Transformation Quest, a game experience
Innovation & Change Program
How we got started
SHV Energy, a global energy company, approached us with a request for an unforgettable mini Design Sprint program for their annual conference, where business units from around the world convene. This year's theme was "Transformation."
The challenge we faced was multifaceted: How could we inspire diverse teams to collaborate effectively in solving real business challenges using a consistent, structured approach? As well as, how could we ensure data-driven decision-making, a customer-centric mindset and cross-functional problem definition – all within the time limit of 24-hours?
Our approach
Facilitating Transformation
Transformation and change is ultimately about people. It's about doing, collaborating, navigating frustration, embracing methods, communicating effectively, celebrating success, learning from failures and so much more. To ensure participants left the conference with actionable insights to implement 'at home,' we had to go beyond merely discussing transformation. We had to create an immersive experience that allowed them to live through all facets of the transformative process.
Experience and Planning
Drawing upon our extensive experience leading Design Sprints and organizing programs such as Design Sprint at Scale, we leveraged our expertise in design thinking and innovation, as well as our organizational power to bring this program to life. The design and detailed preparation of this program was crucial so that we could execute to inspire.
Designed for impact
One of the key challenges we faced was to facilitate a large audience (60 people) without the need of multiple facilitators. This meant we had to come up with a creative approach. How could we empower teams to facilitate themselves? How could we achieve this while maintaining high levels of engagement across all teams? That's when we realized, "Let's turn it into a game!" By introducing goals, rules, roles, and game mechanics, we enabled teams to facilitate themselves through an interactive, gamified experience. After all, playing is often the most effective way to learn.
The Results
Transformation Quest was born - a board game where teams solve real business challenges by progressing through eight distinct milestones. The first four milestones focus on defining the problem, while the latter four concentrate on ideating solutions and testing their value. All milestones are deeply rooted in principles of innovation and continuous improvement methodologies. The complexity lies not in the methods themselves, but in navigating the process, fostering productive discussions, and reflecting on what these learnings mean for participants in their leadership roles.
Teams consisted of 5-7 players, accompanied by an additional 'team member' - Microsoft's AI tooling: Copilot. What better way to experience the power of AI than to include it at the table? By integrating an AI assistant into the game, participants could witness firsthand the potential of this technology.
The game's design skillfully blended structured problem-solving techniques with the engaging dynamics of gameplay. As teams advanced through each milestone, they were challenged to think critically, collaborate effectively, and embrace a spirit of experimentation. The immersive experience not only imparted valuable skills but also cultivated a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation – essential ingredients for thriving in today's rapidly evolving business landscape.
Choose how to play
To ensure participants left the conference with tangible takeaways, we created a game that could be played in one of two ways:
Collaborative Teamwork and Leadership Reflection (Conference Experience): Teams collaborated to experience a new way of working, reflecting on their roles as leaders throughout the process. This mode was designed as an immersive one-day experience at the conference.
Real-World Challenge Solving (Post-Conference Application): Teams brought an actual business challenge to the table and worked through the game's structured steps to solve it. This mode allowed for a deeper dive, with gameplay spanning from one day to one week, enabling business units to apply the learnings to their specific contexts back at the office.
By offering these two gameplay modes, we empowered participants to not only experience the transformation process firsthand but also to take ownership of implementing lasting change within their Business Units. The conference experience served as a catalyst, while the post-conference application allows for sustained impact and practical application.
The impact…
The game was a definite succes that could be felt through the energy in the room.
Collaboration: Leaders remained actively engaged and energized throughout the entire 1.5-day experience, a stark contrast to passive, hour-long sessions.
AI Integration: Teams learned to leverage the AI Copilot effectively, crafting better prompts and discovering novel applications as the Quest progressed.
Relevance: By tackling real business challenges that different units could relate to, learnings immediately translated into practical value.
Experiential Learning: Methods were not just taught but experienced through active implementation within the game's challenges.
What others said
"It was a fantastic experience participating in this insightful session. We were all fully engaged and collaboratively completed the tasks as a team. The meticulous planning and execution of the session were truly commendable."
Who's next to embark on the Transformation Quest?
The team makes the magic
This project was an example of "ideas are worthless, execution is everything".
It was a great collaboration with the SHV Energy Digital Transformation & Continuous Improvement team. We worked closely with them to align on their methods and tools. All content was written and created by Orange Minds.
Special recognition goes to the talented UX Designer Giorgio Orsucci, who’s been making beautiful prototypes with us since 2020. This was definitely no prototype, he exceeded himself in bringing this game to life.
We were happy to work with Factorr._ for the beautiful production. This made the game next level.
