Rebecca Lloyd, Rowboat – InnovaBuzz 217
Rebecca Lloyd, Rowboat
In this episode, I’m really excited to have as my guest, Rebecca Lloyd, Captain, Founder and Director of Rowboat, who are Human-Centered Design Professionals. Bec and her team help put your people and your customers at the heart of your organisation, where they belong. Rowboat has worked with clients as diverse as the International Cricket Council, the CSIRO Research organisation in Australia, Deakin University and leading banks. Recently they’ve launched the Wonder Club, teaching design thinking to young people.
In our discussion, Bec talked to me about:
- How to encourage unconstrained thinking for creativity
- Building empathy with your clients and
- What we can learn from children
Duncan Smith on episode 189 introduced us to Bec.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Listen to the Podcast
Marketing done well is human-centered. Human-centered design done well is marketing. @BeckyJLloyd on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Rebecca Lloyd, Captain and Founder of Rowboat
Key points and takeaways from this episode include:
- Rowboat equips people with the mindset and tools to do things differently and learn more about their employees and customers.
- Human-centered design is all about putting people at the heart of you what you are doing and having deep empathy for them, as well as understanding them as much as you can, and using that insight to design for them.
- Stop making things so perfect. Get it out there and test it. Give yourself time to go through the process. Think big, go divergent and then convergent.
- Four Stages of the Double Diamond Process:
- Discovery – finding out what you can about your customers or people
- Synthesis – making sense of the insights you’ve gathered
- Ideation – thinking of as many different ways that you can solve that opportunity
- Prototyping – refining those ideas and getting it out there
- There is no wrong or silly idea.
- Diversity is one of the best ways to ensure that you come up with new, interesting, and innovative ideas.
- Word of mouth is one of the best ways to identify an ideal client. People who have done work with you before are the very best in identifying someone else who would benefit from your work.
- The more you do, the more value you provide. Keep experiencing those things that clients experience when they work with you.
- Kids have a natural mindset of design. They are curious and generally collaborative with each other. Having that child-like view is important.
- Marketing done well is human-centered. Human-centered design done well is marketing.
Stop making things so perfect. Get it out there and test it. Give yourself time to go through the process. Think big, go divergent and then convergent. @BeckyJLloyd on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Bec’s answers to the questions of our Innovation round. Listen to the interview to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Stop pretending you are an expert.
- Best thing for new ideas – Get it out there into the world. Give yourself your own experiences and a chance to develop empathy.
- Favourite tool for innovation – Post-it notes and a stop clock on my phone (time boxing).
- Keep project / client on track – Using Trello for project management and regular coffee conversations with clients.
- Differentiate – Do what you love. Really pay attention to what energizes you and your to-do list. When you pay close attention and do more of that, it becomes obvious to others that you love what you are doing.
To Be a Leader
Do less and focus on what you are really passionate about. Make sure that you are climbing the right ladder. Find all those people and companies that you admire and get to know them because you are probably all in it together.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Bec through their website and Instagram.
Suggested Guest
Bec suggested I interview Steph Clarke, Team Transformation Facilitator and Host of Steph’s Business Bookshelf Podcast. So Steph, keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz podcast, courtesy of Rebecca Lloyd.
Links
Cool things about Bec
- She’s a certified PADI Dive Master.
- In 2013, she won the Young Consultant Award by the Management Consultancies Association.
- She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Bath, UK.
Find all those people and companies that you admire and get to know them because you are probably all in it together. @BeckyJLloydon #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet