What is Strategic Design? Week 17: Final Deliverable Amelia Sander
Background: Strategic Design ambiguity Parsons SDM program masters students all express strong positive feelings towards the term “strategic design”. Some students come from business backgrounds, others come from design backgrounds. The unifying theme that brings SDM students together is solving complex problems in creative ways with innovative solutions. Although SDM students bring diverse backgrounds to the table, a gap exists between the term “strategic designer” - which is ambiguous - and ways students can bring their skills to make an impact at an organization where they want to work.
In Context: Parsons Classmates in SDM come from business or design backgrounds. Some designers fixate on finding “Strategist” roles --and are frustrated when there are few jobs available for Masters candidates who are not in MBA programs. On the other hand, business background folks feel intimidated and do not define themselves by the term “Designer” --although roles may be available and suitable for these students.
The Strategy Choice Cascade What is our winning aspiration?
Where will we play? How will we win?
What capabilities must we have?
What management systems do we need?
Winning Aspirations + Goals
Our winning aspiration is to be able to communicate the value of strategic design to the greater design and business communities. Goals are: ● ● ● ● ●
Identifying skills used in strategic design Communicating one’s skills to important stakeholders (professionals and recruiters) Using language to demonstrate one’s value to an organization where one would want to work Receiving feedback that one’s skills are useful to an organization Bonus: Finding one’s place within an organization where one wants to work
The Playing Field In the ecosystem, the major stakeholders are design or business professionals in the industry.
Parsons
Within professionals are recruiters at companies. Recruiters may be team leaders looking to hire; or organization recruiters. Recruiters run through resumes and meet students for a specific role.
Students Professionals Recruiters at Companies
Recruiters work with Parsons to find students for specific roles through on-campus recruiting. There are many overlaps. Some students are also Professionals, and some professionals are also Parsons professors.
How might we deďŹ ne what is Strategic Design?
From the Students’ Perspectives
What Students Say: Defining “Strategist”
Defining “Strategic Designer”
“A position to do strategy stuff - diff companies do diff stuff; not a clarified role.”
“A person who solves problems creatively with methods like user experience research.”
-P.K., SDM Student
-S.S., SDM Student and Intern
“Something that makes designs more than just looking good and is necessary in all design.” -P.K., SDM Student
“Person who solves problem creatively and with a difference; thinks outside the box.” -S.S., SDM Student and Intern
Insight: Strategy is ambiguous Although students interviewed identiďŹ ed as strategists, they were unable to provide a clear, consistent deďŹ nition of strategy.
From the Professionals’ Perspectives
What Professionals Say: “Creating change requires working across groups and systems...designing across multiple disciplines and likely with groups of other contributors…” -K.V., Strategic Design Lead
“[A strategist is a ] Person with different backgrounds that can execute on vision... people take ways to get you there --whether it’s by business, data, or creative.” -M.F., Senior Strategist
“My career took me to advertising, creative direction, product design...It wasn’t just a straight path to strategic design.”
-K.V., Strategic Design Lead
Insight: Strategy is diverse Professionals deďŹ ned strategy in terms of qualitative data: stories and experiences from different roles and backgrounds.
From Recruiters’ Perspectives
“Do it...if you’re a strategic
designer, you can make a change in whatever position you are...connect your passion with the structure in a company to make changes.” -K.S, HR Partner
Insight: Strategy is impact Both HR and Recruiters focused a person’s value being measured by “making an impact”.
Opportunities Opportunity 1
Opportunity 2
Opportunity 3
Focus on backgrounds
Make strong impact
Re-deďŹ ne role
Instead of focus on role titles, students can highlight their strengths in their backgrounds.
During the job hunt, students can demonstrate value with a deliverable related to their strengths.
After starting at a position, students (now professionals) can provide impactful deliverables and ask for “strategy� in their titles.
Opportunity 1: Focus on Backgrounds Networking:
Interviewing:
Students can take initiative to ďŹ nd networking events that are compatible with their backgrounds.
During the initial interviewing phase, students can focus on their backgrounds to own and celebrate their backgrounds.
From these events, students can meet and start conversations with professionals where they want to work. These conversations can focus on what professionals do and whether responsibilities align with students’ ideas of strategy. In turn, students can share their experiences from projects and past work.
Students with visual design backgrounds can focus on their branding abilities; Students with business backgrounds can focus on their abilities to manage numbers and data analysis. Students can focus on qualitative data: stories and experiences to build a strong case for hire.
Opportunity 2: Making an Impact Impact: Impact can be determined by “doing the extra work” and proving “passion”. This is an opportunity for students to shine by demonstrating a passion project. Design backgrounds can do a brand audit for the organization and walk through their thought process. Business backgrounds can create case studies with research and data on the organization or a competitor.
Opportunity 3: Redefine the role Inside Out:
Strategist
Data Analyst HR/ Recruiter
Designer Business Analyst
Once the student has found a role in the organization, she can provide her value by taking on different responsibilities: data analysis, design, business analysis, or even HR partnerships to prove their value. As the student establishes herself as a professional in the organization, she can ask to re-define her title as “Strategic Designer”, “Design Strategist”, or other nomenclature related to Strategic Design.
How will we win? Backgrounds
Strong Impact
Re-deďŹ ne Role
Find stakeholders
Facilitate Conversations
Align Stakeholders
Students
Professionals
HR/Recruiters
Parsons Administration
Wider Network
Capabilities: Skills needed
Interviews
Discovery
Facilitation
Systems Thinking
Alignment
Students
Parsons SDS Alumni
HR Professionals
Parsons Administration
SD Professionals
Recruiters
Greater Network
What management systems will we work with?
Next Steps
Our next steps is to prototype these ideas. As these ideas are all data-backed hypotheses, they all have to be tested. These ideas can be tested by students by engaging with professionals and HR/Recruiters. How will we know we are successful? ●
Determine our Key Performance Indicators ○ ○ ○
●
Set a time period to test ○
● ●
# of networking meetings with professionals # of interviews # of portfolio or case study reviews 1 semester
Measure our tests by our Key Performance Indicators Document findings and write down any insights or feedback from professionals/HR