In the shoes of a beginning French engineer...Design Thinking Action Lab – Empathize & Define2013-08-05

Outline

Aim of the discussion & choosen methodology

A peak on the interview

Empathy map

General findings

Problem statement

Aim of the discussion and chosen methodoloy

Overall aimFind the problems inherent to the the school to work transition nowardays,

Solve these issues by the mean of a prototype

Method usedInterview of someone in that situation

Inference from gained answers

Focus of questionsDefine on the problems, the feelings currently,

Focus on the methods taken for getting to the actual position

Ask for the next steps

A peak on the person

Interviewed person23 years old, male, French

In course of graduation in a major French engineering school

Currently performing his final internship in a major European aerospace company.

Likes sports, travels much

Moment of interviewInterviewed at the end of his internship period.

Focus on the gained insights, and on the next move

Empathy mapSay:

Work : conclusion of studies, start into autonomy

A bit disapointed: industry is not research

The structure is too big, sometimes alonw with his problems

Mess is not only in work, but in the complete life

This messy moment is unavoidable, and moreover necessary

I have time to try out things

Do:Looks around for next positions,

Consider further studies

Looks for somethings else even if

the structure wants to keep him

Think:End of studies = end of charted routes, lost from there

Has not found order in the chaos

More experiences will bring more clarity: try out things

More thinking will clear the mess

Act:Avoiding confrontation in some sense (pursuing studies)

Empiricized thinkering: since the first conclusion is not engaging, more is to be done.

Waits until clarity hits the eye

General findingsGeneral findings:

School-to-Work transition is a messy moment: end of charted territory – loneliness in front of challenges

Confrontation moment of dreams & hopes (my deram job is ...) and reality (what I saw looked like ...). Often very brutal

A second puberty: old receipts doesn‘t work anymore, the entire person need to be re-defined:

Fear of not being ready for the job: more qualification

Disapointment of what has been seen so far

Will to see more (finding ideal job through trial and error)

Hope prevail there is still much time to try out new things

Problematic zone:Will to experiement anyway: keeping them is difficult

How to allow young colleagues to find their place from where they could start?

Problem statement

Define a scheme in which the young colleagues feel safe enough to experiment and find their way to their first position, while fixing them early enough for the companies to allow them to plan

Drive out the fear along the way for all parties