兔子先生传媒文化作品

Editor's note: The workshop originally scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 11, was rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18.

After taking a hiatus during the pandemic, Innovation Buffs is kicking off its third year later this month with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Innovation Buffs enables university staff members to team up with colleagues to identify problems and potential solutions.听

With support from Strategic Resources and Support (SRS), the four-month program will use human-centered design techniques to guide participants through a progressive process starting with idea generation. The program will culminate in November, when participants will pitch their ideas to campus leaders.听

In consultation with IDEA Council co-chairs Lisa Flores and Teresa Hernandez, the program will use IDEA Plan framing to consider problems and potential solutions.听

鈥淲e are bringing the human-centered design experience to our ideas in support of DEI work on campus,鈥� said Kristen Alipit, director of organizational effectiveness and engagement in SRS鈥檚 Finance and Business Strategy unit. 鈥淥ur hope is that staff will share a deep sense of empathy and understanding with each other at each step to concentrate on one of the university鈥檚 greatest challenges鈥攈ow to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus community.鈥�

The human-centered design workshops, designed by , seek to minimize risk through rapid prototyping and continuous iteration, and encourage an inclusive process that 鈥済ives people a voice in a unique way and really listens to the experiences of those who are most impacted鈥� by injustice, inequity and discrimination in higher education and beyond.

鈥淯sing human-centered design is such a great way to navigate problems and incorporate a variety of perspectives into creating meaningful options to address the issues,鈥� said Jasimine Evans, student services outreach and DEI lead with Career Services. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see this opportunity being made available to 兔子先生传媒文化作品 staff.鈥澨�

Innovation Buffs participants will gain skills in human-centered design, how to pitch ideas for approval and in implementing new ideas. In addition, their collaborations will result in real solutions that have gone through a rigorous鈥攁nd fun鈥攑rocess. After implementation, the university will measure progress by monitoring employee adoption and practice of human-centered design methods, Alipit said.

and is now open for university staff members who wish to participate. Space is limited.