IDEO Open Innovation Challenge
Understanding Gen Z’s aspirations and tensions around digital thriving to amplify youth voices during the challenge judging process
ROLE: DESIGN RESEARCHER
TEAM: WENDY WANG, HEADSTREAM YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD
ADVISORS: MATT HOVDE, KEREN WONG
TIMELINE: 3 WEEKS, NOVEMBER 2022
Designing for Digital Thriving
Project Background
IDEO’s Play Lab launched an open innovation challenge on Designing for Digital Thriving in collaboration with Riot Games, Fair Play Alliance, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
We asked, “How might we design healthy, inclusive digital spaces that enable individuals and communities to thrive?”
The challenge received 179 submissions in total, all contributing to a collective reimagining of what good looks like online.Youth are the majority users of new apps and social media—but they rarely have a say in how these technologies are designed. To center youth in the evaluation process, we partnered with Headstream Innovation to run a series of generative workshops with their Youth Advisors.Learning Goals
Understand what “digital thriving” means and looks like to Gen ZUnderstand what adds and detracts from a healthy digital space or experience based on Gen Z valuesDetermine which concepts directly address aspirations and tensions rooted in Gen Z’s concept of digital thriving
Methods & Design Journey
We wanted our Youth Advisors to be engaged, feel safe and supported to share authentically. And most importantly, have fun in the process. 
Workshop Planning & Format
We ran one 90 minute workshop (with breakout groups) and one 60 minute workshop. When scheduling the sessions, we prioritized working around participants’ school schedules and other commitments. A virtual workshop on Miro was the ideal format given the geographic spread of the youth advisors, which also allowed for more diverse participation. Based on our research learning goals above, the workshop activities were designed to support both generative and evaluative research.Generative research: open-ended questions and activitiesEvaluative research: concept review of select submissions
Designing the Design Research Experience
Having been a frequent participant in Gen Z research sessions, I bring a unique perspective when on the other side as a Design Researcher. I love “designing the design research” to create the conditions for play, trust, and authentic collaboration.
From the icebreakers, generative activities, and concept review process, all were crafted to prioritize depth of research and engagement in a whimsical, inviting experience that made 90 minutes fly by.How did we select submissions for the concept review?
Based on the challenge finalists, we chose concepts that:
1) specified Gen Z as primary users,
2) were similar to popular apps among youth, and
3) those that sought to change current experiences/issues existing in these youth-dominated digital spaces. 
Co-Creation Space
[BLURRED PHOTO]
Insights
👀 THE DETAILS OF THE INSIGHTS FROM THIS WORK ARE CONFIDENTIAL.
ON A HIGH LEVEL, RESEARCH WAS SYNTHESIZED INTO ACTIONABLE DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Deconstructing assumptions around Gen Z’s relationship with technology useShifted definitions of how the physical and digital worlds intersect for Gen ZOpportunity areas where technology adds and detracts to digital thrivingWhich challenge submissions empowered youth to reclaim power through healthy, inclusive digital spaces, and why
Research Impact
STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION IMPACT:
Established and strengthened our relationship with Headstream Innovation, leading to partnership conversations for future projectsPositioned the IDEO Play Lab as experts in understanding children and youth alongside partners Riot Games and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. We co-hosted a panel, Designing for Digital Thriving, at SXSW 2023.
STRATEGIC IMPACT:
Insights guided the selection of 10 winners out of 179 submissions in the final judging phase, resulting in the distribution of $200k in grants. See Riot Games’ press release here.Centered Gen Z perspectives and amplified their voices to challenge partners and decision makers (IDEO, Riot Games, Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Fair Play Alliance). The Headstream advisors’ impact was directly reflected when their favorite concept, Plot Twisters, won $50k to turn their MVP into an online experience that reimagines digital thriving
My Learnings
🧠 Know Your Codesigners
In order to craft a design research experience that is intentional, inclusive and safe, knowing who you’re researching with is crucial. Deep knowledge of Gen Z and youth, both drawing from my lived experience and the Play Lab’s expertise allowed us to create workshop methods that resonated.
🕺 Workshop Playgrounds
Creating and facilitating workshops, even if on Zoom and Miro, is where I love to play!👓 Revisit to Refine Vision
Constantly re-visit and re-ground yourself/your team in the learning goals of the research. If you’re debating between methods or design choices, chances are that you just need to find alignment with the overarching vision again.
🖼 Melding Multiple Crafts
I appreciated being able to bring other crafts that I love, like visual and experience design, into my role as a researcher.