I’m jealous of children. They observe. They absorb. They create. They play. But mostly, I’m jealous of their boldness. They say what they think. They test the boundaries. They question the rules. They see without interpreting. They see without judging. They colour outside the lines. Examine children in imaginary play: they are inspired, they ideate, and they implement. Following Tim Brown’s description of design thinking, children are the quintessential Design Thinkers.
The business canvas is a perfect example of why I’m jealous of children. A child would have looked at it and seen opportunity to create. They wouldn’t have seen criteria, boundaries, or limits. I looked at the business canvas and systematically began filling in the blanks with the relevant information, not daring to test the limits of what we were explicitly instructed to do.
Meeting with Winnie, a member of the Clinicbook team, we were fixated on finding the answers to questions that would fill in the blanks the internet couldn’t. Insert an excited Clinicbook advocate who was passionate about the business idea.
Pause.
Absorb.
Reflect.
WAIT?!
We don’t need to ask questions and pull teeth to get answers? To be fair, this is relatively reflective of most members of business start-ups; more often than not, there is nothing they would rather talk about than their brilliant new business idea! In this way, entrepreneurs embody many of the characteristics than I envy in children. Particularly the boldness. Tentativeness is not a quality I would use to describe any entrepreneur I have met to date.
Winnie didn’t require a pre-defined structure of surface-scratching questions; she engaged us with a story. Through that story, we were finally able to see past the static structure of the business canvas. We were able to connect the dots. Putting ourselves in the shoes of potential consumers, we were better able to understand the value proposition. From there, discovering the relevant key activities, ideal communication channels, and key resources was intuitive. We became Design Thinkers.
Delving beneath the surface enabled us to discover key insights that we wouldn’t have otherwise. We were able to see the complicated web of how Clinicbook leverages relational assets, defining a direction to address the identified problem, as described by Roberto Verganti. Using Thomas Lockwood and Thomas Walton’s new model, we developed consumer insights. We discovered two potentially valuable segments that would likely be of considerable relevance for Clinicbook: new-to-(insert city here) students and new-to-Canada immigrants. Unlikely to already have health care providers set up in a new city (or new country), Clinicbook would be a valuable tool. These insights led us to recognize potential new key partnerships that could be developed. By working with post-secondary institution’s student health programs, Clinicbook could enjoy a captive audience of new consumers. The same can be said by reaching out to immigration-related governing agencies and support organizations. The fit is logical; the fit is real.
Interestingly, I also found the business canvas to be a somewhat challenging tool because it required observations without automatic interpretation. As business students, we are taught to critically think about and apply interpretations to everything we hear, read, see, and experience. I find that I often allow my opinions to colour how I interpret; simply observing the facts about a business was a refreshing and challenging concept. Objectively examining the components enabled us to draw constructive and logical links. However, it was by truly involving ourselves in the project that we were able to develop what I believe were our most valuable insights about consumers.
The business canvas was not my favourite tool. It was a great starting point. It provided a good idea of what blanks to fill. However, if taken literally and at face value, it was extremely limiting. As business students we like direction, crave instruction, and demand boundaries. The business canvas gave us those, but I want Dstudio to be about removing them. Moving forward, I challenge everyone to stop thinking like a pre-conceived, jaded adult. Set your inner Design Thinker free …
think like a child!
