Particpants working through an exercise on effective communication & storytelling
During this deeply rewarding project, we helped Auckland Libraries build capability in co-design. To do this, The Distillery developed a series of 'learning labs' to take participants through the fundamentals of design thinking, and help them apply their learnings in real-world projects in their own libraries. This enabled them to not only quickly build their own skills and confidence, but also immediately start developing better library products and services for the people of Auckland.
This programme was a stunning success, and has built an incredible amount of energy & momentum across Auckland Libraries.
The learning labs were structured over a six month period to ensure that participants had sufficient time to apply their learnings, and in so doing, embed their new skills as new ways of working, rather than just theoretical or abstract knowledge. The 6 labs were focused on:
1. Empathy Skills & Design Research Methods, including interviewing skills and approaches;
2. Analysing Qualitative Data, including thematic analysis, developing insights statements and design challenges;
3. Workshop Preparation & Facilitation skills and approaches;
4. Prototyping products, services and experiences;
5. Testing with users;
6. Storytelling & effective communication.
As part of this project we set up a Slack platform to help build collaborative learning amongst participants from different libraries. This was warmly embraced, and a became a fabulous source of sharing, inspiration, support, and most of all peer to peer learning. All the content from the workshops was uploaded onto the platform, and this has since been used to take additional people through the learning labs process to help broaden the design capability at Auckland Libraries.
Feedback from the learning labs has been overwhelmingly positive, and the initiative has helped build a new way of working across libraries.
“Learning new skills in design thinking, service design and co-design in particular. The opportunity to use and apply tools we were presented during the labs - new things!- was really really exciting. I felt excited before each workshop! And more generally I enjoyed the experimentation aspect of this journey.”
“Most of it - it challenged me to examine my ways of working, my prejudices and assumptions, and and how I would better apply my time and skillset to worthwhile projects. I also found out how much I enjoy engaging with the community and it has sparked new ideas of what direction I want my career to head in.”
“It took a large amount of confidence and a bit of bluff and bravado to start the interviewing process, but once we’d started it made me want to continue with all the other steps even if I felt I lacked the skills. It was great having the guidance and encouragement from Mark, the provision of readings as and when needed and deadlines to keep the momentum going. ”
“I have a renewed confidence in myself and my capabilities as a leader and librarian. More than ever I see my role now as a community liaison rather than a librarian. I am looking forward to more opportunities to share my new learning with others.”
“Mark was so awesome, he was pitching the learning labs a little bit high intensity for some people I think, but I was lapping it up, and am just so much more competent in terms of strategy and facilitation
It’s been really great to have the opportunity to learn and do, to have the support to go out and talk to our communities, and of course to learn from an external expert.”