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Work Like a Start-Up! Using Innovation Principles to Improve Your Benefits Projects

Michelle Oram, CEBSProduct Owner, Guidance and AdviceManulifeKitchener, Ontario

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What’s the Greatest Innovation of the Last 100 Years?

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What is Innovation?

Source: www.merriam-webster.com

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Innovation is NOT . . .

The latest shiny object

All about ideas

Just about technology

Only for “start-ups”

Someone else’s job Expensive

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So, What is Innovation?Innovation is . . . • About solving problems . . . • Real problems . . . • For real people.

Innovation practices canhelp us better serve our plan members.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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Rethinking Member Education

Poor attendance at

education seminarsMembers

want personalized

info

How do we make this better?

Solution mode!

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How Can We Ensure We’re Building Solutions People Want?

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A Different Approach

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Discovery—Let’s Get Started . . .

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Step 1—Empathize

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Step 1—Empathize—Pains

• Functional

• Social

• Emotional

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Step 1—Empathize—Gains

• Required

• Expected

• Desired

• Unexpected

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Step 2—Define the Problem

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Step 3—Ideate• Solve for the “How

Might We” question• 1 minute per box• Sketch out rough

ideas and thoughts• This is tough—it’s

okay to be frustrated!Crazy 8s

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Step 3—Ideate—Storyboard• 3 sections on your paper• Explain your solution

– Use pictures and words• Should be self-explanatory• Can be

– A sequence/journey– Three distinct features

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Step 3—Ideate—Silent Critique• Display the story boards• Dot voting• You’re creating a heat map• Quietly . . . you’ll have a

chance to discuss in the next step

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Step 3—Ideate—Discuss and Present• The artist stays silent for the first minute• Anyone who put a SUPERDOT speaks first• After the first minute, the artist can discuss and

answer questions

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Our Ideation Session

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Step 4—Prototype

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Step 5—Learn

“It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it, and appropriately act on it.”

–Stephen Covey

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Step 5—Learn

Discovery

• Surveys• Customer

interviews• Pilots• A/B tests

Delivery

• Customer interviews

• Pilots• Usability

testing• A/B tests

Post-Launch

• Digital analytics

• Surveys

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Step 5—Learn• Customer interviews:

– Introduce yourself– Problem reflection– Propose your solution– Do a walkthrough of

your prototype– Progress– Thank and wrap-up

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Step 5—Learn

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Delivery

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Introducing MVP

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Our Webinar MVPOur MVP The traditional approach

National rollout National rollout

Multiple time slots Multiple time slots

Existing technology

2 topics

Member feedback survey—drives future development

Launched March 2019

The perfect technology solution

12-15 topics

Member feedback survey—build enhancement list

Still waiting for launch

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Key Takeaways• Innovation is about solving real problems . . . for

real people• Start with understanding your customer• Never stop learning—get customer feedback

early and often• An MVP puts useful solutions in your customers’

hands quickly• Everyone can innovate!

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