1 challenge.
4 students.
200+ hours.
1 robotic solution.
Last week, we were excited to conclude our 5-month student project with a big reveal in front of a global audience of 50+ insurers. This marks the end of yet another successful collaboration with The University of Applied Sciences in Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany (FHWS), during which our student teams developed innovative solutions to our members’ (and our own) internal challenges. In case you missed our big global presentation on Friday, we’ve broken down our internal project into bite-sized pieces to help you catch up — check out the summary below:
The Challenge
Since lockdown began in March last year, we have been finding ways to make our in-person sessions more interactive and engaging despite the virtual gap. Today, virtual collaborations have become the New Normal, and we expect that after we have successfully overcome this pandemic, hybrid models (combining the virtual and in-person experiences) will be the future. We tasked a team of E-commerce and IT students to define solutions to keep innovators connected, despite being in different rooms, either at home or in the office.
The Process
Beginning October 2020, our students followed the Design Thinking methodology, guided by our certified innovation experts, to find ways to tackle our hybrid challenge. Typically, the FHWS student project is held in-person in our downtown Toronto lab space, but given the current situation, we conducted our sessions virtually for the first time. Our students interviewed our team members, partners, and customers to understand pain points and opportunities in the current virtual model. Through this process, our students identified one of the main challenges was difficulty in building trust and engaging communication with remote participants. Good ideas, they learned, often arise during coffee break discussions, and it is difficult to replicate this experience in a virtual model.
Our students asked, “How might we build trust and improve communication among participants on-site, remote participants, and the moderator during the whole project in a hybrid digital workshop?”
Together, the students ideated many potential solutions and narrowed it down to their top 2 choices, which they further developed into MVPs to present at the end of the project.
The Solutions
Having prepared prototypes of their solutions, our students proudly presented their ideas to our community on Friday. The solutions were:
1. Double Robots
By employing the use of self-driving video conferencing robots, the students allowed participants to feel more present in the Lab. These robots could be controlled via one’s keyboard arrow keys from anywhere in the world over a Wi-Fi network, and gave participants an opportunity to explore the physical space from the comfort of home. With video display on the attached iPads, this solution also overcame the barrier of joining coffee breaks, inviting discussion and ideation despite the physical distance.
2. The Cookhouse Socializing Box
This solution promised an unforgettable social experience, complete with ingredients to make a customized cocktail and a light pasta meal. The Box included the tools needed, such as a branded glass, apron, and even a wooden spoon! To complete the experience, participants would be brought into a virtual culinary class hosted by a Cookhouse Labs moderator, where they would create these dishes together while still being in their own kitchens. This worked to create a sense of community and would act as an icebreaker before the main workshop date.
At the end of the presentation, our audience had the opportunity to ask their own questions about the solutions. Undoubtedly, the Cookhouse Labs robot was a crowd pleaser and opened the floor for a discussion about the new hybrid experience we will soon launch.
While plans for our hybrid experience are currently underway, we wanted to invite you to participate in our next student project to be held in October 2021. If you have a challenge you would like our students to tackle, click here to learn more about our memberships and how you can get started with your very own student project!
