How might we convene a diverse group of global thinkers in a virtual forum to design solutions for work-related challenges caused by COVID-19?
In a previous post I wrote about the “why” behind #HRvsVirus.
Today, I want to share how we approached the experience, who was involved, and what the outcomes were.
The Team
We were lucky to partner with workforce development social enterprise i.c.stars and its Executive Director Sandee Kastrul as co-organizers on this initiative. Their technology solution design and talent development lens were a great complement to our Human Resources and design thinking experience.
We had 130 registered #HRvsVirus Hackathon participants - designers, academics, data scientists, business leaders, and HR professionals from countries across the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Dubai, England, Germany, Ireland, and the United States of America.
We designed dedicated roles to provide support during the Hackathon: Challenge stewards submitted challenges and provided additional context, moderators facilitated a team’s efforts over the three-day period, and mentors supported various teams with their subject matter expertise.
The Process
The #HRvsVirus Hackathon was conducted entirely virtually. We used Slack for team collaboration, Zoom Video for daily check in calls, and Google Docs to capture each team’s project documentation. Teams leveraged additional virtual design thinking tools such as Mural and Miro to facilitate their research and ideation processes.
The #HRvsVirus Hackathon ran from April 17 – 19, 2020. Participants had 72 hours to build solutions to the above work-related challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis. We kicked off on Friday at 9am CST and closed on Sunday at midnight CST with the final submission of solutions.
Each day was dedicated to a step in the design thinking process.
DAY 1: DISCOVERY
We kicked off the day with an educational interview on the role of research with Jeff Merrell, Associate Director Master of Science in Learning Organizational Change at Northwestern University.
Teams formed in Slack to tackle five challenges that were submitted in advance to the Hackathon.
Each team designed their own research approach to gain deeper insight into the challenge and to immerse themselves in empathy with the stakeholders they were designing their solution for. Discovery methods included surveys, empathy interviews, and secondary research.
DAY 2: IDEATION
Ideation day was kicked off with a short education segment provided by Jane Garza, Managing Director at NOBL.
The teams applied various ideation methods using virtual ideation tools such as Mural, Miro, and Google Docs. At the end of the day they coalesced on one concept they would prototype the next day.
DAY 3: PROTOTYPING
On the last day, teams designed solution prototypes that ranged from apps to event agendas. Each team was also asked to document their process and create a video pitch of their prototype.
“What a weekend! What an experience! What an opportunity! This past weekend, in the midst of family time, work responsibilities and all of the cares of life...an amazing “troop” of HR leaders came together...from ALL OVER THE WORLD to begin thinking about and solving some of the people challenges that will face us all in this post-COVID 19 world. ”
The Solutions
These were the five solutions created by #HRvsVirus Hackathon participants:
ONN (Our New Normal) App which Facilitates Safe Return to Work from Isolation
Employees will be returning to the office in a working world with a whole new set of concerns
around workplace safety and care. Companies can provide the ONN mobile app so their employees might obtain key information about their workplace, including metrics on building occupancy, COVID infection rates and incidences, and cleaning information for common areas.
Design Thinking for Career Development for Those who Experience Crisis-Related Layoffs
As of April 19, 2020, 22M people have filed for unemployment in the US alone skyrocketing the unemployment rate to 13.5%. Imagine the impact this will have on the entry-level talent entering the job market, and direct correlation to volume of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition jobs that are currently being displaced. Imagine a new exploratory career adventure where diverse job seekers are connected to a team of mentors collaborating to help the job seeker Discover, Ideate and Prototype a career path that is customized to the current hiring demand in the marketplace.
An Interactive Virtual Onboarding Journey Map
The solution is a centralized web space (ideally incorporated into the company intranet) that provides a complete onboarding roadmap and timely reminder of what is next. It also provides hiring managers, HR and buddies with reminders and synchronized information.
Open Space - A Platform to Maintain Meaningful Work Connections
Open Space is a digital platform that helps companies and employees maintain and build on the meaningful connections they created during the COVID-19 crisis.
Tap In! Tap Out! - A Language Concept for Leaders and Employees to Manage COVID-19 Related Anxiety in the Workplace
Anxiety disorders impact 19% of the U.S. population every year and are expected to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on studies of previous disasters, 10% of those impacted can develop more severe problems, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorder or PTSD. The Tap In! Tap Out! program includes both a digital and manual engagement methodology for employees to openly acknowledge their need to temporarily tap out of work duties. “Tap in” is the counterpart component - encouraging leaders and managers to pay special attention to setting clear expectations during these not-normal times.
#HRvsVirus Hackathon solutions were designed by volunteers to benefit the social good. They are made available for free to the public. Key work processes and documents are shared as part of each case study so you can leverage them to support implementation inside your own organization.
It would be wonderful if you worked out loud and shared back how you used these solutions by tagging us #HRvsVirus or sending us a quick feedback.
We are also continuing to collaborate with i.c.stars to explore how we might build and scale some of the solutions so they might benefit as many organizations as possible. Subscribe to our Twitter and YouTube channels to follow along.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Dessain is the Founder and Chief Talent Experience Designer at talent.imperative inc, an employee experience design consultancy.
Nicole’s creative superpower is “connecting the dots” which she applies to her passion of bringing design thinking to the world of Human Resources through the hr.hackathon alliance.