Ideas for UX summit (our whole group to meet on June 16)

- develop our elevator pitch (one sentence that says who we are)

- try out some creativity techniques

- solidify us as a group

- how to blend virtual & physical and avoid silos

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Meeting to plan this, May 23 (Darcy, Stephanie, Nicole)

- decided to focus on the outcome of developing our UX elevator pitch
- Nicole to scan instructions from Gamestorming book, send to Darcy & Stephanie
- Darcy and Stephanie to think through how we could apply the process and additional details
- Nicole to research other methods for developing elevator pitches
- next meeting June 2 (Darcy to find a time)

Some resources:
- Gamestorming

- Thinkertoys
(see also: http://creativethinking.net/WP01_Home.htm)

- Visual Meetings

- Elevator Pitch 101

- How to craft a killer elevator pitch

- How to create your unforgettable elevator pitch

- How to refine your elevator pitch

Meeting to plan this, June 2 (Darcy, Stephanie, Nicole)

Tentative schedule:

• 3:00-3:15  Welcome/snacks/intro to agenda
• 3:15-3:45  Explain and brainstorm each of 6 categories (one by one, 5 minutes each)
• 3:45-4:15  Go over brainstorm as a group, discussing each category and putting checkmarks next to priorities (3 checks/category)
• 4:15-4:35  Write pitch in small groups
• 4:35-4:50 Bring elevator pitch back to group as a role play (5 minutes each group?)
• 4:50-5:00 Bring pitches together into one as a large group

Intro to/moderate the 6 categories:

• Target Customer: Nicole
• Customer Need: Steph
• Market Category: Darcy
• Key Benefit: Darcy
• Competition: Steph
• Unique Differentiator: Nicole

Some samples of each above, from Nicole's brainstorm: (don't share with group before they brainstorm... let's see what they come up with)
   Target customer: libraries staff, specific depts. within the librareis, MIT staff, MIT community, other academic libraries, leadership of MIT Libraries
   Customer need: knowledge of different communities at MIT, need to innovate, need to improve library services, need to develop library of the future, need to be relevant, need to provide services that are easy to use
   Market category: library departments, assessment services
   Key benefit: in-depth knowledge of MIT users, synthesized contextual data about our users' behavior and needs, fresh perspective, UX skills & expertise
   Competition: library surveys, focus groups, hearsay, individual comments (from a vocal few), preconceived notions, staff opinions, nothing
   Unique differentiator: timely, specific to our various communities, relevant, holistic

Small groups:

• Nicole, Remlee, LisaS
• Darcy, LisaH, Georgiana
• Steph, Melissa, Wendy

Elevator pitch template:

“You know how [target customer] has [customer need]?  The UX Group is a [market category] that [one key benefit].  Unlike [competition], the UX Group [unique differentiator].”

Sample:

“You know how parents after their kids are grown want to get rid of all their baby stuff without giving it all away for nothing? KidStuff is an online auction website that lets them sell their used baby stuff.  Unlike eBay, KidStuff will offer to buy it from them if it’s not sold within a week.“