Syllabus: Digital Innovation Lab // Winter 2014
Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service
Last revised: January 5th 2014
Instructor: Yasmin S. Fodil
yasmin.fodil@nyu.edu
Introduction
Advances in the capabilities of digital technology to organize, create, and share information
combined with the pervasiveness of personal technology devices has transformed our society
in innumerable ways. From GPS systems on our mobile phones that guide us to our exact
destination to social media tools that help us receive, share and remix content from across
the world – our everyday lives have been radically changed by technology.
But it is not only our day-to-day activities that have been radically changed -- technology has
also changed the way that institutions interact with and serve their constituents. From apps
that collect critical health data through text messaging to websites that help you register to
vote online, practitioners of public and nonprofit management are increasingly taking
advantage technology’s ability to make the world a better place.
Digital Innovation Lab will allow students to experience the process of bringing their own
socially-conscious digital concept to life. This team-based course will help students gain the
practical skills necessary to develop and refine their concepts and build initial prototypes.
Learning Objectives
This course has three core objectives:
1.
Provide students with a baseline knowledge of what’s possible in using digital
technology to solve public problems
2.
Equip students with the creative thinking skills necessary to develop their own
innovative concepts that solve critical public problems
3.
Deepen students’ skills in developing and delivering presentations, refining concepts,
understanding what it takes to bring a technology concept to fruition
Prerequisites
Students interested in this course are encouraged to have an interest in emerging digital
technology and social innovation, but do not need any previous technical knowledge.
Format
Each class will include some of following components:

Pre-Class Lectures & Readings
All classes will be preceded by a series of readings and recorded lectures or podcasts
for the students to read/watch/listen to before class. These materials should give
students the contextual knowledge for the workshops and discussions which will take
place in class.

Guests
We will have guest critics and presenters in many of our class sessions to help you
evolve your concepts and deepen your understanding of social innovation +
technology.

Assignments
Students will have assignments due every day that the course is in session. These
assignments build on and contribute to the work sessions and are an essential part of
the course. All assignments are described in the table below.

Conversation Starters
Each course will begin with student group providing a high-level overview of the
course content for the day to spark the conversation. Conversation starter guidelines
will be passed out during the first day of class.

Work Sessions & Critiques
Each course will include a work session where students are guided through creative
ideation exercises to help them develop their concepts. The bulk of course time will
be spent working on concepts, pitching ideas and giving and receiving feedback.
Class will meet for five 2-hr sessions and one 5-hr pitch session:
1.
Tues 01/07 (6p - 8p): Introduction + Visioning
2.
Thurs 01/09 (6p - 8p): Discovery: Problem Identification
3.
Tues 01/14 (6p - 8p): Synthesis: Audience Analysis
4.
Thurs 01/16 (6p - 8p): Ideation: Developing a Value Proposition
5.
Tues 01/21 (6p - 8p): Refinement: Peer Critiques
6.
Thurs 01/23 (4p - 9p) - Final Pitches (note class length on this day to account
for final pitches)
Readings + Case Studies
The readings in this course are focused on helping students create concepts and pitches for
their technology concepts and will be posted on the course website during the course.
Optional:
The following books are good additional resources but are not required for successful
completion of the course:

Duarte, Nancy. slide:ology The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.
Sebastapol, CA: O’Reilly.

Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations.
New York, NY: Penguin, 2008.

Information Design Handbook, chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 6
Assignments + Grading Structure:
Students may work individually or in teams of 2-4. The course consists of several activities
that all lead to the development of a pitch deck and prototype for your product. Successful
completion of the course requires students to:
1. Attend ALL class sessions (25%)
It will be extremely important that students attend all class sessions. It is nearly
impossible to miss class sessions and still successfully complete the course.
2.
Complete Readings & Assignments (25% of grade)
Students will be required to complete readings in advance of each class session.
However, this material is difficult to learn through readings and lectures alone and
students will be asked to complete assignments and provide feedback to other
students related to each session topic. These assignments will form the basis of the
work sessions and are a core component of developing your product pitch.
Failure to complete the required assignments will have a significant impact on
student’s ability to participate in this course.
3.
Actively Participate in Course Work Sessions & Critiques (25% of grade)
Each class session will include work sessions and critiques where students will work on
refining their concepts and pitch decks. These work sessions and critiques will be
facilitated by the instructor and guest lecturers and are an essential part of the design
process.
4.
Final Presentation (25% of grade)
Each student will present their final pitch and demonstrate their prototype during the
final class session. Students will be required to offer feedback on all other students’
final presentations. Guest lecturers will be invited to the final session to provide
feedback as well.
Class Schedule + Assignments
1 Introduction + Visioning (Tuesday January 7th)
What is a socially-conscious digital innovation? What is the process for coming up with
these concepts and pitches?
Pre-activities

Read/watch items in NYU Classes Folder
o
Inspirational Videos
o
Elements of UX Design Chapter 2 (Meet the Elements)
o
Good Idea, Now What? Chapter 2 (Ideas in the Mist)
o
Innovator’s Toolkit: Types of Innovation
o
Stanford Social Innovation Review Articles (Rediscovering Social Innovation
& Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition)
In-class activities:

Lecture: Course overview + introduction to social impact & digital innovation

Workshop: Team development & problems / vision / inspiration
2 Discovery: Problem Identification (Thursday January 9th)
What problem are you trying to solve? How can you approach and better understand
your target audience?
Pre-class activities


Read:
o
Elements of UX Design Chapter 3 (the Strategy Plane)
o
Sources of Inspiration
Assignment #1: problems / vision / inspiration
In-class activities

Workshop #1: Vision + Problems Presentation & Peer Critiques

Workshop #2: Audience Analysis: Protocol Development
Guest: Ben Goldhirsh, Founder and CEO, GOOD Worldwide / 6:30 - 7:00
3 Synthesis: Audience Analysis (Tuesday January 14th)
What insights did you gain from your interactions with potential users, and how might we
use those insights in developing product concepts?
Pre-class activities

Audience Interviews & Observations

Readings and videos related to research synthesis and insight generation

Final pitch invitations sent
In-class activities

Workshop #1: Synthesis - Audience Needs & Themes
Guest: Jen Chiou, Executive Director, Crisis Text Line
4 Synthesis: Developing Insights & Value Propositions (Thursday January 16th)
Which of your initial ideas will create the most value for your users? What is your value
proposition?
Pre-class activities

Finalize themes and insights

Strawman development
In-class activities

Workshop #1: Strawman Presentations and Critiques

Workshop #2: Finalizing a Value Proposition
Guests: Alexandra Meis & Miriam Altman, Co-Founders Kinvolved / 6:00 - 6:30
5 Refinement: Peer Critiques (Tuesday January 21st)
During this class, students will present the first draft of their product pitches.
Pre-class activities

Pitch draft #1

Naming your work
In-class activities

Pitch draft #1: Presentation and Critique (extra credit: presentation of “paper
prototypes”)
Guest: Kathryn Peters, Co-Founder Turbovote (time TBD); Daniel Shaw, Director, Digital
Accounts, Wieden+Kennedy
6 Final Pitches (Thursday January 23rd)
During this class, students will present the final draft of their product pitches.
In-class activities

Final Pitch + Critiques