ocula 2013 fall conference ottawa public librarym.j. d’elia
the startup library
image: (cc) Manzabar http://www.flickr.com/photos/manzabar/5317712005/
welcome
about• librarian / manager • instructor • designer • problem solver
think like a startup• startups condition us for constant
change • startups are about building a platform • startup is a culture
(mathews, 2012, p. 4)
startup library: an experiment
• process over product • action-based networking • making over talking • stretching ourselves
(startuplibrary.ca)
outlineexplore foundations
find problems brainstorm solutions
apply startup methodology present results
objectivespractice entrepreneurial thinking understand startup terminology
encourage risk-taking have fun
workbook• notes • key concepts • worksheets • references
foundation
creative problem solving
design thinking
lean thinking
innovative / creative thinking
startup thinking
seeking novel solutions to problems
considering end-to-end customer experience
gathering customer input for rapid deployment
applying techniques to break assumptions
searching for repeatable, sustainable solutions
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entrepreneurial thought + action
desire
smart step
act
resultlearn / reflect
bring others along stay within acceptable loss
act quickly with means at hand
gather data observe customers
(c) Babson College
eta: key points• begin with desire (not passion) • iterative process • learn by doing • act with what you have • primary data vs secondary data
eta: smart step• means at hand
• who are you? • what do you know? • whom do you know?
• acceptable loss • not more than you are willing to lose
roadmap
roadmap• morning
• problem finding • patron discovery • problem framing
• lunch
roadmap (continued)
• afternoon 1 • solution finding • hypotheses testing • build-measure-learn
• break
roadmap (continued)
• afternoon 2 • minimum viable product • criteria for evaluation • pivot or persevere
• presentations & wrap-up
tip 1
tip 1: noticethe verb you want to be using with respect to startup ideas is not ‘think up’ but ‘notice.’
(graham, 2012)
hot spots
hot spots [materials]
• marker (each member) • flip chart paper (per table)
hot spot [definition]
“...an area of high information density, clutter, stress, disorganization, or any place that has a suboptimal solution.”
~ Matt Cutts
tip 2
tip 2: few, not many!
develop for the few, not the many.
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 57)
patron discovery
patron discovery• search for problem/solution fit • seek patron input
!
• problem validation = is your problem really a problem? for whom?
earlyvangelists• she has a problem • she knows she has a problem • she is looking for a solution • she assembled a solution out of parts • she has a budget
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 58-60)
who / how
who / how (materials)
• markers • flip chart papers with three hot spots
who / how (instructions)
• who would be most interested in each hot spot you identified?
• how would you determine the problem-solution fit? • write your ideas on the chart paper
• time: 7-10 minutes
who / how (debrief)
• what did you come up with for the “how” question?
tip 3
tip 3: re-framegetting the right question is the key - phrase it for possibility
(brown, 2009)
framing
framing: how might we• how might we
• how - creative confidence • might - looking for possible solutions • we - the need to work together
• action-oriented
(brown, 2009)
how might we
how might we 1 (instructions)
• generate h.m.w. statements for your three hot spots • write your ideas on your chart paper
• time: 10 minutes
how might we 2 (instructions)
• choose the h.m.w question you want to work with
• write it out on a new piece of paper • tape it up near your table
how might we (alternatives)
• hmw make eBooks a more attractive option to patrons?
• hmw scale IL/library instruction to the entire campus?
• hmw deliver library content and services to mobile devices?
how might we (alternatives)
• hmw make the middle seat in the airplane the most desirable seat? !
• hmw make it easier to find hard-to-locate products in the grocery store?
checkpoint1 hmw statement
recap• problem finding • customer finding (problem/solution fit) • problem framing
debrief• what was the easiest step? • what was the hardest step? • does this feel different?
up next• solution finding • hypotheses testing • build-measure-learn
lunch breakstartup library
divergent thinking
divergent thinking (overview)
• generating ideas and options • brainstorming / ideation • anything is possible
divergent thinking (activities)
• sticky note brainstorm • forced connections
!
• goal: 75 ideas
tip 4
tip 4: diverge• Defer judgment • Combine and build ideas • Seek wild ideas • Go for quantity
(osborn, 1953)
sticky note
sticky note (materials)
• markers (for each member) • sticky notes (for each member) • pre-numbered flip chart paper
sticky note (instructions)
• brainstorm solutions to hmw question • one idea / sticky note • speak to the group • hand it to facilitator • post it to the flip chart paper
• time: 15 minutes
sticky note (debrief)
• ideas flow more freely • clear objective • verbalizing helps members build on
previous ideas
forced connections
forced connections (materials)
• markers • sticky notes • pre-numbered flip chart paper • random images
forced connections (instructions)
• look at random images • talk about them as a group
• what do they suggest? • force yourself to make connections
between images and your problem • time: 10 minutes
forced connections (debrief)
• stimulates lateral thinking • encourages cross-pollination • focuses on the image, not the problem
scamper
scamper (materials)
• markers (for each member) • sticky notes (for each member) • pre-numbered flip chart paper • scamper question cards
scamper (instructions)
• review questions on cards • talk about them as a group • add new ideas to the flip chart paper • time: 15 minutes
scamper (debrief)
• covers different angles on the problem • question prompts expand the
brainstorming
checkpoint75 + ideas
recap• sticky note brainstorming • forced connections • scamper
debrief• what was the easiest technique? • what was the hardest technique? • what did you notice?
convergent thinking
convergent thinking (overview)
• selecting the best ideas and options • determine potential value • apply criteria
convergent thinking (activities)
• highlighting • three ‘i’s
tip 5
tip 5: converge• be deliberate • check your objectives • improve your ideas • be affirmative • consider novelty
(osborn, 1953)
highlighting
highlighting (materials)
• 75+ ideas from divergent thinking • sticky dots (2 per member)
highlighting (instructions)
• survey your list of ideas • each member: choose two of the most
promising ideas • place your sticky dots on each idea
• time: 10 minutes
highlighting (debrief)
• allows everyone to contribute • identifies popular ideas • encourages discussion
three ‘i’s
three ‘i’s (materials)
• ideas with sticky dots • from highlighting activity
• three ‘i’s matrix flip chart • markers
three ‘i’s (instructions)
• place chosen ideas in the left column • evaluate ideas according to:
• imagination • impact • influence
• time: 10 minutes
three ‘i’s (debrief)
• evaluate ideas according to realistic criteria
• generate team “buy-in”
checkpoint2-3 promising ideas
recap• highlighting • three ‘i’s
questions• what worked with these techniques?
what didn’t? • which is easier: divergent or
convergent thinking?
tip 6
tip 6: get outsidethere are no facts inside your building, so get outside.
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 31)
hypotheses
hypotheses• educated guesses about the solution • objectives:
• acknowledge assumptions • design ways to test assumptions
hypotheses (early stage)
• market size • how many people will use your idea?
• value proposition • why will they choose your solution?
hypotheses (early stage)
• patron segments • who really needs your solution?
• patron relationships/channels • how will you communicate with them?
hypotheses (early stage)
• key resources • what does your solution rely on?
• key partners • who does your solution rely on?
hypotheses
hypotheses (materials)
• flip chart paper • markers
hypotheses (instructions)
• create two columns • list hypotheses associated with your
idea on the left • consider all angles • time: 10 mins
tip 7
tip 7: build, measure, learndetermine what you want to learn before you build
(ries, 2011)
b-m-l
entrepreneurial thought + action
desire
smart step
act
resultlearn / reflect
bring others along stay within acceptable loss
act quickly with means at hand
gather data observe customers
(c) Babson College
build, measure, learn• action steps
• build • measure • learn
build, measure, learn• planning steps
• learn - what do you want to know? • measure - how will you evaluate it? • build - what do you need to build?
b-m-l
b-m-l (materials)
• markers • flip chart paper with hypotheses
b-m-l (instructions)
• discuss the hypotheses you listed • add your testing strategies in the right
column • who could you talk to? • how would you learn?
• time: 10 mins
checkpointhypotheses + tests
recap• hypotheses testing • build-measure-learn
debrief• what do you think about hypotheses
testing? • how is this different than regular
approaches?
up next• minimum viable product • criteria for evaluation • pivot or proceed • presentations • flawed approaches
breakstartup library
tip 8
tip 8: mvpbuild a minimum viable product with the smallest possible feature set
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 60)
mvp
minimum viable product• just the features that allow the product
to reach the market • bare bones • aimed at early adopters • helps avoid building products that
people don’t want
minimum viable product• reduce amount of wasted effort • iterate until you find the mvp • low-fidelity
• does the customer care? • high-fidelity
• watch adoption and use patterns
customer validation• attempts to attract early adopters
• “test sell” at every sage • testing the entire model (as opposed
to individual parts) • validating your hypotheses related to
customers
mvp
mvp (materials)
• markers • flip chart
mvp (instructions)
• describe an mvp for your idea • what would you build? • what features would it have? • who would you “test sell” it to?
• time: 10 minutes
tip 9
tip 9: desirability!
the best ideas answer the customer desirability question.
(brown, 2009)
criteria
criteria: desirability• understanding users’ current needs
• expressing latent customer desires • ethnographic techniques
• observation • interviewing extreme users
criteria: feasibility• considering the full project scope
• technical challenges • social possibility • ecological reality (sustainability)
• research + development • prototyping, testing, experimentation
criteria: viability• remembering the economic dimension
• affordable to users • generate healthy business return
• research • projections, prediction, risk analysis
criteria: venn versiondesirability feasibility
viability sweet spot
three questions• Do people want/desire this product or
service? • Is this product or service technically or
organizationally possible? • Does this product or service make
economic sense?
Adapted from: IDEO Human Centered Design: Toolkit
scorecard
scorecard (materials)
• dfv scorecard (in workbook) • pens / markers
scorecard (instructions)
• discuss each criteria as it relates to your overall solution • desirability, feasibility, viability
• give each category a score out of 10 • time: 10 minutes
tip 10
tip 10: visualize!
the best way to “translate” piles of data is to make it as visual as possible.
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 430)
pivot
pivot“A pivot requires that we keep one foot rooted in what we’ve learned so far, while making a fundamental change in strategy in order to seek even greater validated learning.”
~ Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
pivot or proceed (continued)
• pivot = change direction • not simply about change • focused on testing a new hypothesis
• proceed = stay on course • continue validating hypothesis
pivot (examples)
• zoom-in: a single feature becomes the whole product
• zoom-out: the product becomes a feature in a much larger product
• customer segment: switching targets to a different customer segment
(ries, 2009, p. 173)
pivot (examples)
• customer need: recognizing a different customer need than expected
• engine of growth: change the way the growth strategy of the solution
• channel pivot: determining a different way to deliver the same product
(ries, 2009, p. 173)
pivot
pivot / proceed (materials)
• pens / markers
pivot (instructions)
• list at least three potential ways you could pivot your idea • use list of pivots from workbook
• time: 10 minutes
checkpoint3 pivot options
recap• minimum viable product • evaluation criteria • pivot / proceed
debrief• what do you think of the mvp
concept? customer validation? • what do you think of the pivot?
up next• presentations • flawed approaches • wrap-up
reflection
instinct“There is no way to remove the human element--vision, intuition, judgment--from the practice of entrepreneurship, nor would that be desirable.”
~ Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
wrap-up
assumptions
flawed assumption 1
“i know what the patron wants”
you are not your patron
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
flawed assumption 2
“i know what features to build”
continuous patron contact
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
flawed assumption 3
focus on the launch date
understand who uses it and why
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
flawed assumption 4
emphasis on execution
hypothesize, test, learn, iterate
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
flawed assumption 5
measure with traditional metrics
adopt and expect trial and error
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
flawed assumption 6
build one-size-fits all solutions
develop for the few, not the many
(blank & dorf, 2012, p. 8-18)
think like a startup• startups condition us for constant
change • startups are about building a platform • startup is a culture
(mathews, 2012, p. 4)
references
Berger, W. (2012, Sep 17). The secret phrase top innovators use [Blog post]. http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/09/the-secret-phrase-top-innovato/
Blank, S. & Dorf, B. (2012). The Startup Owner’s Manual. Pescadero, CA: K&S Ranch.
Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design. 2nd ed. New York: Harper Business.
Creative Education Foundation. (2010). The foundations of applied imagination (workbook). Amherst, MA: Creative Education Foundation Press.
Cutts, M. (2010, July 19). How to find start-up ideas. Matt Cutts Blog. Retrieved from http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/business-ideas/
Graham, P. (2012). How to get startup ideas [Blog post]. http://paulgraham.com/startupideas.html
references (continued)
Greenberg, D., McKone-Sweet, K. & Wilson, H. J. (2011). The New entrepreneurial leader. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Kiefer, C. F., Schlesinger, L. A. & Brown, P. B. (2010). Action trumps everything. Duxbury, MA: Black Ink Press
IDEO. (2011). Human-Centered Design Toolkit. 2nd ed. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ideo.com
Mathews, B. (2013). Think Like a Startup [White paper]. http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/18649
Osborn, A. (1953/1963). Applied Imagination. Amherst, MA: Creative Education Foundation.
Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business model generation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup. New York: Crown Business.
the end.