A critical aim of Kudoz is to create the conditions to flourish through one-on-one learning experiences and reflection. To help Kudoers get the most out of Kudoz they are supported by a learning coach who can offer guidance, troubleshoot issues and prompt reflection.
Challenge
Underpinning Kudoz is a theory of change with outcomes focused on increasing independence, mental health and employability. While the learning coach role was designed to support kudoers through their journey and towards these outcomes, the coaching role has been underutilized by Kudoers and ill-defined for the coaches themselves. My challenge was to understand the existing coaching framework in Kudoz - divided into three stages: get to know, get to grow and get to go - to see how (if at all) it was being applied to coaching interactions.
Goals
My initial aim was to develop a clear and conherent framework to tie coaching support and practice directly to the growth stages in Kudoz. However, as this project progressed and coaching practices rapidly evolved, it became apparent that what was actually needed to bring consistency and focus to coaching interactions was:
- Develop a framework that connects current front-facing coaching touchpoints and internal evaluation to the ultimate aim of Kudoz: bridging Kudoers to further opportunities in their communities
- Bring a core social science theory - Susan Mitchie’s Behaviour Change Wheel - into the process to simplify outcomes for the learning coach and Kudoer
- Design a tool for visualizing and tracking a kudoer’s growth within Kudoz towards bridging over time where progress is defined by kudoers
- Recognize and playback to kudoers their actions within and outside of Kudoz that contribute to how they want to build motivation, capability and opportunity
- How to blend social science and design to put theories and processes into action
Process
Understand
In my role of service designer, I lead contextual interviews with two learning coaches to see if current coaching practices aligned to growth stages for kudoers. I then visualized my findings in a journey map, which clarified the coach’s role in the kudoer’s journey and highlighted many opportunities to improve internal coaching practices. To uncover more opportunities that would directly benefit kudoers, I developed ideas for how kudoers might better understand their path and progress in Kudoz with the learning coaches.
Insights
Following this discussion, I collaborated with another service designer in Kudoz to map a new service journey map for learning coaches. This led to a clearer definition of which touchpoints and interactions with coaches aligned to the major growth stages for kudoers. We then worked with Dr. Sarah Schulman - InWithForward’s Social Impact Lead and Kudoz co-founder who developed Kudoz’s theory of change framework - and generated several ideas that culminated in the concept of a coaching map. The coaching map would be used as a guideline and communication tool for learning coaches and kudoers to understand and plan how they can work toward their vision (a personal goal they want to work towards by doing Kudoz).
Design
We presented a rough visualization of the coaching map to the learning coaches and proceeded to generate a few low-fidelity paper prototypes based on their feedback. During this phase I also created a modified behaviour change wheel (based on Susie Mitchie’s framework), for coaches to evaluate and track significant change moments with kudoers. Although the learning coaches saw merit in the coaching wheel, they were uncertain about how to fit it into their current practices.
Based on my notes and observations from presenting the coaching wheel, we revisited some existing tools and theoretical frameworks to assess outcomes we had observed in Kudoz. We then explored organizing these outcomes by motivation, opportunity and capability. This was very successful in linking the coaching wheel to other coaching tools, theories of change and generated ideas for how kudoers could define their own criteria for success.
Impact
This project has been instrumental in solidifying a shared understanding and language around coaching practices, growth and bridging. By including multiple perspectives from design, social science and service delivery, we were able to co-create a practical framework and coaching tool that reinforces the intended impact of Kudoz.
Learning Outcomes
- Continuously question, prototype, and seek feedback especially in a context like Kudoz where nothing is static
- Collaboration and participatory design with stakeholders and end users is critical to developing tangible and testable designs that the team owns and is invested in using
- How to prioritize insights and ideas for service improvements
- How to design beyond the product/tool and define the contexts of its use in line with existing touchpoints in the journey map