Design Thinking Workshop with State Farm & IBM
Over the span of a few days, State Farm and IBM joined forces in a collaborative effort, utilizing enterprise design thinking methodologies.
Through a series of enterprise design thinking activities, the client, State Farm, engaged in co-creation sessions aimed at generating multiple ideas and potential solutions for their end-users. The collaborative effort involved a total of four teams, each assigned with specific facilitators, including myself, who provided coaching and guidance throughout the enterprise design activities.
Additionally, subject matter experts were strategically assigned to each team, bringing their expertise and insights to the table. This multidisciplinary approach fostered a diverse and holistic perspective, enabling the teams to leverage their collective knowledge and experience to develop innovative solutions.
By employing enterprise design thinking, State Farm and IBM were able to facilitate effective collaboration, generate meaningful ideas, and work towards addressing the needs and challenges of their end-users.
As a designer, I was responsible for specifically coaching (Team 1) through the enterprise design thinking exercises, while maintaining a keen focus on delivering a human-centered design.
Challenge Statement: How might we optimize support for agent office connectivity (people, process, and technology) to minimize or eliminate impact to business?
Team 1 as-is scenario
The initial phase of the collaboration involved the teams thoroughly examining the current scenarios or the "as-is" state.
This process entailed gaining a comprehensive understanding of the existing end-user experience. By fleshing out the as-is scenario, the teams delved into the details of the current state, identifying key stakeholders and pinpointing the pain points experienced by the end-users.
Through this analysis, the teams gained valuable insights into the challenges and difficulties faced by the end-users. By identifying specific pain points, they were able to develop a deeper understanding of the areas that required improvement or innovative solutions.
This comprehensive examination of the as-is scenario provided a solid foundation for the subsequent steps in the enterprise design thinking process, enabling the teams to develop effective strategies for addressing the identified pain points and enhancing the end-user experience.
Team 1 stakeholders:
The State Farm insurance customer, Bubba the 1st level of support, John the 2nd level of support, Susie Q. the vendor, and Billy Bob the State Farm insurance agent. For this workshop, the State Farm clients decided to focus on one persona, that being Billy Bob.
Team 1 as-is scenario and persona pain points:
The State Farm insurance agent cannot connect through the network.
The State Farm insurance agent experiences the current pain points. Too many touchpoints, inconsistent communication with the agent during the recovery phase of the as-is, misidentified tickets, incorrect priority levels marked on tickets, the agent needs to be part of the troubleshooting, and so forth.
IBM and State Farm clients at the IBM Global Solution Center in Coppell, Texas (I am facilitating at the drawing board)
Following the exploration of the current scenarios and the identification of pain points, the teams proceeded to define the stakeholder needs.
Each team utilized the gathered insights and data to define the specific needs of their respective stakeholders.
This process of defining stakeholder needs played a pivotal role in guiding the subsequent ideation and solution development stages. It ensured that the teams remained focused on addressing the genuine challenges and concerns of the end-users, thereby increasing the likelihood of delivering meaningful and impactful solutions that directly addressed their needs.
Team 1 Stakeholder needs statement:
Billy Bob(their developed persona), the state farm insurance agent, needs a way to access the information and functionality when he needs it, so he can service current and prospective customers quickly.
Following the definition of stakeholder needs, the teams embarked on the exploration of concepts and ideas that would effectively meet those needs and provide value. This stage involved brainstorming and generating a range of potential solutions and innovative ideas.
During the ideation process, the teams considered various possibilities and evaluated each idea's potential impact and feasibility. In order to determine the priority of the ideas, a prioritization grid activity was conducted. The prioritization grid helped assess and rank the ideas based on their anticipated impact and feasibility for the end-users.
By evaluating the potential impact and feasibility of each idea, the teams could identify the most promising and viable solutions to pursue further. This systematic approach ensured that the ideas with the greatest potential to deliver value and meet stakeholder needs were given priority, allowing for a more focused and effective solution development process.
Team 1 big idea generation & prioritization:
The obvious choices(high impact/high feasibility) - Vendor tracker, tech ratings, information chatbot, remote access to reboot equipment.
The save for later ideas(low impact/low feasibility) - Auto alerts and notifications.
Team 1 Agent Companion mobile app:
Team 1 collaborated on their big idea generation activity and collectively decided that a mobile application would culminate all of their big ideas into a centralized place. Agent Companion was that mobile application.
Team 1 big idea generation
Team 1 big idea prioritization grid
Team 1 storyboarding of the to-be scenario
Following the generation and prioritization of ideas, the teams proceeded to create a storyboard depicting the "to-be" scenario. The to-be scenario represents the envisioned future state of a service or product, free from the obstacles and pain points identified during the examination of the as-is scenario.
In the storyboard, the teams illustrated how the proposed solutions and ideas would come together to overcome the identified pain points and enhance the end-user experience. The storyboard served as a visual narrative, outlining the sequence of events and interactions that would take place in the to-be scenario, showcasing the improved journey of the end-user.
By mapping out the to-be scenario, the teams gained a tangible representation of their ideas and how they would potentially transform the user experience. This allowed for better communication and alignment among team members and stakeholders, fostering a shared understanding of the future vision and guiding the subsequent implementation and refinement of the proposed solutions.
Team 1 to-be scenario:
A network issue is self-detected, ID and notify affected agents, find and start links, notify the agents(update), engage the vendors, vendors resolve and merge network, notifies the agent of these updates, successful satisfaction from state farm agent and customer.
Team 1 minimal prototype discussion for Agent Companion mobile application
A low fidelity prototype of Agent Companion that I created for Team 1. (Team 1’s mobile application).
Team one finalizing their pitch
Team 1 pitching to the judges and their colleagues
IBM Global Solution Center in Coppell, Texas
In the final phase, each team had the opportunity to present their solution to a judging panel (of their peers), responsible for assessing the impact and viability of their proposed ideas.
Team 1 presented their solution called "Agent Companion," which originated from their big ideas activity.
Agent Companion, a mobile application designed to address the pain points of their end-user persona, Billy Bob, who represents State Farm insurance agents. The primary goal of Agent Companion is to optimize support and streamline the workflow for insurance agents like Billy Bob.
During their presentation, Team 1 highlighted how Agent Companion would alleviate the specific pain points faced by insurance agents, enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness.
Benefits of Agent Companion:
$1.78 Million reduced follow up calls annually
60% Increase in support productivity
80% Increase in insurance agent satisfaction
90% Increase in State Farm customer satisfaction
Eliminate millions in lost opportunity costs each month
Ease of use
Business continuity (wireless/cellular)
Mobile office (bring the business to the client)
Increase productivity
Visibility into support levels (1st, 2nd, and 3rd support levels and vendors)
Improved and easy access
Ability to scale (development of new features)
After the presentations, each team underwent a judging process (by their own peers), where they were assessed on a scale of 1 through 5, with 5 being the highest score.
The judging criteria encompassed multiple categories, including the value proposition, business model, implementation strategy, and level of innovation demonstrated by each team.
The value proposition category evaluated the unique and compelling benefits offered by the solution, considering its potential to meet stakeholder needs effectively.
The business model category assessed the viability and sustainability of the proposed solution from a commercial perspective, considering factors such as revenue generation and cost-effectiveness.
The implementation category gauged the practicality and feasibility of bringing the solution to life, considering aspects such as resources required, timeline, and potential challenges.
Lastly, the innovation category assessed the level of creativity and originality demonstrated in the solution's design and approach.
By evaluating each team on these categories, the judging panel could provide a comprehensive assessment of the overall strengths and weaknesses of the presented solutions. This scoring system helped determine the relative merits of each team's solution, supporting the selection of the most impactful and viable ideas for further development and implementation.
Team results:
Team 1 score of 106
Team 2 score of 93
Team 3 score of 98
Team 4 score of 104
Team 1 was the winner of this design workshop.
Guiding and supporting Team 1 throughout the process, witnessing their growth, and observing their understanding and application of design thinking principles was a fulfilling experience for me, especially as a designer.
The fact that many attendees expressed their intention to bring Design Thinking back to their own teams is a testament to the value and impact of the workshop. Design Thinking provides a fresh perspective and a framework for breaking down preconceived approaches to idea development and problem-solving.
By incorporating Design Thinking into their work processes, these attendees are poised to foster a more innovative and collaborative environment within their teams.