Computational Design Sprint A framework for rapidly addressing complex business challenges that helps to streamline creativity, accelerate design, and align teams within a time-boxed, data-driven environment.
Executive Summary
Mode Lab 431 NW Flanders St. #302 Portland, OR 97209 +1 (347) 788-0570
business@modelab.is http://modelab.is
Statement of Confidentiality This proposal and supporting materials contain confidential and proprietary business information of Mode Lab. These materials may be printed or photocopied for use in evaluating the proposed project, but are not to be shared with other parties.
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
About Us Mode Lab is an advanced product creation consultancy specializing in computational design. We help teams streamline creativity, accelerate design, and enable a more fluid transition from prototype to production.
As product development has become increasingly complex
We design algorithms, build generative tools, develop
and distributed, conventional design tools and workflows
future-oriented products, and provide strategic consulting
are no longer sufficient to keep up. Every organization
services to companies interested in leveraging emerging
must now rise to the challenge of re-configuring
technology to transform their businesses.
themselves to align with the systems, flows, and exchanges that shape a new era of design and production.
We have over 12 years of experience developing
Since 2008, we’ve helped start-ups and established brands
teams at some of the world’s most innovative companies.
harness the power of computational design to streamline
Our customers span a range of industries and include
creativity, accelerate innovation, and enable a more
well-known footwear and apparel brands, software
seamless transition from prototype to production. With
corporations, automotive OEMs, amongst others. This
services spanning computational design sprints, tools and
cross-industry perspective provides us with a unique lens
methods research, product design, full-stack development,
for problem framing and an endless source of insight to
and training, we are an end-to-end studio capable of
bring to our work. Our clients come to us for our talent,
delivering on tomorrow’s most complex design challenges
vision, and values. They return because of our obsession
Our computational design process accelerates innovation
with craft and inspiring creative energy.
groundbreaking products with design and engineering
and pushes the boundaries of customization, data-driven performance, and advanced method of make.
We partner with forward-looking design organizations to accelerate creative and technological innovation. Who we are We’re a computational design partner that helps you connect your teams, tools, and workflows. Our mission is to harness the power of computation to streamline creativity, accelerate innovation, and enable a more seamless transition from prototype to production.
2
What we do
Computational Design Sprints Product Labs including Design, Technology, and Research Computational Design Training
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Our Team
Project Team
Ronnie Parsons, Founder & CEO Ronnie Parsons is a Co-founder and CEO at Mode Lab, an advanced product creation consultancy specializing in computational design. At Mode Lab, he helps design leaders leverage computational tools and workflows to drive business transformation and organizational change. He is a design executive with over 15 years of experience, including computational systems research and data-driven product innovation. His engagements span across multiple industries, including consumer product, automotive, software, digital manufacturing, and architecture.
Our Computational Design Team Computational Designers are the creative driving force behind the conceptualization and development of disruptive
technology, tools, and design methods. Software Engineers build beautiful, functional software applications to support design, research, and technology
initiatives in creative ways. Strategists lead discovery initiatives to uncover, understand, and plan ways of working for organizational change and
process innovation. Researchers define and shape research tools and methods in the pursuit of novel ways of working and making.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
3
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Our Services We’re thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate and explore alongside you the opportunities that computational design sprint can bring to your business. Innovation Consulting As product development has become increasingly complex and distributed, Market Analysis & Industry Insights
conventional design tools and workflows are no longer sufficient to keep up. Every organization must now rise to the challenge of re-configuring themselves to align with the systems, flows, and exchanges that shape a new era of design and production. We work with design leadership to establish an understanding of their
Strategic Foresight & Trends Tools & Methods
organization and roadmap a strategy to address unmet needs in the market.
Computational Design Sprints The complexity of tomorrow’s challenges requires a more responsive and agile design process today. We’ve brought together business strategy, computational thinking, user research, and visual programming methods into a framework that for validating ideas and generating solutions to complex challenges in under a week. This integration enables us to rapidly execute these concepts using
Product Strategy Digital Prototypes Physical Prototypes
advanced design and production systems.
Product Labs Designers need more intelligent and better connected tools in order to keep pace with accelerating technologies and shifts in consumer demand. Our crossfunctional teams address the complex nature of developing products in today’s market by leveraging lean research and agile practices.
Fullstack Development Product Design Research & Strategy
Computational Design Training We are in the midst of a paradigm shift, and teams must understand the nature of this shift in order to design for it. With advances in technology occurring at an exponential rate, continuing education is crucial in order to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, retain talent, and support a positive company culture. We work alongside teams to understand their needs and develop training
Executive Education Computational Design Sprints Tools & Methods
programs tailor-made to their goals.
4
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Computational Design Sprint A Computational Design Sprint is a framework for rapidly addressing complex business challenges that helps to streamline creativity, accelerate design, and align teams within a time-boxed, datadriven environment. Where does it come from? The Design Sprint, created in 2010 by Google Ventures, is a step-by-step process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. It combines business strategy, innovation, behavior science, and design thinking into a field-tested process that any team can use. With this, our framework integrates Computational Thinking, an approach to problem-solving that formulates a problem and expresses its solution(s) in such a way that a computer - human or machine - can effectively carry it out. This integration enables us to rapidly execute concepts generated during a Sprint using advanced design and production systems.
What does it involve? A Challenge of a level of complexity that necessitates the use of advanced design and production systems, and requires immediate attention in order to transition an idea into production. A cross-functional team of 5-7 people with diverse skills and areas of expertise, working together for 4 days to build a prototype that addresses the sprint challenge. A step-by-step process for validating ideas and generating solutions to complex challenges in under a week.
How does it work? Sprinting at Mode Lab involves a collection of design sprint exercises, organized into four phases: Understand, Explore, Build, and Demo. We’ve brought together business strategy, computational thinking, user research, and visual programming methods into a framework that supports both divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
Phases 01: Understand Map out the problem space and decompose the challenge into a series of small, discrete questions. 02: Explore Generate a range of ideas, mindful of both feasibility and scope, but open to those not immediately apparent. 03: Build Build a prototype to validate or invalidate assumptions, or fill the gaps in our knowledge. 04: Demo Test and validate the prototype with a select group of stakeholders. Based on findings, outline next steps.
What is the outcome? The outcome of every Computational Design Sprint is a functional prototype, tested by stakeholders, and a Summary Report with clear insights on where to go next. Having completed your design sprint, you will have the confidence to further iterate on the prototype or transition the proof of concept into development.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
5
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 1: Understand Map out the problem space and decompose the challenge into a collection of smaller, discrete questions. During this phase, your team comes together to understand the business challenge from all angles. You’ll create shared knowledge and align to a common direction. Phase 1 Modules
M01: Defining the Challenge Invite team members and external subject matter experts to share their knowledge and insights.
Module 1: Defining the Challenge EX01. Expert Interviews
EX04. Sprint Q uestions
Invite team members and
Brainstorm issues that may act
external subject matter experts
as goal blockers a nd formulate
to share their knowledge and
questions that must be
insights.
answered to a ddress them.
EX02. How Might We… (HMW)
EX05. User Journey Map
Take insights surfaced during
Define the User Journey and
interviews and reframe them as
target an area of focus f or the
design opportunities.
remainder of the Sprint.
EX03. Long-Term Goal Review the How Might We statements and, as a team, decide on a long-term business goal.
6
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 2: Explore Explore a broad range of ideas, mindful of both feasibility and scope, but open to possibilities that may not be immediately apparent. During this phase, we will iterate on a range of concepts and hone-in on a single solution to prototype. Phase 2 Modules
M02: Generating Solutions Generate as many ideas as possible, mindful of both feasibility and scope, but open to possibilities that may not be immediately apparent. M03: Synthesis Review the concepts identified so far and hone in on the collection of ideas to further refine. M04: Mapping Map user stories to key ideas and identify the computational patterns required to execute them. M05: Sequencing Design the system and its algorithms to guide prototype development.
Module 2: Generating Solutions EX01. Lightning Talks
EX02. Generative Sketching
Research a nd p resent inspiring
A series of sketching methods
companies or products t hat
that will explore a broad space
are r elevant t o the c hallenge,
of possible solutions.
as w ell a s take n otes o n the presentations.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
7
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 2: Explore continued Module 3: Synthesis EX01. Heatmap (Silent Voting)
EX03. Decider Vote
Individually pin up concepts
The Decider makes the fi nal
and vote o n the b est ideas, or
decision o n the concepts, or
components of ideas o r text.
components of concepts, to bring forward, and gives an explanation.
EX02. Concept Presentations Select your f avorite c oncept, or component of a concept, regardless of authorship, a nd describe w hy it is the best.
Module 4: Mapping EX01. User Story Map
Look for similarities that
so far and hone in on the
exist and identify generalized
selected ideas into a single
reusable solutions within your
concept to prototype.
given design context.
EX02. Lightning Talks
8
EX03. Pattern Matching
Review the concepts identified
EX04. Concept Presentations
Research a nd p resent inspiring
Select your favorite c oncept,
companies or products t hat
or component of a concept,
are r elevant t o the c hallenges,
regardless of authorship, a nd
as w ell a s take n otes on
describe why y ou t hink it is the
presentations.
best.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 2: Explore continued Module 5: Sequencing EX01. Algorithm Design
EX03. Abstracting Patterns
Incorporate the identified
Prioritize patterns for
computational patterns into the
development, and focus on
design of a set of algorithms
the vital information required
to execute on the desired
in order to build a successful
prototype.
prototype.
EX02. Asset Mapping Identify existing assets, those to be modified, and those that require development.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
9
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 3: Build Build a prototype to test the assumptions we are trying to validate or invalidate, or fill the gaps in our knowledge.
Phase 3 Modules
M06: Prototyping Build a prototype based on the assumptions you are trying to validate or the knowledge gaps you are trying to fill.
Module 6: Protoyping EX01. Create the Prototype
EX02. Tune the Prototype
Create t he actual p rototype to
Merge parts of the developed
demo and test with the team.
algorithm(s) or tune its functionality to improve performance.
10
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Phase 4: Demo Test the prototype with, and gather reactions from, stakeholders. Based on the team’s findings and following discussion, outline next steps.
Phase 4 Modules
M07: Testing & Learning Gather reactions to our demo and test the assumptions for the prototype. Summarize and review feedback, and plan for the future. M08: Summary & Analysis Provide feedback to the Sprint Team and key stakeholders.
Module 7: Testing & Learning EX01. Demo Solution
EX03. Planning (Next Steps)
Demo the solution to
Take the learnings from the
stakeholders, and invite them to
Sprint and define and discuss
test the developed prototype.
next steps.
EX02. Gather Feedback Prepare a f eedback w all for your team t o c ollect feedback f rom demos, and collect insights from the audience of stakeholders.
Module 8: Summary & Analysis EX01. Reporting Provide recommendations on how to accelerate concepts catalyzed during the Sprint.
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
11
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
All Phases & Modules
Phase
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Understand
Explore
Build
Demo
12
Mode Lab | CD Sprint Executive Summary| Computational Design Sprint
Grasshopper Primer
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Dynamo Dictionary
Dynamo Primer