2018 QUALIFYING ROUND THE

WORKBOOK
Project Co-Leads Powered By
Forewords

Congratulations! You’ve made it to qualifying rounds of Youth Co:Lab

Malaysia 2018. You have ideas that showcased viability, innovation and
potential impact which are keys to solving the most pressing challenges in
the region, and to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals. Give a pat on the back to your teammates, give them
high fives, and get ready because the hard work starts now!

Aspirations

Youth Co:Lab was designed to mimic the real life process of kickstarting an
initiative, and we hope you would be able to use the experience to do good
long after the program ends.

Before pumping in further resources, it is important to validate your idea.

This is the hierarchy of validation :

Best – You have launched your product/initiative, and you are getting rave
reviews from people who have experienced it.
Good – You have built a working prototype of your product, or conducted
a small trial event.
Acceptable – You have a thoroughly researched idea with a huge potential
to create impact.

Our goal at the end of the program is to reach as high as possible up this scale.

Objectives

You are required to complete these 5 tasks with your team prior to attending
the workshop. All the data you collect will be used to build a compelling case
for your initiative. So go forth, and do the best you can! Good luck!

Exercise Tick (√) once completed

1. Team reflection
2. Potential end users
3. Interview list
4. Craft interview questions
5. Interview Sheet (30 people)
Topic 1 : Team

As a team, you have pushed physical, mental and emotional bar riers to be here.
Changing the world is no easy task! Your team members are important to bring your idea to reality. When the going
gets tough, you will be glad to have a team which understands and supports you. So lets take a moment, and as a
team, get to know each other a little bit better.
Name Aspirations and Strength and Weakness
goals

Exercise 1 : Team Reflection

Topic 2 : End Users

We conducted interviews in the preliminary workshops with friends and guest

mentors. They would have provided interesting insights on your idea. However,
they might not be the end users for your product or initiative. Lets recap.

End Users : A group of people who will eventually use your product, or
participate in your initiatives. In social projects, there are 2 types of end users;

• Beneficiaries – Users who benefits from the value created by your

product or service, though they might not pay the full price for it.
• Customers – Users who is willing to pay for your product or service
to solve their problem.

In certain business models, the revenue from customers can be used to

reduce the price for beneficiaries. In others, the customers will pay so
beneficiaries would be able to receive your product or services for free.

Example :

Idea : Powerbanks which can be charged by solar energy

Beneficiaries/Customers Benefits/Social Value Proposition

Beneficiaries : Students in rural areas where
houses have no electricity.
Customers : Hikers who go off-trail for a week
long trip.
Customers : Riders of poorly equipped
interstate budget busses.
Customers : Night market vendors who use
small bulbs to light up their stalls.
Students would be able to charge their
powerbanks during the day, and use it to
power portable lamps at night so they can
study.
Hikers would be able to charge their phones or
torchlights in case of emergency where these
items run out of battery.
Riders will be able to charge multiple devices
to last a 8 hour trip so they would be able to
use their phones and tablets for entertainment.
Vendors are able to find cheap, energy efficient
way to light up their stall compared to having a
fume emitting petrol generator.

Remember, the goal is to generate as many end users as you can. You
don’t have to consider the quality or feasibility for this exercise.
Topic 2 : End Users

BONUS : Brainstorming Best Practices

Be clear on the purpose – Prior to brainstorming, it is important to have

clarity on where the result of the brainstorming will lead. In this case, it is
to think about as many potential customers.

Environment – Ensure the environment of brainstorming is ideal for high

energy of movements and discussions. If you are brainstorming through a
conference call, make sure there are no distracting noises around you.

Set ground rules – As we did in our workshop, set rules which needs to
be adhered throughout the brainstorming session. Design thinking has 7
ground rules for brainstorming which are :
• Defer judgement
• Encourage wild ideas
• Build on ideas of others
• Stay focused on the topic
• One conversation at a time
• Be visual
• Go for quantity

Also feel free to add other ground rules such as the duration of the
brainstorm, mobile phone usage, etc.
Topic 2 : End Users

In your team, brainstorm and describe your user and the situation they
would need your idea. Next, explain how your idea would benefit them.
Think of at least 10 different users.
Idea :

Beneficiaries/Customers Benefits/Social Value Proposition

Exercise 2 : Potential End Users

Topic 3 : Validation - Planning

3.1 Types of research

Primary research - Research where you interact directly with potential

users. For example, interviews, immersion in a relevant environment, etc.
Secondary research - Materials you obtain from sources other than
potential customers. For example, articles and reports on the internet, etc.

Bonus : Research best practices

Plan – Be flexible, but make sure you have a clear target of the research
work you want to conduct. For this case, we would require you to conduct
at least 30 interviews.
Target – You get real answers by talking to real people. It is important the people
you interview are potential end users. If you are making phones for young
professionals, interviewing a retiree might not give you an accurate answer.
Record – The human brain is powerful, but it is prone to selective bias. It will
remember what it wants, and block out what it doesn’t. So make sure you back it
up with note taking, voice recordings and photos so you would be able to review
later. Be Curious – The only way you can refine your idea is to understand your
customers. Be interested with them. Ask as many questions.

3.2 Preparation

Tools – There are many ways for you to conduct validation. Most common
methods are interviews, or focus groups. You could also conduct
immersions where you experience the issues first hand. For example, if you
want to solve problems for construction workers, spend a few days (with
permission) at a construction site alongside them.

Source – Be creative in looking for candidates to interview. You can use

online channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook to get acquainted. You can
cold call companies. Or you can leverage on existing network (Magic,
UNDP, trainers, mentors, other participants, friends, family) to obtain
referrals. Resourcefulness is a sign of a great problem solver.
Topic 3 : Validation – Planning
Based on potential end users, create an interview list. Remember, you need to
interview at least 30 people. So your list of potential interviewees should be longer to
account for the fact some of the contacts might not be available to be interviewed.

Name Contact info Source Why this person?

Example :

Hiker (Ali) 017-xxxxx Friend of team Hikes every weekend

member

Hiker (Jon) Jon@abc.com Father’s friend Got lost in jungle 3 years ago

Hiker IG : High school Posts photos of mountain every other

(Selina) @SelinaGomez classmate week

Bus driver 012-xxxxxxx Met at bus station Drives interstate buses.

(Martin)
Topic 3 : Validation – Planning

Name Contact info Source Why this person?

Exercise 3 : Interview List

Topic 4 : Validation – Interview Questions

Unless you are a seasoned journalist, you might be a little uncomfortable

about asking questions. However, being prepared will help with those jitters.
Be mindful of the information you want to gather. Here is a list of potential
areas you would want to collect information on, with example of questions.

Demographic – These are quantifiable information such as age, gender,

location, income, level of education and other easily measurable factors.
Example : How old are you? Which school did you go to?

Psychographic – These are questions of psychological variables such

as attitude, fear, values or aspirations.
Example : Could you share with me your hopes for your business? Could
you share your experience growing up in this neighborhood?

Other products – These are products from different category which end user uses.
Example : What is your favorite fast food? How do you book hotels?

Meeting places– These are places where end user congregate.

Example : Where do you usually go for dinner? Where do you usually meet friends?

Day in life – These are the routines of the user.

Example : Could you describe your morning routine? Do you mind sharing
what do you usually do after a day at work?
Topic 4 : Validation – Interview Questions
List down key interview questions.

Exercise 4 : Interview Questions

Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

After all the hard work, now it’s time for action. Keep in mind that the
quality of interviews will determine how well refined your ideas will be.
Here are some tips, and you shall be on your way :

• Always have a beginner’s mindset.

• Bring your prototype (if you have one)
• Suspend your judgments. You’re not there to judge. Keep an open mind.
• Be fully present. Be truly there. Someone can tell if you’d rather be elsewhere.
Show each interviewee they are the most interesting, person you have ever met.
• Silence all devices. Do not look at your texts or answer phone calls.
• Use a voice recorder if necessary. (Ask permission to record)
• Interview in pairs. One can ask questions whilst the other takes notes.
You can take turns.
• Ask permission to photographs/videos.
• Immediately summarise key points after each interview. Record
feelings, surprises, environment.

Additional Resources :
How To Do User Interview From Google Ventures (youtube.com)
IDEO U : How to Observe, Interview and Uncover Deep Insights (youtube.com)
Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

Name :
Key Insights from interview :

Exercise 5 : Interview sheet

Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

Name :
Key Insights from interview :

Exercise 5 : Interview sheet

Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

Name :
Key Insights from interview :

Exercise 5 : Interview sheet

Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

Name :
Key Insights from interview :

Exercise 5 : Interview sheet

Topic 5 : Conducting interviews

Name :
Key Insights from interview :

Exercise 5 : Interview sheet

Closing remarks

Good job!! You have completed the preparation work! You must be thrilled
with all the insights you have collected. Do not stop here. Learning about
your customer is a continuous effort.

Extra brownie points for effort :

To build a stronger case, conduct secondary research based on your

interviews. For example, if users said that they buy food products from
Lazada, check out Lazada to understand purchase habits better.

It would also be a good time to compile as much data on :

• Similar ideas in the market, or other ideas which solves similar problems
• Potential costing to execute idea
• Price of alternative solutions
• Ways to build a working prototype for your idea. If you are offering a
service, how could you offer a simplified version to a small group of users.
• Potential impact of your idea – environmental cost, health benefits, etc.

Keep working hard. We’ll see you at the qualifying round!

United Nations Offices, Level 10, Menara PjH,

No. 2, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak,
Precinct 2, 62100 Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Tel: (603) 8689 6000 Fax: (603) 8881 0458
Email: registry.my@undp.org Website: www.un.org.my