The major takeaways I had from this course can be broken in two categories: skills learned, and knowledge learned. I will start by listing each in the first two paragraphs. Then I will go into more detail about what I learned in the rest of the post.
I learned the following skills in this course: proficiency in web designing software, how to be an effective team member without being the leader, and how to go through the innovation process.
I learned the following knowledge in this course: the prototyping process can be remarkably important during the innovation process, the various sustainability frameworks we studied are very interesting to me, rewards programs seem to be an obvious way that companies can integrate sustainability into their mission, and an appreciation for the effectiveness of the innovation process.
The most impactful section of the innovation process was prototyping. It was very unclear at times, but ultimately it gave our project much needed direction. Initially our group was unsure how to create a prototype for an alteration of a rewards program. There was discord over whether the prototype should be a mobile app or a website, as well as what software should be used to create them. In discussions determining what prototype to create my group members and I were forced to focus the scope of our entire proposal. We prioritized the creation of a website which came with the realization that integration with local communities/cultures was the core of our project and should be emphasized more than incentives for carbon-reducing practices. In my opinion, this was the most important evolution of our project. Changing the culture and experience of travel is the most unique and impactful aspect of our project, but we only realized this indirectly, through discussions about the prototyping. In this way the prototyping process was vital because it created a concrete element of our project for people to interact with, but more importantly it give invaluable clarity on what the purpose of our project should be. Because of this I believe the prototyping step of the innovation process was the most important, and stood out to me the most. The prototyping process was also rewarding in another way because it gave me familiarity with web designing software which I have implemented on other projects.
Another important skill I learned from this course was being an effective team member without being the leader. In past group experiences I have taken a leading role, or felt as if I needed to. However this was not the dynamic for my innovation group. Kaitlyn was a clear team leader for our group. This was something I had to adjust to. I was eventually able to adapt to having someone else set deadlines for the group and take the lead on work and formulation of our vision. Initially however, I remained quite in group discussion because I felt as though I could not contribute if I was not the one leading. As the course progressed I was able to find a useful position as a supporting role and contribute my share to the group.
One section of the course I found to be particularly engaging was discussion of the various sustainability frameworks. The frameworks were completely new to me with the exception of a few. Since being educated about them I have engaged in discussion about cradle to cradle and the circular economy with a local architect that I may be interning with this summer.
Finally, it was clear to me that there were a number of groups focused on creating sustainable rewards programs in various industries. Perhaps this overlap is the result of the relative simplicity of the idea or perhaps it is because of its potential. Whatever the case, it seems to be a popular idea which supports it merits, as it is based on customer participation.
Thank you professor Luchs. This was a rewarding course that provided me with skills and knowledge that I can, and have, taken into my adult life.