Innovation

WE INNOVATE … TO FUTURE-PROOF THE SOCIAL SERVICE SECTOR WITH IMPACTFUL AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.

Definition

1. Innovation means designing new solutions to meet emerging needs or transform existing services.
2. Innovation puts end-users at the centre of the design and delivery process.
3. Design thinking is a mindset and an approach to find innovative solutions for complex social challenges.

Process

Adapted from NCSS Social Innovation Starter Kit page 10.

Using Design Thinking Approach

Design Thinking constitutes 5 phases. An innovation team would journey through these phases in iterative cycles, starting from Empathy towards Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test.

• Empathy – Research and immerse in needs and challenges of our service users
• Define – Analyse research, develop a point of view and refine the design challenge
• Ideate – Informed by research insights, generate as many ideas as possible
• Prototype – Transform conceptual ideas into tangible prototypes
• Test – Test early and improve through iterating

Guiding Questions

• WHAT challenge(s) are we trying to overcome?
• WHO are we designing for?
• WHAT impact do we want to make?

Resources Available

• Social Innovation Starter Kit + Templates ‐ NCSS has developed and published a Social Innovation Starter Kit which includes guiding principles and mindsets of the human-centred design process along with dozens of specific methods and tools, as well as examples and case studies contextualised to the social service sector.
• For more Innovative initiatives by NCSS, refer to the Innovation and Productivity page.