Design Thinking: Creatively developing AI applications at Gebr. Becker
Last week, the KI NRW Future Center was a guest at the Gebr. Becker GmbH training center (Forum Gennebreck) in Wuppertal. In a 6-hour workshop, a dedicated 16-person team developed ideas for possible AI applications and areas of application at Gebr. Becker GmbH.
After a short introduction to the background and methodology of design thinking, including an excursion into AI, the search for AI applications that would add value for the company could begin. In four mixed-departmental groups, the participants worked together with Dr. Sylke Lützenkirchen describes the individual phases of the DT process:
- What problems or challenges can be identified in the company?
- Which employees or target group are affected by the problem or challenge and what does their work look like?
- What are the needs, goals, expectations, obstacles and “pain points” of this target group and how can these be named and described?
- How can the challenges for employees be solved?
- How can the solution ideas be visualized?
- What is the feedback from colleagues and what could be the next steps in implementing the solution ideas?
Design thinking can be used to identify and develop AI potential in the company.
The creative design thinking process
The workshop started with a research phase in order to familiarize ourselves with the topic and to get closer to the needs and needs of the target groups. In addition, the participants received the methodological tools to identify problems. This enabled them to get closer to the company’s challenges and better understand the employees’ perspectives. In a second step, both creativity techniques to open up the possible and evaluation techniques to focus on relevant and beneficial applications were taught. The joint creation of an easily visualized prototype concretized and opened up space for additional associations. This enabled a dialogue and testing with the target group.
Feedback discussions
In the final rounds of all prototype models, the benefits of the idea for the company were intensively discussed and possible suggestions for improvement were incorporated into the creative considerations of each team. In addition, initial considerations were made about subsequent steps in order to implement the application idea in the company and anchor it sustainably.
Supporting the company and employees in digital transformation
Through design thinking, employees are actively involved in the company’s digital challenges and are enabled to initiate and master digitalization tasks in their company in a solution-oriented, cross-departmental, self-responsible and tailor-made manner. Design thinking also imparts knowledge of creative mindsets, changed error culture and co-creative collaboration. The method can be used as a tool to independently address further challenges in the working environment and to further advance the implementation of the resulting application ideas.
A big thank you goes in particular to Kathrin Glombitza, Marco Hausmann and Mia Wolf-Adolph for the excellent preparation and coordination of content
We would also like to thank Gebr. Becker GmbH for the excellent location and the committed team and hope that the digital transformation in this traditional company will continue to be successful with AI.
AI is here to stay. We have to shape it in our spirit.
You can get the tools from us – free of charge. If you would like to expand creative thinking and work in your company or use it to implement digital transformation, please contact us: Dr. Sylke Lützenkirchen
* The pictures were taken during the workshop in the training center (Forum Gennebreck) of Gebr. Becker GmbH in Wuppertal
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