And there it was; the very first Designathon. For a moment, the Guidion office was the epicenter of creativity and spectacle. Indeed, for two days, Guidion engineers and colleagues went to work to come up with solutions for various challenges. Successfully!
Entrepreneurial heart
The group set to work on five challenges that ranged from increasing inventory reliability in logistics to improving the customer feedback process. Guidion mechanic Jeffrey says that he signed up because there is always room for improvement and with the Designathon he gets the feeling that you are really being listened to: “After all, entrepreneurs are Guidion's heart, right? Moreover, as a mechanic, you don't come to the office very often and you only speak to most of them on the phone. '
Participant Ed has been working with Guidion as an entrepreneur for almost 10 years and, as a mechanic, says he has “some Guidion feeling at his fingertips”. With his experience, he can make a valuable contribution and “express his opinion”, as he says. “I think that, as mechanics, we make a valuable contribution because we think creatively from practice. Experienced mechanics, in particular, are bombs with knowledge and ideas,” says Ed.
Brainstorm, experiment and build
During the Designathon, diverse groups of engineers and colleagues brainstorm, experiment and build in various phases. With the help of the “Design Kit” designed by Guidion, new ideas are developed into concrete experiments. It starts with understanding the core of the problem and working step by step to find a solution. Entrepreneur Jeffrey: 'I myself am very solution-oriented and in the question I received with my group, I couldn't immediately see the problem, so that was already a challenge in itself. ' Because engineers participate in the Designathon, more insight is gained into the challenge and solutions can be tested with entrepreneurs. Ed says about this: 'I've often been able to make things clear to my group from my perspective. '
The second day is dedicated to carrying out the experiment to check whether the solution actually works. Entrepreneur Peter: “There were some times when groups couldn't figure it out for a while and it was very intensive for two days in a row, but I found it very valuable to come to fun solutions together. It also increases engagement between technicians and the office and the sense of belonging. The Designathon has positively changed the picture of what's happening in the office.” Jeffrey agrees: “By participating in the Designathon, I have a broader picture of what's going on at Guidion?
Pitching to the jury
With fun energizers in between to maintain enthusiasm and energy levels, the necessary fresh air and tasty refreshments, we worked very hard to win one of the two prizes: for “Best Idea” or for the “Best Learning Process”. These were presented by the jury at Friday afternoon drinks after a pitch from each group about their challenge, process and useful solution.
Jeffrey, Ed and Peter would definitely participate again next time and recommend that every mechanic sign up next time: “The pleasant cooperation, the speed of the days, the fun things in between to relax and get new energy and, above all, hearing that the solutions are actually going live make the Designathon a real success.”
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