The Intel Ideation Camp at Mbarara University
Reference - Tech Women Uganda Blog
Outbox takes the Intel Ideation Camp to West Uganda - 27th and 28th March, 2015
It was an exciting way to start the weekend, with guidance through Innovation and Entrepreneurship with trainers from Outbox taking students (youths) at ICS Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), through a step by step process of coming up with technology ideas and turning them into business.
The Intel Ideation Camp is a 2 days long workshop in which participants go through the learning process to ideate, innovate and imagine solutions to identified problems.
Day 1 - Discovery
The Intel Ideation Camp was opened with a speech from the Institute director, Annabella who encouraged the students to fully utilize the collaboration that MUST has with Outbox technology hub aimed at helping the students come up with great ideas and innovative solutions that solve current problem with new technologies. With excitement and vigor among the students, they started off the journey with upto 86 participants guided by other 5 teaching staff who were trained a day before.
Students identified themselves as hackers, hustlers or artists to form 8 teams. Choosing a particular sector from Agriculture, Health and Education, they identified, listed and brainstormed the different problems selecting one most pressing problem among the many with a broad understanding of the user that is most affected by the problem. "Fall in love with the problem." After doing technology research, they Ideated and came up with great ideas.
Day 2 - Creation
The second day of the ideation students came to work on sustainable business models and pitch their ideas to panalists. A series of ideas were developed in just a limited time to solve the identified problem. This stage was very interactive as students had to select the most feasible idea with more team discussion, getting minds to work and thinking out of the box. Students came up with great ideas around mobile apps development, information systems and web applications development.
Preparing for the final step, it was time to get hands dirty and get the minds to work. Describe a clear problem statement, technology approach as identified in the idea, research about the existing related applications, the uniqueness of the product and finally how the youth plan to earn from their innovations.
Different teams pitched their ideas and this was the most challenging and educative stage of the Ideation Camp to almost all the students that participated. It involved serious critiquing, advise and encouragement to the different groups that presented.
Learning Outcome
At the end of the training the participants were able to learn the following;
- Identify business opportunities where others see problems
- Understand social challenges and understand the context
- Screen new technologies and understand how they can be applied to solve a problem
- Use creative tools and techniques to generate great ideas
- Build new innovative business models
- Make rapid prototype and use visual communication to create a great presentation of the idea.
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