Applied Design Your Life Cohort

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Overview

For the past three years, I have been running Delightful Design Bunch, an 8-week, cohort-based, online course where participants learn and apply the design thinking process to personal and business challenges. The 2024 cohort ran from October to November, featuring six participants who engaged in weekly online meetings and one-on-one coaching sessions with me.

This experience highlights my ability to design and facilitate human-centered learning experiences, conduct qualitative research, and support strategic transformation through design thinking methodologies.

Strategic Approach & Learning Outcomes

Delightful Design Bunch is a structured, interactive, and results-driven experience that supports participants in:

• Reframing challenges through design thinking methodologies.
• Prototyping and testing solutions in iterative cycles.
• Developing clear strategies to advance their personal and business goals.
• Applying improvisation, coaching, and mindfulness for innovation and decision-making.

2024 Cohort Highlights

This year’s participants brought diverse professional backgrounds, each engaging in strategic problem-solving:

• A facilitator developing a business that brings clowning and play to corporate environments for team-building.
• A TV news host designing a bespoke course in mindfulness and media.
• An author creating a structured editing process for her book.
• A small import business owner designing a strategic structure for a multi-location business.

Participants engaged in collaborative exercises and iterative prototyping, mirroring real-world, cross-functional service design work.

Key Innovations in 2024

1. One-on-One Coaching for Deeper Strategic Impact:
   • I included 1-1 coaching for all participants as part of the course.
   • A year ago, I completed a Professional Coaching course accredited by the ICF, enhancing my ability to facilitate strategic transformation through coaching.
   • Individualized coaching helped participants identify gaps, refine strategies, and implement solutions.
2. Course Duration Optimization:
   • Previously a 12-week program, this round was condensed to 8 weeks for better engagement and efficiency.
   • Some participants even expressed a preference for a 6-week format, highlighting the importance of adaptability in program design.

Facilitator Learnings & Continuous Improvement

1. Confidentiality & Psychological Safety:
   • Participants share vulnerable insights in a collaborative setting.
   • Future cohorts will include a signed confidentiality waiver and a structured discussion on safety and trust.
2. Camera Policy for Engagement & Presence:
   • Establishing a clear, agreed-upon expectation for camera use ensures active participation and team cohesion

Alignment with Strategy & Solution Design

This experience directly supports my ability to lead human-centered strategic initiatives, conduct service design research, and contribute to cross-functional problem-solving. Specifically, I bring:

• Expertise in service design research & human-centered methodologies to support program reviews and digital transformation projects.
• Strategic facilitation skills, including co-design workshops, journey mapping, and service blueprinting, to inform innovation and policy change.
• A track record of stakeholder engagement, ensuring diverse voices are heard and integrated into solution development and implementation.
• Experience working across disciplines to deliver actionable, data-driven insights for complex challenges.

Why This Work Matters

My work with Delightful Design Bunch reinforces my passion for strategic problem-solving, collaboration, and meaningful impact—values that align with strategy, service design, and social innovation.