Delivering Design Education During a Global Pandemic: Lessons Learned
Summary
What happens when a global pandemic changes work as we know it? The IBM Patterns Design Education team had to pivot from an immersive, in-person program to an entirely virtual environment in a matter of weeks. That experience left a lasting impact, including recognition from the iF Design Awards! In this session, Umphress will share ideas for making the most of the virtual working experience, including: Being intentional in choosing to conduct live vs asynchronous work sessions Utilizing a solid storytelling model to make challenging situations emotionally fulfilling (e.g.: using Enterprise Design Thinking or incorporating the cadence of “challenges and victories” in the Hero’s Journey) Embracing the opportunity to enrich programs with your organization's experts in design, development, and product management
Key Insights
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The pivot from in-person to virtual design education at IBM occurred in just weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The program was restructured using storytelling frameworks inspired by Dan Harmon's story circle to emotionally engage participants and build resilience.
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Managing a globally distributed cohort required balancing multiple time zones from India to California.
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Combining synchronous sessions on WebEx or Zoom with asynchronous tasks on Trello enabled flexible participation.
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Social connection was deliberately recreated through virtual coffee chats, brain breaks, and Slack AMAs to combat remote fatigue.
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Segmenting content into 101 and 201 levels catered to both newcomers and more experienced designers in the same cohort.
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The use of IBM’s Learning Management System introduced progress tracking and badges, increasing engagement and completion rates.
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The program expanded rapidly from two annual in-person cohorts to multiple global virtual sessions yearly, including new offerings in India.
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Continuous feedback from participants, managers, and facilitators drives the iterative improvement of the program.
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Replicating spontaneous in-person interactions remains a challenge; virtual environments require intentional scheduling of social time.
Notable Quotes
"We had a matter of weeks to pivot from an in-person immersive program to an entirely virtual environment accommodating designers from India to California."
"Dan Harmon's story circle helped us design the cadence of challenges and victories to push participants outside their comfort zones and build resilience."
"We used Trello in a new way, creating boards for each week with cards representing tasks participants could complete asynchronously."
"Social opportunities to connect with each other actually offset the remote fatigue and isolation that many were feeling."
"A key component is the hands-on experience working on real IBM business unit projects applying enterprise design thinking."
"Everything is a prototype — every program is different based on feedback from managers, participants, and speakers."
"We found that being mindful of cultural differences and global perspectives enriches the learning experience."
"When someone stops learning, they get bored and look for something new — continuous learning is essential for retention."
"Unfortunately, that natural, spontaneous connection in person is something we can’t fully replicate virtually; it has to be scheduled and intentional."
"We segment sessions into 101 and 201 tracks so people new to IBM and more experienced can both get value without being bored or overwhelmed."
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