The challenge
According to an article written by Nation Media Group, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out a third of all businesses in Kenya. This accounts for up to 98% of the economy. How will small and medium size enterprises recover from this?
This is not different in the coastal county of Kenya. Many existing small and medium-sized businesses have not recovered. It is more worrying that these businesses are youth-led. They do not have any backing from an investor or support from family and friends.
The Project
We were sought out to deliver in-person Human Centered Design(HCD) sessions. This would be used to engage young people in developing innovative business solutions that would meet the medium and long-term needs of communities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic in the coastal counties of Lamu, Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale.
This opportunity would facilitate networking spaces, partnership-building and learning to reduce barriers to innovators, investors and social entrepreneurs based on the local environment.
Roadmapping
The program started with a co-creation workshop between Kikapu(the HCD consultant) and the Clients Staff whose aim was to help anticipate the needs of the participants from a trainee point of view as well as align the vision of the training amongst stakeholders.
The best way we know how to start a project is to ask questions and predict the future, and this is how we started:
How will this program create impact now, and what does that impact look like long-term(6 months, 3 years and 5 years)?
After the successful co-creation session, we came back to create, edit, and synthesise while building tools to be part tested and implemented in the training program.
The Kikapu Process
Work did not stop we had a good runway. Now let us ensure that this plane takes off. The Kikapu team came up with the following after a one-week brainstorming and co-creation.
The Programs name: Business by Design. This came about through more brainstorming, some research and definitely voting.
Who does not like a good voting system? For this we used Mural.
After identifying the name we had to identify who we are building for. This is the final synthesis that the Kikapu.Studio team finalised after the first co-creation.
Meet our future users
The Business by Design Toolkit
Meet the Business by Design Framework
The Business by Design Framework
The Business By Design toolkit is a 5-step process from an idea to a defined business solution. It is a 5-step process for anyone and everyone who might not be part of a training and chooses to take it as a self-course to learn, explore and put out a business in the future.
A DEEP DIVE INTO THE PROCESS
This did not end here, we started by collaborating and had to end with a collaborative review process with all the stakeholders involved to build better programs in the future.
Cheers to more creations.
I believe that if you tell a great story, people will share it, It will go round and eventually, told back to you.”
Kennedy Kioli
Co-Founder Kikapu Studio
Your journey does not start unless you take the first step. This is our first step towards greatness.
Jacky KImani
Co-Founder Kikapu Studio