How "Getting Curious" builds momentum
Turning early stakeholder connections into co-design catalysts
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I’m writing because education wasn't designed around students but we can improve the learner experience through design. I share stories, tips, and work in progress weekly.
Why it matters: By weaving early stakeholder connection with a posture of “getting curious,” you ignite project momentum from day one. Engaging leaders, teams, and community partners doesn’t just check a box—it uncovers real needs, builds trust, and surfaces the insights that propel each subsequent phase. That blend of human connection and immersive discovery turns a kickoff visit into a powerful launchpad for co-design, sprint work, and lasting impact.
Go deeper:
There’s something exciting about feeling the energy of a new campus. Last week I was in Minnesota kicking off work with a Business school at a midsize private university, making connections, getting curious, and preparing for our next major milestone with employers and the project team in the next few weeks.
As I begin new projects, I try to begin launching all of the necessary streams that take some time to develop early on
Collecting data from institutional research (and other related departments)
Identifying an initial list of key stakeholders to engage with through the project and find ways to immediately build connection and add value (employers, students, campus faculty and staff)
Outlining learning goals for initial milestones
This helps me learn about programs and efforts on campus, identify the first group of people to engage with, and prioritize the questions we need to dig into.
Kicking off with campus leaders and stakeholders
For this visit, I hoped to not only kick off with the project leadership to invest in building their understanding and support, but also get to know the teams closest to the work happening with students today.
With leaders, I aim to investigate their expectations and understanding by engaging in an “Ideal State” exercise and discussion and get their pulse on the issue today. I learn more about how they see the problem space today, their priorities, stakeholders, and the metrics that matter.
For teams, I dive into the the Getting Curious phase, serving as an organizational ethnographer and institutional detective—immersing myself in the organizations’ daily work, shadowing key programs, collecting data, information, and insights by connecting with and interviewing stakeholders everywhere I go.
Goals for “Getting Curious”
My goal is to uncover the real stories and systemic patterns that will guide our human-centered design work. These meetings are a mutual and important “get to know you” step in the process, to build relationships and trust that will power the project. It’s helpful to meet and greet with these teams to hear what stands out to them about the project, my work, and the approach.
Just the act of bringing forward the project topic will result in ideas and connections that can fuel the project. I usually have a list of questions in my back pocket, but I’m most interested in what folks have to say about the problem space and some major themes for starters. Importantly, this work also surfaces more stakeholders to engage, data that will inform the team’s process, and aspects of the current state and needs that help ground the team’s work. In fact, I deliberately invite it in my conversations.
Building contacts when you have none
For example, before our kickoff campus event, I met with any stakeholder across the University who interacts with outside community organizations and employers to develop a collaborative list of key people to invite to learn more about our project: the team of 5 identified more than 80 local leaders and organizations to invite to this breakfast panel event and help us make connections that will inform our co-design process moving forward.
Along the way, I collect data, identify points for their input and collaboration (like student panelists for a “Dear Future Boss…” program we’re planning for mid-May to recruit identified employers into the project).
Yes, we’re hosting an event, but ultimately it’s gathering on a related topic to add value to our stakeholder audience, share more about the project, and build their interest and investment.
The connection and information flywheel
The process is simple, but deliberate: Build audiences, engage them by offering value, and then invite them to co-design. It’s a connection and information flywheel across the project.
What’s next
In the weeks ahead I’ll make meaning of everything we learned from this visit. I met with 20+ people over 2 days across leadership, faculty, and staff members. I don’t record these conversations but I’ve collected nearly 60 project related quotes, have over half of my notebook filled, and 35+ pages of typed notes (I transcribe at night after meetings to help make meaning of what I learned and prepare for the next day’s conversations). From there I’ll code and look for themes and pull them into insights.
These insights, along with a scan of relevant efforts on campus and beyond as well as local and national data will inform our Gallery Walk. On our next visit, we’ll introduce gallery walk of insights to the campus community and lead our project team in a design sprint to build their familiarity and comfort with the design process through learning by doing.
The takeaway
“Getting Curious” is connecting, learning, and building momentum through engagement to help you build the relationships that will drive change while you learn about the important topics you’re focused on. Use this approach to build connections, trust, empathy, and deepen your understanding of the problem space!
Insights from the Field
Bringing you voices from across education to answer:
What advice would you give to someone driving change in education?
“Public higher education is built around systems that were established decades ago in many cases. Change has been slow because these systems are lodged firmly in place. I would advise someone seeking to drive change in education to spend ample time learning about the systems, policies, regulations, and other potential barriers. By learning about these structures, one can identify the gaps through which innovation can happen. In addition, be sure to engage the students as directly as possible to get a true picture of their journey. Finally, identify other like-minded and courageous leaders who are willing to ask difficult questions and pilot new solutions that can open doors for our students.”
John Makevich, Dean, Community Learning Center, Continuing and Community Education at MiraCosta College
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