ICT for Social Enterprise

Step 1: Developing a Project Idea

• 1/21 – Introduction; Case Study: Captricity; Pitching project ideas
• 1/28 – Case Study: Awaaz.de; Pitching project ideas
• 2/4 – Case Study: LeadGenius; Pitching project ideas

Step 2: Refining it through Prototyping and Critique

• 2/11 – Project Pitches; User-centered design
  • Chapters 1-4 of Contextual Design, by Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblat
  • An Ethnographic Approach to Design, by Blomberg, Burrell and Guest
  • Optional: Thick Description, by Clifford Geertz
  • DUE: Project Pitch (~5 min presentation)
    • ~5-minute presentation summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem, 3) what your hypothetical solution is, 4) who you need to work with to implement it, 5) how it could be sustained and 6) list of team members, including relevant qualifications or experience.
  • DUE: Project Idea & Team (1-2 paragraphs)
    • Short document summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem, 3) what your hypothetical solution is, 4) who you need to work with to implement it, 5) how it could be sustained and 6) list of team members, including relevant qualifications or experience.
• 2/18 – The Value of Values (guest lecture by Somik Raha)
  • Can Going Beyond Profit Make Us Happier?, by Somik Raha
  • Sacred Service, by Somik Raha
  • The Purpose of Business Is a Business of Purpose, by Somik Raha
  • Optional: The Purpose of Marketing, by Somik Raha
  • Optional: Competing with Love, by Somik Raha
  • DUE: Complete this short survey by February 13th
• 2/25 – UCD Discussion; Personas & Prototypes
  • Personas, from Chapter 9 of The Inmates are Running the Asylum, by Alan Cooper
  • Cultural Probes, by Gaver, Dunne and Pacenti
  • What do Prototypes Prototype?, from the Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction, by Houde and Hill
• 3/4 – Prototyping (cont.); Prototyping Activity
  • DUE: Field Notes
    • Summary of any interviews, participant observation or review of primary or secondary literature that informed your design process.
  • DUE: Personas
    • Archetype descriptions of your intended users, including Name, Age, Occupation, Education, Brief Bio including distinguishing characteristics.
  • DUE: Scenarios
    • One-paragraph descriptions of current or future usage scenarios including ideally an Actor, a Setting, a Goal and a set of Actions taken to achieve that goal (aim to document at least 3-5).
• 3/11 – Prototype Evaluation
  • DUE: 2-3 Lo-fidelity Prototypes
    • 2-3 rudimentary sketches of variants your intended solution to communicate it to the design team and the rest of the class, using whatever tools are easiest and most expedient (pencil and paper, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Flash, etc.)

• 3/18– Project Pitches; Group-to-group feedback; Managing Partnerships
  • Establishing Relationships for Designing Rural Information Systems, by Schwartzman and Parikh
  • Stories from the Field: Reflections on HCI4D Experiences, by Anokwa et al.
  • DUE: Project Pitch (5-8 minute presentation)
    • 5-8 minute presentation summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem (drawing from your user research and personas), 3) what your proposed solution is, 4) who you need to work with to implement it, and 5) how it could be sustained.
  • DUE: Executive Summary (1 Page)
    • 1-2 page document summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem, 3) what your proposed solution is, 4) who you need to work with to implement it, and 5) how it could be sustained.  Use this as a guide: http://www.garage.com/resources/writingexecsum.shtml

Step 3: Managing Social Impact

• 4/1 – Social Impact Assessment; Program Evaluation
  • Impact Evaluation in Practice, by Gertler et al., Skim Chaps 1-2, Read Chap 3
  • Using Randomization in Development Economics Research, by Duflo et al., Sec 1, 2.1-2, 3, 4.1-4.6, 8
• 4/8 – Writing a Social Business Plan; Crafting an Elevator Pitch
  • Diary of a Social Venture: Business Plan
  • Case Studies: MobileWorks, NextDrop, WECare Solar
  • DUE: Partner Summaries (1-2 sentences each)
    • Links and 1-sentence descriptions of partners you are working with, have contacted or intend to contact.
  • DUE: Analysis of competitors / alternatives (2-3 pages)
    • Screenshots and short descriptions (including pros / cons) of main competitors or alternatives to your solution, including the current status quo

Step 4: Pitching Your Idea

• 4/15 – Theory of Change; Designing your Meta-Strategy
  • DUE: Refined Interface Prototype
    • A more advanced sketch of your proposed application and its user interface.  This version should be able to communicate basic functionality to the user, including allowing him to perform or simulate a set of basic tasks.
• 4/22 – Internal practice pitches
  • NextDrop Pitch from GSVC 2011
  • DUE: Draft Mini-Business Plan (7-10 pages)
    • 7-10 page document summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem (drawing from your user research and personas), 3) what your proposed solution is (including an interactive graphical  prototype), 4) a list of partners you are working with or contacted, 5) sustainability model, 6) your plans for a pilot, 7) theory of change, 8) social impact assessment strategy and 9) list of team members, including relevant qualifications or experience.  The exact format may vary, emphasizing aspects most relevant to your venture.  Use this for inspiration: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_zen_of_busi.html
• 4/29 – Presentation of Final Pitches*
  • DUE: Final Project Pitch (10-minute presentation)
    • 10-12 minute presentation summarizing 1) the problem you are addressing, 2) who has this problem (drawing from your user research and personas), 3) what your proposed solution is (including an interactive graphical  prototype), 4) a list of partners you are working with or contacted, 5) sustainability model, 6) your plans for a pilot, 7) theory of change, 8) social impact assessment strategy and 9) list of team members, including relevant qualifications or experience.
  • DUE (by 5/11): Final Mini-Business Plan (7-10 pages)
    • Final version of above, incorporating feedback from the class and judges

* Open to the public

Meeting Time: Wednesdays 9-12 AM in South Hall 205