Enhancing Circular Economy Expertise with Planet Ark

Overview:
Planet Ark engaged Academy Xi to provide tailored workshop-style training on Human-Centred Design (HCD), User Experience (UX), Service Design, and Customer Experience (CX). This collaboration aimed to enhance the skills of Planet Ark’s ACE Hub team, driving innovation in their offerings under the Australian Circular Economy Hub and other Planet Ark initiatives.

Challenge:
The ACE Hub team needed a deep understanding of key design principles to build innovative solutions for Australia’s circular economy. Their primary challenge was a skills gap in Human-Centred Design and UX, hindering their ability to create impactful products and services for the circular economy.

Solution:
Academy Xi delivered targeted workshops to the Planet Ark team, focusing on Human-Centred Design, UX, Service Design, and Customer Experience. The training provided hands-on tools and knowledge, enabling the team to apply design thinking principles directly to their ongoing projects. 

Implementation:
Academy Xi’s team worked closely with Planet Ark to understand their goals through a thorough needs analysis. This helped identify existing skills and gaps, allowing the workshops to be tailored precisely to the ACE Hub’s unique needs. Over multiple sessions, the Planet Ark team was equipped with practical tools and frameworks to implement in their circular economy initiatives. The training was supplemented by consultation sessions prior and post training. Consultative sessions were held before and after the training.

Results:
The workshops significantly improved the team’s capabilities in Human-Centred Design and UX. According to feedback, 80% of participants reported a significant increase in their knowledge and skills on the topics. Participants especially appreciated learning how to gather real user feedback early in the design process and the emphasis on evidence-based decision-making. Feedback scores for the facilitators’ knowledge averaged 4.75 out of 5.

• “The training provided the confidence to use the frameworks immediately within our projects.”
• “HCD, UX, and design thinking are critical and completely aligned with our project needs.”

Testimonial (Jane Horvath):
“Gaining a solid understanding of the key concepts underpinning Human-Centred Design was critical for designing several new offerings. Amir did a brilliant job providing us with the knowledge and tools to get us on our way! Big thank you from Planet Ark’s ACE Hub team.”

Conclusion:
The collaboration between Academy Xi and Planet Ark resulted in an empowered team with a clearer understanding of how to apply design thinking principles. The workshops and continuous consultation enabled the ACE Hub team to innovate more effectively within the circular economy space. Moving forward, the ACE Hub team is set to apply their new skills to develop and refine their offerings.