From the perspective of a public servant to the realm of a major foundation, Lulu Mickelson has taken a deep dive into the world of Design Thinking. In hushed tones, Lulu integrates her designer culture into her workplace- she has made it her only way of thinking, or rather, re-thinking through an existing program, service, or product. On February 27th, We had the pleasure to hear from Lulu Mickelson, the engagement associate at the Rockefeller Foundation about, as she calls it, “Designing Undercover.”
Lulu explains that the key to being a good designer is to also be a translator- it is the only way to connect to the people around you, on your team, and those whom you are designing for. While she was working for the city at Small Business Services as a Community Engagement Designer, Mickelson re-evaluated their existing services to serve gender gaps, and to be directed specifically to a New Yorker’s way of life. She goes over the use of some strategies such as building out personas and journey maps- these methods while second nature to a ‘design thinker’ seem quite foreign to others. Through these discovery and implementation methods, she gets her team on board towards evolving. She calls herself an “interpreneur”- an internal advocate for change.
Change cannot exist without building trust, and it is a lengthy process. From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, Design Thinking has the power to create an impact on all fronts.