To command higher pay at work, you need design thinking. I did not say so, Harvard did.

Several educators who have gone through the Skilled For Work Academy Workplace Foundational Skills (WFS, one of our programs at I-TrainAfrica) program have sung praises about the logical and sequential order in which the modules were arranged.

Why do you think that is so?

We followed a structured innovation process (the design thinking methodology) to create this sustainable solution.

Now that you know the secret, let me walk you through the 5-stage innovation process (design thinking methodology), a step-by-step guide to creating innovative solutions that meet your customers' needs.

But before we dive in, I want to emphasise that design thinking is not just for entrepreneurs hoping to launch a business. In fact, design thinking is a critical skill that is now in high demand, even for employed professionals.

Whether you're a marketing manager, product manager, or innovation leader, design thinking is essential for driving innovation and growth.

It may interest you to know that, given I know how critical this skill is, a lesson of the WFS (module 7, lesson 1) provides a quick introduction to this innovation method. I believe it's a foundational skill that every profession will require soon

So, what is design thinking? Simply put, design thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that involves empathizing with customers, defining problems, ideating solutions, prototyping, and testing.


Now, let's dive into the 5-stage innovation process:👇🏾

Stage 1: Empathize
The first stage of the innovation process is to empathize with your customers. This involves deeply understanding their needs, pain points, and motivations. To do this, you'll need to conduct thorough research, including:

- Customer interviews and surveys
- Observational research
- Analysis of customer feedback and reviews

I can attest to the importance of this stage. As a PhD student, I lacked the skills to conduct proper research, and I felt the pain firsthand when I got to the UK for my split-site research. Later, as a business owner, I faced the pain again as an employer who couldn't find skilled staff. If you don't critically feel the pain of the customer, how can you design solutions that meet their needs? This is the most critical part of the design thinking phase.

A story that illustrates the importance of empathy is one I heard at the UNLEASH innovation lab. The World Bank went to a village in Africa and saw children walking long distances to fetch water. They assumed the problem was the lack of water, so they sank a borehole in the village. However, when they returned months later, they found the children still walking long distances to fetch water. It wasn't until they asked the parents why they were sending their children to fetch water that they discovered the real problem: the families needed separate rooms for their children so that the parents could have privacy to meet at night. The problem wasn't water; it was housing.

Stage 2: Define
Once you've gathered insights from your customers, it's time to define the problem you're trying to solve. This involves identifying the key challenges and opportunities and developing a clear problem statement.

To define the problem, you'll need to:

- Analyze your research findings
- Identify patterns and themes
- Develop a clear problem statement
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At Skilled For Work Academy(department where soft and hard skills are thought under I-TrainAfrica), we've learned the importance of taking the time to define the problem clearly. When we were developing our curriculum, we spent months researching and testing our ideas, which ultimately paid off.

Stage 3: Ideate
With a clear problem statement in hand, it's time to start generating ideas. This involves brainstorming and exploring different solutions to the problem.

To ideate effectively, you'll need to:

- Use techniques like mind mapping and brainstorming
- Encourage wild and creative ideas
- Build on and combine ideas

In today's virtual work environment, I highly recommend the use of collaborative work tools to facilitate ideation sessions. Tools like Mural or Miro (covered on WFS) are excellent for virtual brainstorming sessions, allowing team members to collaborate and build on each other's ideas in real-time.

By leveraging these tools, you can ensure that your ideation sessions are productive and engaging and yield innovative solutions to the problems you're trying to solve.

Stage 4: Prototype
Once you've generated a list of ideas, it's time to start prototyping. This involves creating a tangible representation of your idea and testing it with real customers.

At Skilled For Work Academy, we took this stage very seriously. After building our minimum viable product (MVP), we tested it extensively across different demographics, gathering feedback and iterating on our design. This process was time-consuming, but it was essential in ensuring that our solution met the needs of our customers.

Stage 5: Test
The final stage of the innovation process is to test your solution. This involves launching your product or service, and continually gathering feedback and iterating on your design.

To test effectively, you'll need to:
- Launch your product or service
- Gather feedback from customers
- Iterate on your design and make improvements

By following the 5-stage innovation process, you can create sustainable solutions that meet your customers' needs. Keep your customers at the forefront of your innovation process and iterate and continually improve your design.

So, I'd like to ask: are you using a structured innovation process to create sustainable solutions for your customers? If not, then it's time to learn. The future of entrepreneurship in Africa depends on it.

85% of Africans are not getting to the global stage because they don't know what is on WFS.

Yes, the skills I taught in that course is IMPORTANT for your growth.

By the way, Ganiat and co paid ₦300,000/300 dollars for it in the testing phase in 2023.

See what Ogechi: A professional with 15 years work experience said after taking it.

By the way, she also paid for the GOP program that is ₦268750. If she can say this about WFS despite being on GOP, then you should take her word for it.

WFS is a GIFT. Take it! 

I wish I had this program in existence while I struggled in the UK in 2018.

Read more about our highly sought -after Workplace Foundational Skills Program (WFS) by clicking on the link below 👇

https://itrainafrica.com/workplacefoundationalskills/

See what Ogechi: A professional with 15 years work experience said after taking it.

By the way, she also paid for the GOP program that is ₦268750. If she can say this about WFS despite being on GOP, then you should take her word for it.

WFS is a GIFT. Take it! 

I wish I had this program in existence while I struggled in the UK in 2018.

Read more about our highly sought -after Workplace Foundational Skills Program (WFS) by clicking on the link below 👇

https://itrainafrica.com/workplacefoundationalskills/

You can also get the growth bundle. These two are currently subsidized by 60%, and trust me, it will go up
It contains the WFS + SGS. When I say WFS has no rival, I wasn't joking. The fact that it is subdized makes many think it is "basic" or "elementary."

It is not.

To pay for the Growth Bundle, click on the link below 👇

https://selar.co/467139

Now it’s time to put these insightful ideas into action and see the transformation for ourselves.

Let’s keep learning, growing, and making an impact! 💡✨☺️


Have a fruitful day 😊