The online community would work cohesively with the workshops, allowing attendees to connect each other.

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Colophon Name

Kristin Riger

ID Number

02594374

Course

GR801 | Directed Study

Instructors

Carolina de Bartolo Michele Ronsen Phil Hamlett

Semester

Fall 2014

Typefaces

Eureka Sans Eureka Serif

Photography

Kristin Riger Flickr.com

Paper

Proline Uncoated

Printer

Blurb.com

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