MARIA ROSARIA GISMONDI

Design Thinking online course

Stanford University

Prototyping and Testing

August 2013

Problem statement

• Elena has a degree in Philosophy and Social Services. She cannot find a job in her field because she lives on a small island. The economical crisis in Greece makes it impossible to find a job. She owns a family business in tourism and presently she is working there. She is trying to find a way to access the job she likes.

Prototype n. 1How to become a social entrepreneur

Elena’s island and surrounding area. How to combine her skills with her present job?Making connections with surrounding countries and mainland.How? To do what?

What and How?

DocumentationAddressing the European Union for opportunities and funding. Searching

on the net for similar experiences:

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/equal/products/sup/pro-116-1_en.pdf

ContactsContacts with local, national and international instituions to improve

transport to/from the island

AgreementsAgreement with associations and cooperatives of those areas to develop

sustainable tourism for disabled and disadvantaged people

Becoming a member of hotel fanchising «Le Mat»

• How to become an affiliate of the Hotel network• The AFFILIATO LE MAT (THE AFFILIATE LE MAT) mainly will regard • hotels to be established step by step .A Le Mat establishment is run by a

democratic organisation founded on • the active participation of its workers: it is welcoming, clean, provided • with comfortable beds, attentive to the requirements of visitors with • special needs, and sensitive to ecological and solidarity topics. • The mark is obtained after a visit on the part of the association to • assess the features of the establishment and perhaps suggest the • improvements needed to become AMICO LE MAT (THE FRIEND LE • MAT). Le Mat also ensures a follow-up visit at least once a year. If • necessary, it proposes a short training or consultancy course (to be • paid for).

Prototype n. 2

• How to transform a b&b hotel and annexed clothes shop in a «social hotel» where to host disabled and disadvantaged people and offer them psychological support, accommodation and leisure

The old premises

The new «Rainbow» social hotel

New activities

Councelling Medical support

Sailing courses Conferences swimming courses

Accommodation Films Sports

Play beach activities trips

Theatre lab Art lab IT lab

New spaces

Restaurant Playground Recreation area

Social club Theatre room The beach

The boats The town The olive tree grove

The archeological sites The honey making farms

New job opportunities

Teachers Psychologists Doctors

Nurses Hotel workers Waiters

Cooks Maintenance Entertainers

New contacts• Foreign institutions Schools

•

• Social Services Organizations

• European Union Offices Hospitals

• Health facilities

Testing and feedback

• The stakeholder, Elena has shown great interest in the prototype but she is perplexed because she is afraid that a social hotel could be considered a sort of ghetto for people in need.

• So she would like to find a way to address her new activity to all types of tourists……..

• ………..this means that we have to start ideating again…..