Everything can be designed
Module 2
Solving problems is as easy as making toast!
It seems like a simple thing to do but getting a group together and drawing the process of how to make toast will have profound effects!
When designers design an experience, they are following a process. That process becomes the guideline for them to complete the design.When you start designing, you get an understanding of the problem, you work with your users to understand their need, you start collecting ideas and sketch them using different tools. Feedback is gathered from users and then you finalise your design. Thus, you follow a path from the concept to completion and create a beautiful design that provides the best experience to your user.
Exercise
This exercise was created by Tom Wujec, an innovative practitioner of business visualisation. It’s from the website drawtoast.com and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
SUGGESTED TIME:
40-60 minutesLEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:
MediumMATERIALS NEEDED:
Felt markers, thick paper stock, sticky notes or index cards, and masking tape. Arrange your room with tables, chairs, and a wall where you can post your work. PARTICIPANTS:
This is a group exercise and is ideal for around 3-6 people 
Step 1 - Prepare
Get the ingredients: felt markers, thick paper stock, sticky notes or index cards, and masking tape. Stage your room with tables, chairs, and a clear wall where you can post your work. It's important to have enough room for all participants to see everyone's creations.
Step 2 - Invite
In your invitation, set expectations that your meeting will focus on building a systems model of an important challenge - clarifying your vision, improving cashflow, figuring out the next bold challenge. Begin with a simple design exercise.
Step 3 - Conduct
Run the meeting informally. Hand out markers and paper to everyone and ask people to draw a picture of how to make toast. Give them 2-3 minutes.
Step 4 - Reflect
Have each person hold up their drawing for all to see! Have the group place their drawings on a large wall space and comment on the drawings; pointing out which are simple and complex, which have people and which don’t.
Step 5 - Video
Play the TED.com DrawToast video and let it explain the big ideas about systems thinking. After it plays, ask the group how many nodes they drew and what kind?
Step 6-Draw Your Challenge
Have people draw a picture how to improve what they are working on as a group. This can include almost anything, strategic or tactical. Make sure people draw individually and in silence.
Step 7 - Share
Have people work at tables showing and explaining their diagrams. Compare and contrast the diagrams and see what is similar and different between them. What links and nodes are common?
Step 8 - System
If you have the time, have the group develop a systems diagram of the challenges using sticky notes and drawn links. Building on the previous individual diagrams, have groups of 4-6 people create nodes and links to solve the challenges.