DESIGN
SOLUTIONS
CLINIC
I identify companies needs, explore possible solutions and materialize them in transformative products or services.
I am Victoria Vivas.
I like to design solutions AKA work to make things happen.
I believe design solutions should improve people's lives, transform businesses and keep organizations moving forward.
I help companies and individuals design and execute creative solutions. Thanks to my background in psychology and +6 years of experience working with interdisciplinary teams in multicultural contexts, I’ve developed a holistic problem-solving mindset perfectly fitted for human-centered design.
User research
Design Thinking
Experience Design
Design Management
Master in Design Management
The Istituto Europeo di Design is an educational institution in all disciplines of design, visual communication, fashion and management. I earned the only full scholarship for the program.
Bachelor Degree Psychologly
My background in social science and interest in human behaviour adds significant value to my process of defining goals and strategies to help organizations succeed.
YouNoodle Silicon Valley
I was selected to attend a techstart program that encouraged me to prepare and develop my startup for accelerators and seed investment by a series of mentorships.
Event Planner
I had experience leading and hosting events so I wanted to formalize these experiences through the event planner program.
projects
Torre Technologies
Torre is an international company developing a wide variety of technology platforms and services to make work fulfilling.
Project | Torre Alumni Network
Jan 2017 - Currently
Diagnosis
In the past, work relationships used to be unidirectional. Later, work evolved and best management practices opened the door for bidirectional connections.
Currently, technology and the new generation is pushing a cultural shift forward, making the current work arena move towards multi-directional relationships. Torre technologies is looking to be a pioneer at this.
For this project, their effort was focused on building an alumni network that was able to leverage this talent and capitalize on itself. I was hired to make that happen.
Treatment
By following a design thinking methodology and iterating different concepts the best approach was to develop a network to make work fulfilling for everyone. The learning curve and the interdisciplinary working atmosphere is highly valued by past and current employees. This finding allowed us to create different tools such as an alumni directory and a series of booklets to help alumni connect professionally and keep learning from the companies best practices.
Post-treatment
Alumni Directory
Booklets Series
Internal Onboarding Process
Results
150
Tracked alumni
4
Behavioral insights on hiring process
Torre Technologies
Torre is an international company developing a wide variety of technology platforms and services to make work fulfilling.
Project | Torre Retreat
Sep 2017 - Nov 2017
Diagnosis
More than 60% of the company employees are distributed. The company's main goal was to get all team members in the same space, allow them to connect and align them with the company's vision and long-term objectives.
This was the first time some of the members were in the same space together.
Treatment
After conducting a series of interviews with stakeholders to align expectations, I lead a team designing a 1-week retreat to foster team building, have fun, and create a sense of community.
In order to face the challenges of employees engagement and time constraints, my approach was to expose all team members to short unconventional settings such as painting murals to identify company’s strengths and inhibiting behaviors, and a Murder Mystery Party to create new spaces for employees interactions.
Post-treatment
Designed Experiences:
Collaborative Leadership Workshop:
Help leader discovers their own leadership styles and reflects on companies style.
Murder Mystery Party:
Employees interact in an unusual” play party” to explore non-conventional conversations and discover new things about one another.
Potluck:
Collaborative picnic that helped employees find common points between one and other.
Inhibitors and accelerators:
By identifying the company's strengths and improvement areas employees created a painted mural using balloons to visualize companies identity.
Second Retreat 2nd of August 2018
Results
80
People Engaged
5
Insights on employee's perception
+37%
Positive work environment
Istituto Europeo di Design
The IED is an educational institution in all disciplines of design, visual communication, fashion and management..
Project | IED – "Let’s design the future" Scholarship Submission
May 2017
Diagnosis
The challenge was to design a solution to improve people's life. The participant needed to create an idea or business concept that was innovative, design centered and connected with past or current life experiences and interests.
Treatment
The information era and the introduction of emerging technologies are changing the way we relate, work and live. The rate in which everything is changing and how people are able to cope with those changes is dissimilar. There is an opportunity to create a product or service to help people cope, understand and engage with emerging technologies.
Food Tech is a gastronomic experience that introduces practical aspects of emerging technologies in a familiar context and friendlier setting: the dinner table.
Post-treatment
Full scholarship for the master program on design management at IED barcelona.
Results
Dafiti
The largest e-commerce platform of fashion and lifestyle in Latin America with more than 5000 employees.
Project | Leadership-4-all
Mar 2017 - Nov 2017
Diagnosis
Dafiti’s top executives in Colombia were misaligned on their approach to leadership and management. The CEO and the Director of HR wanted to create a program that unified leadership styles and established a long-term management framework at the company.
Additionally, after conducting ground research it was evident that there was a pressing need to expose executives to a more collaborative and co-creative work environment.
Treatment
The design process outcome allowed us to build a program based on leadership by coaching a style that suited the company best.
Once the concept was validated and defined, leaders were exposed to a series of hands-on workshops based on different coaching skills. In order to break their own paradigms and make them reflect about their leadership position, they were exposed to unconventional learning settings such as a cooking challenge and a Zero Gravity therapy floating experience.
Post-treatment
Designed Experiences:
The Fashion Crime: A gamified activity to learn about the "silos" attitude and how it affects team performance.
The Brownie Challenge: A cooking activity for leaders to learn about bidirectional feedback and the dialog technique.
The Unknown Client: A workshop that challenged leaders to exchange their company roles, work together to create a product and develop empathy.
Results
360°
Diagnosis™ on company leadership culture
5
KPIs improvement
Exosphere Academy
An alternative educational startup that conducts bootcamps on emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, AI and Biohacking. .
Project | Entrepreneurship and emerging technology programs
Oct 2015 - Mar 2017
Diagnosis
The nature of work and education has changed. A career path is no longer tied to a college degree and the new economy allows multiple job changes and career shifts.
People are being pushed to reinvent themselves and adapt to new trends and tech development. Exosphere was exploring different models to help individuals thrive in the creative economy.
Treatment
To reinvent the classroom we designed a co-learning and co-living environment where students from all over the world with different ages, backgrounds, and expertise levels engaged in an emerging tech course.
The courses were based on a practical learning method were students were guided by a fellow to develop their own projects using the technologies principles.
Post-treatment
Designed Experiences:
Mars colonization simulation: Hands on role playing experience about colonizing and living in Mars.
Sunset Talks: a series of “ beach” setting informal talks to engage possible student with our learning methodology.
Creative Blindness epidemic: A hands on experience to allow Chilean Investors to experience our learning method.
Results
150
Participants
7
Programs & Talks
50k
USD in contracts and partnership
Exosphere Academy
An alternative educational startup that conducts bootcamps on emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Internet of Things, AI and Biohacking.
Project | Athena Bootcamp for Women Leaders
Oct 2015 - Mar 2017
Diagnosis
The role of women during the past decade has changed a lot. We see more women disrupting the fields of technology, entrepreneurship, and business than ever before.
However, despite all the effort to fight gender imbalance there is still a lot to be done. Some women still feel powerless, inadequate and insecure about their abilities. Some want to engage in technology and business but see these fields as threatening and difficult.
Treatment
The Athena Bootcamp was created to build connections between female leaders from all over the world and allowed them to engage on a journey of independence and greatness.
Leading experts came together and taught them about technology, business and entrepreneurship. I was hired to build the experience and help these women through this journey.
Post-treatment
Co-facilitate and design 8 week program.
Results
15
Participants
70%
Started new ventures
3
Career shifts
GET: Grupo estudiantil de emprendimiento
GET is a non-profit organization that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship among college students.
Project | Co-founder
Mar 2013 - Dec 2015
Diagnosis
During my college years I didn’t have the opportunity to collaborate with students from different disciplines. This brought to my attention a problem in how education narrows students perspectives.
Fueled by this thought and other students feedback I chose to create a space where students could engage in interdisciplinary work.
Treatment
GET is a non-profit organization that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship among college students.
Our approach was to change an disrupt the classroom by having A-class speakers such as Bob Dorf (Customer Development expert and Steve Blank’s partner) Andy Elwood (Business developer at Waze), Jeremy McKane (Creator of LUCiD project) on unconventional educational experiences.
Post-treatment
Organized events
Startup Pirates: A 1-week program that simulated a pirate adventure inside a wooden boat as an analogy for entrepreneurship.
GET Hustler: A 2-day sales and marketing seminary inside a boxing gym.
GET Inspired: A creativity and innovation seminary inside a sensorial dark room.
Results
450
Students engaged
7
Designed experiences
12k
USD in revenue and partnerships value
Hands Offering Institute
https://handsofferinghope.org/
The Hands Offering Hope Youth Leadership Institute exists to open doors for driven, excellent young people hidden by poverty through a global network of experts.
Project | Youth Leadership Institute Chiquila
July 2015 | July 2016 | July 2017
Diagnosis
Poverty, lack of education, drug abuse, child abuse, robbery and unemployment are pressing issues all over Latin America. Children who grow under these circumstances tend to follow the same path by influence, preventing them to pursue a better future.
The Youth Leadership Institute works to break this cycle.
Treatment
The mission of the institute is to empower children by giving them an alternative to seek for a better future. If children are able to develop leadership skills and craft a career, their chances of improving their current circumstances are much better.
The Institute’s summer program in Chiquilá, Mexico gathers global experts to teach kids hands-on skills on different fields
Post-treatment
Organized events
The Kitchen Metaphor: A self discovery workshop to discover personal skills.
Ideation Workshop: Brainstorming sessions to find motivations and goals and help kids define their talents and creativity to build a better future themselves.
Introduction to Design Thinking: Introductory classes to teach kids to elaborate on their ideas and develop them through processes.
Results
60
Students
3
Programs
sweet talk
Robbie J Frey
The Frye Show Host. Creative Consultant
“Victoria is one the most remarkable networkers and people I have had the pleasure to meet. Wonderful energy and is a delight to work with”.
Andy Ellwood
Co-founder and president at Basket
"Victoria brings enthusiasm and excitement to everything she does, executing at the highest level. If she is not in your network, she should be"
Santiago Jaramillo
COO at Torre Technologies
"Victoria has a clear vision of the impact she wants to have in people and invests her time in making it a reality. I look forward to seeing the result of her new endeavors."
Adele Galey
Co-founder at Ticket for change
"Victoria has an incredible way to interact with people and is definitely a natural leader, not by strength but by her softness and capacity to be there for others."
Luke Blackburn
Executive Director at Exosphere Academy
"A rare combination of intelligence, charm, and resilience. Victoria is a winner and her never-give-up attitude and way of doing business she accomplishes goals and exceeds expectations."
Amy Carol Wolff
President at Hands Offering Hope Foundation
"Victoria's training and engagement with our students is dynamite. Flexible, intentional and able to take complex content,I consider Victoria a partner and a trusted person who always follows through.”
Media Appearances
To the Exosphere and Back
Everyday Ambassador interview
Analogous Inspiration from Unusual Places
Why service Design Thinking Podcast
The Creative Blindness Epidemic
Chronicle on Experience Design
contact
Victoria Vivas
[email protected]
+34 695 77 26 56
Barcelona, Spain
Icons created by (Noun Project):
Linda | Pictohaven | Pablo A | Creative Stall | Funtastic | Anatolii Babii