Week 1: Idea Development -- Introduction to the Lean Canvas for Invention

Week 1 Developing Your Ideas

overview

The focus this week will be on developing ideas, how to formally think through ideas you'd like to pursue in research, technology, or even other pursuits. We'll be using a formal method for Research Development throughout this course called the Lean Canvas for Invention (LCI). This is an adaptation of a Lean Canvas for Business approach that is one of the most successful strategies to help startup companies conceptualize and develop their first "minimum viable product" (MVP). We'll use a similar strategy, but at an earlier stage of a concept, helping you find a "most valuable problem" (MVP!) that you might like to pursue. In addition, we'll be preparing an Elevator Pitch that you can use to help introduce yourself professionally (and help us learn more about you!), and thinking through what kinds of mentorship will benefit you most.

Resources for each topic are listed below, and the assignments are collected at the bottom of the page.

Please also help us by filling out the pre-class surveys. We'll check in the end to see how well this class has met its goals by helping you grow in these areas:

Course Materials

Research Development: What is the Lean Canvas for Invention (LCI)?

Learning Objectives for the Week

Lean Canvas: Suggest the Big Picture Problem you would like to explore. (In the Career Development section of this week, you will be preparing a 3 minute elevator pitch about you and your research interest. Suggest your Big Picture Problem in this pitch.)

IntroDuction

Lean Canvas for Invention (LCI) is a tool for guiding academic inventors at the time of research formation. It is a visual aid with the components required to improve the quality of the research proposals for inventing technologies with brighter chances of commercialization. The canvas guides in inventing technologies aligned with the needs of technology transfer offices in the entrepreneurial universities. The focus of the canvas is to provoke academic inventors to think about the commercialization of their technology at the earlier stage of their research process and help them in meeting with the stakeholders, searching for patents, market solutions and prepare for higher technology readiness levels for their future inventions.

This canvas guides academic inventors through its components and respective checklists.

The components are Problem Identification, Literature Search, Existing Solutions, Market Landscape, Novelty, Research Question, Research Methodology, Key Resources, Team Capacities and Research Outcome. The respective checklists are developed to assist academic inventors in finding the real-world practical problem and inventing solutions to reduce customer pain and increase chances of the technology commercialization.

The canvas is given below:

lean canvas module map.png

NOTE: Each of the components and the respective checklists is discussed in detail on separate pages. You are suggested to use a large surface poster displaying this canvas and post-it notes to present answers of the checklist items to your research team under the supervision of your mentor in follow-up classes. This activity will help you to understand, discuss and analyze your research proposal with your mentor and other team members. The components and respective checklists will let you improve the quality for your proposal and the chances of your invention to be commercialized in future.

Readings/Activities

Lean Canvas textbook Download Lean Canvas textbook , by Dr. Arabella Bhutto
- Chapter 1 -- What is the Lean Canvas for Invention?
- Chapter 2 -- Problem Identification

VIDEOS, Tutorials & Class Recordings

Watch the Lean Canvas Introduction Video by Dr. Bhutto (Episode 01)

OverView of Learning Activities & Assignments

Supporting Materials

Lean Canvas textbook Download Lean Canvas textbook , by Dr. Arabella Bhutto
- Chapter 1 -- What is the Lean Canvas for Invention?
- Chapter 2 -- Problem Identification
The idea for the Lean Canvas for Invention (LCI) comes from the Lean Canvas for Business (LCB). The LCB helps startups find the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The LCI is similar, but starts at an earlier stage in the development cycle. It helps the researcher define a Most Valuable Research Question (MVQ). Here are some resources on the LCB:
- Tallie Casucci and Alfred Mowdood's Lean Canvas library research guide Links to an external site.
- Osterwalder, A. et al., 2010. Business model generation : a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers, (book available at the library Level 2 call #: HD30.28 .O778 2010 or an an online e-book Links to an external site..
- Three aspects the help an invention convert to an innovation (Episode 02):
  
  Problem Identification Checklist and Questions (Episode 03)
  
  The Five Whys (Episode 04)

Matrix Mentoring

Learning Objectives

Understand the definition of mentoring and various forms of mentoring relationships
Identify your level of readiness to begin a mentoring relationship
Recognize the bidirectional nature of mentoring - Finding a Mentor

IntroDuction

This week you will learn about some of the underlying relational constructs involved in successful mentoring relationship, which will help you find a mentor who aligns with your professional or educational goals. You will also start to learn more about your readiness for engaging in a mentoring relationship - as a mentor or mentee. Some questions to ponder are: What are characteristics of mentors/mentees that help me thrive? What are some areas of strength and growth for me as a mentee/mentor?

Readings / Activities

VIDEOS,Tutorials, & Recording

OverView of In-Class and Post-Class Assignments

Listen to Podcast episode from The Science of Effective Mentoring: Finding A Mentor (Link: Finding A Mentor Links to an external site.)
Complete the Mentoring Readiness Assessment and Reflection. This self-report assessment is designed to help you identify your level of readiness for engaging in a mentoring relationship and areas in which you may need additional support. You will also compete a short reflection on previous mentoring relationships to identify characteristics of mentoring relationships that help you grow. Go to Mentee Readiness Assessment (M1)

Supporting MaterialS

The Science of Effective Mentoring Podcast: Finding your Mentor Links to an external site.

Career Development

Learning Objectives

Recognize the importance of intentional career planning
Learn the process of creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Reflect on your career development including aspirations, expectations, and career barriers.
Evaluate your level of competency in specific graduate school tasks, objectives, and skills.
Develop and present a concise "elevator pitch" to introduce yourself and your research interests

IntroDuction

No matter what career you plan to pursue after earning your degree, being proactive in the career development process and using your time strategically while enrolled in graduate school will enhance your career success.

Readings / Activities

1. Create a three-minute "Elevator Pitch" (Career Development Assignment 2) to introduce yourself to the class and tell them about your research interests.

Step 1: Spend some time thinking about how you will first introduce yourself. The introduction should take approximately 1.5 minutes and cover things such as your name, year in program, where you grew up or did your undergraduate program, and anything else that you think would be pertinent or interesting for us to know.
Step 2: Then spend some time thinking about how you will talk about your research interests. The research component of your elevator speech should take approximately 1.5 minutes and cover things such as your research interests, if you are working with a research team/research advisor, what you're currently working on, what you hope to work on this year, and how you hope to contribute to the field or what problems you hope to solve.
Step 3: Practice your "elevator pitch" and time yourself. How did you do? Was it approximately three minutes? If you went over time, think about where you could shorten your pitch; if you were under time, what could you add?
Step 4: Practicing your pitch multiple times before class will help calm your nerves. You may want to jot a few notes down on a piece of paper to help you remember what you want to say - but try to avoid reading a script. An elevator pitch should be practiced but not sound robotic. Remember to breathe while you are talking and speak slowly; in many cases we get nervous and speak too quickly. Finally, be sure to "bring yourself" to your elevator pitch, make eye contact, and smile!

VIDEOS, Tutorials, & Class Recording

Watch A.J. Metz Pre-Course Introduction Video "Surviving & Thriving in Graduate School"

OverView of Assignments

List of all Career Development Assignments & Modules Download List of all Career Development Assignments & Modules
- Click on the link above for a list of every career development assignment and topic covered in this course. This may help you determine which modules and assignments you would like to focus on.
Explanation of LCI Pre-Class Survey
- Complete the Pre-Class LCI Survey (Career Development Assignment that includes measures of engineering interest, engineering self-efficacy, career aspiration/expectation, engineering persistence intentions, career barriers, and graduate STEM competencies.
- Your Pre-Class LCI Survey responses will serve as a baseline measure of many important career development variables such as engineering interest, aspirations, self-efficacy beliefs, persistence intentions, and barriers. The survey will also ask about your confidence in skills, knowledge, and competencies associated with STEM graduate student success. At the end of the semester you will take the Post-Class LCI Survey and be provided with your difference scores. Differences from Pre to Post will help you see how you have changed over the course of the semester.
- Because we would like to use Pre and Post data to determine the effectiveness of this class, we will also be asking questions to track your progress towards a degree (e.g., coursework, # publications, # presentations, membership in professional organizations, etc.)
- Further, you will have an opportunity to consent to your data being used (in aggregate form) to compare your end-of semester outcomes to a sample of electrical engineering students who did not participate in the class. For example, one question we have is, "Do students who have taken the LCI course have greater confidence in their ability to conduct research than those who did not take the LCI course?" Know that when we aggregate data, we remove any identifying information, so your confidentiality is protected. Thus we are collecting additional demographic data (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity) for the purposes of describing and comparing our samples (participants and non-participants).
- We hope that you will allow us to use your aggregated pre and post survey data (as well as other survey data we collect) to evaluate the effectiveness of this course. Below is the LCI Survey Informed Consent Form. Please review this form. We will be discussing it on the second day of class and you will have an opportunity to give consent for your survey data to be used for research purposes.
- If you have any questions about the LCI Pre-Class Survey, please bring them to class or contact A.J. Metz (aj.metz@utah.edu).