TYL Class 5:

Prototyping: HMI Prototype, LinkedIn, Tulane

Connect, Lab Time (w/ computers)

CLASS OVERVIEW

Learning Objectives:
 Recognize how to apply the concept of “prototyping” to changemaking life design
 Generate prototypes for each Odyssey Plan
 Refine life design prototypes
 Propose prototype suggestions for peers
 Describe the value of LinkedIn and TulaneConnect and connecting with alumni
 Analyze assumptions about the role of “mentors” in life design
 Explore alumni contacts through Tulane Connect and LinkedIn
 Utilize LinkedIn features such as searching alumni and requesting recommendations to expand
network
 Identify “career surrogates” and target organizations on LinkedIn or TulaneConnect

Materials for
Time Topic / Description Instructor Materials
Students
10 mins Check-in Failure/Fear Sketchbooks
10 mins Prototyping Intro/reminders
25 mins HMI Prototype Activity
20 mins LinkedIn Computers Blank paper and sharpies/pens; tape
to hang paper around room
15 mins Tulane Connect Tulane Connect
handout
25 mins Prototyping priorities + Lab Time Prototyping Priorities
and computers
TOTAL: 105 mins

FACILITATOR NOTES

As new concepts are presented, be sure to tie course material to...

 Moving through fear- how often does fear (insecurities, self-doubt, internal critiques) hold us
back, even from doing good?
 Moving towards barrier fears
 Simple and scrappy prototypes
 Seeing your life as a designer and changemaker- you can do that in big macro ways, or in smaller
day to day ways, like this module demonstrates
 The benefits of using LinkedIn and TulaneConnect to build a professional network.
Student Pre-work

 Ch 10, The Big Snooze" & "Fear is for Suckers” + “To make a change at work, tell yourself a
different story”
 Fearless Outreach:
 o Moving through your barrier fears (insecurities, self-doubts, internal critiques), what are
you next steps for Inbound and Outbound networking?
o Record this in your sketchbook and upload a photo to canvas.
 Explore Tulane Connect
 Odyssey Plan Drafts

Instructor Preparation

 REMIND STUDENTS TO BRING THEIR COMPUTERS

o If some of your students to not have a laptop, consider borrowing Chrome Books from
Taylor (contact jlang@tulane.edu to arrange)
 If you replaced prototyping slides with your own images in Prototyping/Fear module, replace
image on Dysfunctional Belief/Reframe slide (#7)
 Print Prototyping Priorities (1-sided, so students can staple in their journals)
 Prepare prototype lecture
 Remind students to bring Odyssey Plans
 Come prepared to discuss one or two of your Odyssey Plans and how you did (or could)
prototype a critical piece of each one before over-investing time and money
 Be sure to know how to use LinkedIn, especially FINDING ALUMNI within 1st and 2nd degree
connections and asking for a recommendation
 Load the profiles of 3-5 high quality Linked profiles in separate tabs to use as examples
 Tulane Connect
o Decide how you want to facilitate this activity
o For a seniors only section, it is strongly encouraged to invite Sarah Basinger to come to
class to speak about alumni clubs and what alumni services can do for seniors
o Be sure to tailor this portion of the class to your group

Supplies and handouts needed for class

 8.5x14 paper for HMI activity and tape to hang paper around the room
 Sharpies
 Music to play during HMI activity and energy mapping
 Prototyping Priorities handout
 TulaneConnect handout
 Computers
 Access to LinkedIn and TulaneConnect

Assessment
 Class participation in activities and engagement in discussion

Check in 10 min

As students enter the room, instruct them to pair up and debrief

HW thus far.
 
• Odyssey Plans:
• How are you considering prototyping each plan?
• Ch 10, Big Snooze/Fear is for Suckers + To make a
change at work, tell yourself a different story.”
 • What resonated?
• What is this idea about our “stories”?

Prototyping Reminders + Journaling 10 min

You have had some time to work on Odyssey Planning in class and on
your own. Now that we have discussed fear and failure and the
importance of recognizing and moving through both, it is time to put
that into action and begin prototyping.

Class will be focused on ideating prototypes for your odyssey plans

But first…some reminders about prototyping

Experiments are not just in labs! Think about experiments you can
run to test easy Odyssey Plan. The whole world is your laboratory.

NEXT 3 SLIDES ARE REMINDERS ABOUT PROTOTYPING (you

have used them before in fear module)

Why prototype? Why not just go all in? Fundamentally, this is

about building our way forward. Given that you have a limited
number of resources to spend, you want to spend them wisely! So,
by prototyping, you are able to expend a small number of resources
to learn a lot. This then reduces risk – you have made a small
investment up front, and depending on what you learn, can decide to invest more WITH INCREASED
CONFIDENCE, or you can choose to invest in something else.
 Prototyping exposes assumptions – you thought something was going to be one way, and it turns
out it isn’t. You take the short internship in finance and see if working 80 hours a week is
exhilarating like you think it might be, or if that assumption is false.
 Prototyping allows you to engage with others with similar interests. You can bounce your ideas
off folks – get feedback. And we are by our nature social creatures, and this life design stuff is as
much about finding your tribe as it is about finding your vocation.
 Prototyping the relationship piece – WHO would you be spending time with while pursuing this
course of action – can yield useful information.
 Fundamentally, prototyping is about learning.

A good prototype is all about return on investment. You want

maximum learning, for minimum investment. So, the best
prototypes are inexpensive in terms of financial outlay, they are
fast to implement (low time investment) and they are accessible to
you – easy.
• What is a prototype? “a first, typical or preliminary model of
something, from which other forms are developed or copied; a
first or early example that is used as a model for what comes
later.”
• Prototyping means making your idea come to life so you can
learn from it, quickly iterate, and evolve your idea to greatest
value.
• Helps you reduce overall risk and investment before
going full steam ahead

How could you prototype part of your odyssey plan?

“prototyping our life design is all about asking good questions,
outing our hidden biases and assumptions, iterating rapidly, and
creating momentum for a path we would like to try out.”
• NOTE ABOUT PROTOTYPING:
• Devise small prototype to test the waters
• Ok for them to fail- they are supposed to!
• Well-designed prototypes teach something about the future
•  prototypes lower your anxiety, ask interesting questions, and get you data
about the potential the change that you are trying to accomplish

Ex: photo: remember, the student who thought she wanted to be video editor/journalist? She built a
prototype (real world experience) to see what it was like

Again, a reminder about the two types of prototypes you can build:

“How Might I?” Prototype Activity 25 mins

Now that we have talked about one way to prototype (through a

conversation with some), we are doing to do an activity to help you
brainstorm many other ways to prototype
5 min personal journaling in sketchbooks

Take a moment and look at your Odyssey Plans.

 Begin writing in “prototypes” in the lower corner box
where indicated.
 Note anything that you do NOT know how to prototype
Before we begin, I want to double down a bit on the question framing step. Because the way you ask the
question when ideating really drives the quality of ideas that your collaborators are able to give you.

 A great framing question is open-ended and concrete. By this I mean that there is lots of space to
ideate – its not a yes or no question or a question with limited possible responses – and it is
specific enough that you are going to get ideas that address the problem you are trying to solve.
 Let’s take an example of a job site, where the wheelbarrow that the workers use to transport
materials – mostly bricks – across the site it not working well. It keeps breaking. The folks on
the site might want to hold an ideation session to deal with this problem. So, they start thinking
about how they could frame this problem.
o Someone who already has an idea in mind about various solutions might say: “Should we
choose this wheelbarrow from the catalog or that one to replace the wheelbarrow that is
breaking?” That is a closed question – they are looking for a decision between
previously identified options, not innovative ideas on how to solve the problem at hand.
OK, so maybe we need a more open-ended question! How can we make this job site
better? This is open ended – there are lots of ideas that might come up here! But the
problem we are trying to solve is more concrete than this – we are struggling to move job
materials around the site. So, the ideas we’d get from this question might not be on
point.
 How can we build a better wheelbarrow? That is a better question! But that assumes the solution
is a wheelbarrow! Just by framing the question this way, we narrow our options – built in the
question is an assumption about the solution. So, watch out for that.
 A great way to frame the question here, for optimal ideation: How might we move bricks from
here to there? It is specific and concrete – and open ended for lots of varied ideation. Now we
can come up with fire lines and conveyor belts and pulley systems in addition to better
wheelbarrows, back packs and dollys, and maybe even invent something amazing.

Can I DO and EXPERIENCE these questions?

The first questions are good, they just can’t be prototyped.

“what could a good framing question be?”

CLICK
See the difference of the question “HMI prototype the experience of
a 3-month hike?”

We are going to use your Design Team (the class) to help you
brainstorm many different ways you could prototype one of your
plans.

 What do you not know how to prototype? Take a moment,

look at your plans, and write something you do not know
how to prototype.
 Write at the top of the blank paper- don’t take up the whole page! Tack it up to the wall.

Instructions.
  Write your prototype question at the top of the 8.5x14 page, in the top 2 inches of the paper.
 Take your sheet and pin or tape it to a space on the wall around the room

(5 mins) Quick warmup:

• Pretend you are making a plan for this weekend with a
partner.
• When you partner says an idea, you say “yes, but…and
finish the sentence” keep going, with your partner presenting
ideas and you saying “yes, but…”
• BREAK
• Now, when your partner says an idea say “yes, and… (add
an idea)” and keep going back and forth. Keep going, with your partner presenting ideas and you
saying “yes, and…”
• Keep going see how far you can get in 1.5 mins
“Yes and” with a pair

Quick Debrief:
 What was that like? What was the difference?
 What might that activity tell you about brainstorming? (just keep going! Sometimes a wild/silly
idea can lead to a good idea!)

Play music and instruct students to walk around the room and add
ideas for their peers.
Now go!

After 10-15 mins:

 Instruct students to stand near their original
paper/question
 CLICK: Circle ideas you like
 CLICK: Highlight the idea that most delights you
 CLICK: Star an idea you can try/initiate this week

Share with person next to you

Quick class debrief:

 Who got a good idea?
 What can you try this week?
 How has this changed your idea of prototyping?

LinkedIn 20 mins
LinkedIn is one great way to prototype! This is how you can find people for a
life design interview and begin to track and follow the professional pathways
of people that interest you.

** it is strongly encouraged to FIND contacts on LinkedIn, then EMAIL

them to set up a life design interview. Only after connecting in person or on
the phone should you add them on LinkedIn! Much more professional to
reach out via email than on LinkedIn as initial point of contact

This is a classic resume (boring/static). You can’t tell much

about the person at a first glance. Think about the power of this
document vs…

LinkedIn! Far more engaging- you can really see who he is

 This is your chance to be a designer and build your
personal brand, using language in your profile, the
photos you select, and the information you choose to
show
 What works?
o Media that makes every item come alive
(link to a website, portfolio, video, etc.)
o Pictures
o Profile summary
o Recommendations
o Friends/network (try for 500+!)

Example…what works? What doesn’t?

• Media that makes every item come alive (link to a
website, portfolio, video, etc.)
• Pictures
• Profile summary
• Recommendations
• Friends/network (try for 500+!)

Example what works? What doesn’t?

Items to point out:

 Media that makes every item come alive (link to a
website, portfolio, video, etc.)
 Pictures
  Profile summary
 Recommendations
 Friends/network (try for 500+!)

Discuss:
 What is it?
 What features do you use?
Could use for Life Design Interviews: Find the person on LinkedIn
and then look them up on Google and send an email to them
requesting a brief time to chat.
Pull up LinkedIn and show basic features:
 How to ask for a recommendation:
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/96/requesting-a-recommendation?lang=en
 How to search alumni: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/16639?query=search
%20alumni
 Show how to look up an employer and see how many degrees apart you are from someone who
works there (you could then contact this person for a life design interview!)

Ask the class if anyone feels like they have a strong profile
 Pull up that profile and have the class critique it as you scroll (do they have a good summary?
Recommendations? Active media links for each position? Professional pictures? 500+ contacts?)
o Best practices:
o https://feldmancreative.com/blog/linkedin-best-practices-personal-brand/
o https://www.cision.com/us/2016/02/10-tips-to-optimize-your-linkedin-profile/

Tulane Connect/Mentorship 15 mins

HAND OUT TULANECONNECT HANDOUTS

Another similar platform, specifically for TU students, is Tulane

Connect. (pull up TC and show how to use platform; answer questions
from students)
 Walk through handout
 Show tag about “willing to help”

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
*This activity was developed with Sarah Basinger from Alumni
Relations. You can use this activity, or spend some time exploring the
Tulane Connect Platform

Mentoring Reframe (human likert scale- strongly disagree to strongly

agree and ask students about their opinion as you go) x3 reframes

Ask students to stand on the spot along the line that represents their opinion, telling them that if they
stand at either extreme, they are absolute in their agreement or disagreement. They may stand anywhere
between the two extremes, depending on how much they do or do not agree with the statement.
Explain positions

• Once students have lined themselves up, ask them in turn to explain why they have chosen to
stand where they are standing.

• Encourage students to refer to evidence and examples when defending their stance.

• It is probably best to alternate from one end to the middle to the other end, rather than allowing
too many voices from one stance to dominate.

• After a few viewpoints are heard, ask if anyone wishes to move.

• Encourage students to keep an open mind; they are allowed to move if someone presents an
argument that alters where they want to stand on the line.

• Run the activity until you think that most or all voices have been heard, making sure that no one
person dominates.

Debrief: How was that? What was

most surprising? What questions do you have about connecting with
alums?
 What questions do you have about connecting with alums?
 What questions do you have about Tulane Connect?
Alert about final project 5 mins

FYI as a final for the class, you will all be filling out a big canvas
(provided by instructor).
 As you can see, each section represents a portion of work
you have done for this class.
 PROTOTYPES are a big part of this AND each assignment
you complete is a prototype (early model) that you will
iterate one final time for this final life design canvas.
 Make sure you are keeping track of all the assignments in your journal
 I am telling you this now as an FYI so you know what to expect/what you are building towards

Here is an example of it filled out-

Here is an example of a student who made their own design

More information about this assignment later…

Prototyping Priorities + Lab time 25 mins

Note: You can choose how you want to spend this time, using any
or all of the following slides, or allowing students to choose.

Use the rest of class for students to either:

 Work on LinkedIn profiles
 Search for contacts on LinkedIn
 Complete Prototyping Priorities worksheet

 Show the following slides to explain what students can do during this time:

Hand out “Prototyping Priorities” and have students

complete in class, as time permits
This activity offers a Personal reflection on how they might be
able to prototype elements of your odyssey plans

Talking points:
 Prototypes lower your anxiety, ask interesting questions,
and get you data about the potential the change that you
are trying to accomplish
 Look at your Odyssey Plans- what questions do you have? How could you devise small
prototypes for each one to test the waters?
 Well-designed prototypes will teach you something about the future
 It is ok for them to fail!
If doing Prototyping Priorities in class:
Walk students through the handout. Play music and walk around the room to help students as they fill it
out individually

Note:
• The point is to find out what might not work more quickly so you don’t commit your whole life
to it
• Identify piece of Odyssey Plan that is critical and important and see if you can MAKE it fail. If
not, might be on to something
• Ex: want to be a nurse but volunteer for a day and decide you hate being in hospitals
 For example: one of my odyssey plans includes teaching yoga/mindfulness full time. Leading
retreats in SE Asia, Central America, South America, etc.
 Teaching yoga on lunch break- does it give me energy or drain me? This is the population
I want to serve?
 Volunteering at UNITY

Examples:
•Join a student organization to gain skills and build community and leadership skills. You can sort the
200+ organizations by category (ie, service, media, politics, etc.)
•Gain a skill using lynda.com (available for free with your New Orleans public library card)
•Register online for access to hundreds of course on everything from Excel to photoshop and
InDesign. Classes are super high quality with video and assignments you can download directly
to your computer. 
•Gain real-world experience and networks/contacts via an internship
•Check out current internship openings on our website (accepted on a rolling basis; most are available
year round)
•Check out the Center for Public Service's database of internship sites and opportunities 

Career Surrogates
Have students explore and identify at least three people doing
the sort of work they want to do on LinkedIn or TulaneConnect
 Consider: How did they get to where they are
today? What is their competitive advantage?
 Look at their profiles and subscribe to their blogs
and tweets
 Consider reaching out for a life design interview
 Track their professional evolution and take inspiration and insight from their journeys

Target Organizations

 Have students explore and identify at least three

organizations doing work that interests them
 Look at their staff
 Research staff on LinkedIn and track their
professional journeys
  Consider reaching out for life design interviews

DESIGN CHALLENGE 5 mins

 

1. Networking Intro:
a. Watch the Informational Interview (3 mins) and read "How not to be a networking
leech.” Morfod, M. (Sept 26, 2015). The New York Times and Are you ready for
networking?  In Asher, D. (2011). How to get any job: Life launch and re-launch for
everyone under 30. (pgs 93-106).
b. Submit 5-10 bullet point takeaways and in your sketchbook, create a list of people to
potentially contact based on the list suggestions in this chapter (at least 15 people on your
list). Upload a photo to Canvas

2. Research 3 people to connect with on Tulane Connect or LinkedIn and draft a sample email
to each one using the 5 Pt Email
a. Submit draft emails on Canvas for instructor feedback/review.

3. Build/Improve your LinkedIn profile and submit the link on Canvas. 

 Read Tailoring your Profile to your Goals

 Add/update at least 3 of the items listed below to improve your profile: 
1. Active links (link to information about the SISE minor or other degrees; link to previous
employers)
2. Recommendations from peers, former employees, internship supervisor, and professors.
Click here for instructions on asking for recommendations in LinkedIn. 
3. Tweak/add your profile summary: This is a core piece of LinkedIn. Use your
"changemaking pitch" to help create your summary. 
1. RESOURCE SHEET: Building a Student Profile
4. Tweak/add bullet points: Each experience should have bullet points. Reference building
better bullet points
5. Skills: Endorse your "friends" and ask for others to do the same for you 
6. Add/improve your photo: This should be a professional photo. Consider your main
photo and the backdrop (it should be aligned with your professional target community.
For instance, if you want to be a teacher, show pencils/materials in the back; if you want
to be an architect, your backdrop could be a building you admire) 
1. RESOURCE SHEET: Build your Personal Professional Brand 
7. Add contacts (try for at least 300, the suggested amount is 500) Look at your list of 15+
contacts

1. Add them on LinkedIn, if they are on the platform

2. Consider if this is a person you can ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn 
3. RESOURCE SHEET: Networking on LinkedIn

For Reference:

 To network and find contacts on LinkedIn:

o Enter "Tulane University" and select "Find Alumni" 
 o Use the search bar to explore alumni based on keywords that interest you (for
example: education, social innovation, public health, etc.). note: you can
adjust graduation years if you want to search for an older or younger alumni.
o Click the arrow on the far right of the screen to toggle to the screen where
you can mark first- or second-degree connections, as well as view other
categories.
o You will see bars generated with "where they live, "where they work," etc. 
o If you are a second level connection, reach out to the person that connects
you via email and ask for an introduction, briefly explaining your
intention/interest in their work.
o Follow up with a personalized thank you note

Part Two: Prototyping Priorities (due class 7, NOT next class, as we will have guest speakers)

Based on peer and instructor feedback so far and the Prototyping Priorities activity in class, in your
sketchbook, create a refined timeline/action plan for gaining new skills and experiences relevant to your
job search/career goals.
4. What are prototype conversations that could help you answer questions (with whom could you
speak that is doing/involved with this sort of work that might be able to offer insight into the
field/job?)
a. Complete 1 life design interview by next week! This person can be inside of your pre-
existing network (a parent of a friend, a teacher, etc.). See Life Design Interview round 1
assignment for full instructions 
5. What are prototype experiences that might help you answer questions (how can you test out what
this path might be like?)
a. How can you INVESTIGATE and PROTOTYPE what it would feel like to work in this
field? Consider how you might use time/gain skills via..
i. Using time spent over the summer and school holidays
ii. In university courses outside your major
iii. In years right after graduation 
iv. Exploring Masters or PhD programs
v. Taking an online course
vi. Finding a part-time job
vii. Starting a volunteer opportunity in your targeted field
viii. Job shadowing
ix. Reading a book on the topic
x. Subscribing to blogs/social media platforms of thought leaders you admire
xi. Creating a 1-4 week project, like volunteering on a political campaign, or starting
a blog on the policy area you want to focus on. 
xii. Considering 2-12 month commitments, like a short work placement, internship,
or graduate study
xiii. Joining a club or organization
xiv. What else...?
xv. Sample outreach to an organization: 
1. Write the Director of the organization by name and indicate that you
would like "to meet with you to explore how I can contribute to your
mission as a volunteer, employee, or an advocate.”
6. How do you plan to build momentum and strategize next steps over the next few weeks?