VA’s innovation process
We’ve adapted the core tenants of Human Centered Design (HCD) into a process built for innovating around Veteran needs
Find your place in the process:
Refining the innovation and determining real-world impact and feasibility
In the Test phase, customer feedback drives the rapid iteration of solutions to produce a minimum viable product (MVP) that undergoes feasibility and desirability testing. Viable solutions are then tested in real-world environments to determine customer value and real-world impact.
Develop a minimally viable solution
A minimally viable solution (MVP) is a basic version of a product or service that contains enough features to solve a core problem for its target audience, while also being flexible and adaptable enough to incorporate feedback and make necessary improvements. To develop your MVP, you need to identify the core problem or need of your target audience, determine the minimum set of features that will solve that problem, and build a basic version of the product or service with those features.
Test in a safe-harbor environment
To test in a safe-harbor environment, you can create a test environment that is separate from your production environment. This can be done by setting up a separate server or simulation (either virtual or physical) that replicates the configuration of your production environment. In doing so, you may opt to use tools such as separate databases, dummy data, test accounts, focus groups, and version control, while monitoring and logging all activities in the test environment to identify and resolve any issues that may arise. As you gather feedback from testing, you’ll want to iterate your MVP. By testing in a safe-harbor environment, you can minimize the risk of data loss, security breaches, and other issues that can occur during testing.
Implement the solution in the real-world
To implement your solution in the real-world, you’ll want to develop a pilot program. Do this by determining the scope of the pilot, including timeline, budget, resources, goals, objectives, metrics for measuring success, target audience, and expected outcomes. Select a pilot site where you can test your innovation in a controlled environment and recruit pilot participants who are representative of your target audience. Finally, conduct your pilot and collect feedback and data to evaluate the effectiveness of the innovation and identify areas for improvement.
Leverage lessons learned
To leverage lessons learned from your pilot, you’ll need to analyze the data you’ve collected and report your findings to stakeholders. Use this information to refine the solution and prepare for replication and scaling.
Determine proposed solution’s ability to address the identified problem
To determine your solution’s ability to address the identified problem, return to the problem statement you developed and evaluate the solution’s performance thus far against that and your value metrics. Ask yourself how the solution is performing with regard to cost, feasibility, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. Gather feedback from key stakeholders and make any revisions necessary to improve your solution’s viability.
Develop a replication plan
To prepare to replicate your initial results at other sites, you’ll want to develop a replication plan. Start by defining the scope of the replication plan, including your goals, objectives, budget, and timeline. Identify replication sites that will take your solution up for adoption and assess their readiness to do so by evaluating their capacity, resources, and commitment to the replication effort. Determine which stakeholders you’ll need to build partnerships with, including funders, external entities, and site leadership. Be prepared to adapt your solution to different local contexts and needs to ensure that it is culturally appropriate and relevant, and outline your plan for training replication staff on site to use your solution.