Page 15 - Marcela Lima

Translating Research into Focus Stakeholder Map

3.1. Social Enterprise Poll A total of 33 responses were received. The most popular needs depending on their stage of development. TERTIARY To begin translating the problem statement into actionable

option was the Knowledge System, followed by the design ideas, I mapped out the ecosystem of people and

While the thematic analysis was still in progress, I wanted Resource List and Collaboration Space as shown in Figure • The only missing point sugested by a participant was a organisations affected by or involved in the issue. This
to gather some direct input from SE to guide the design 5. Surprisingly, the Volunteer Platform, which was the original tool for building corporate partnerships—a topic already Communities helped clarify whose needs to prioritise.
direction. Due to time constraints and limited access to starting point of the project, received the fewest votes. identified in interviews and conference discussions but impacted by SE

individual interviews, I created a short online poll and shared This shift in feedback showed the value of involving users outside the scope of this project. My primary users are social enterprises themselves and

it in a WhatsApp community group of over 200 social early in the process. It revealed that initial assumptions users/customers SECUNDARY are the main beneficiaries of any design solution.
enterprises. This allowed me to quickly gather feedback about sector needs may not align with real priorities. • The poll focused on tools or resources that could of SE
while preparing for the Analysis & Synthesis presentation. realistically be developed in this project. For that Secondary users include a range of social innovation
reason, I did not include topics like finance or impact Social enterprise Regional institutions that could benefit from the solution, such as

The poll asked: What kind of tool would be most useful for measurement which would require more in-depth networks & organisations social enterprise networks (SERI, SEI. The Wheel, ICE) and

your SE? With the options based on early insights from research and expertise. support organisations Social innovation support organisations (Rethink Ireland, Leos, DRCD), public
research: sector organisations (Pobal), social finance providers
3.2. Problem Statment organisations (Clann Credo, Social Finance Ireland, Credit Unions)

• Design Toolkit - for solving problems and innovating Public sector PRIMARY representative bodies (SERI, SEI), regional organisations
(based on the desk research) Following the analysis phase, three core challenges emerged organisations Government (ILDN), government departments, corporate partners,
as priorities for social enterprises- succession planning, Higher Social departments funders, investors, and mentors. They play a crucial role in

• Collaboration Space - for networking and resource collaboration, and access to resources. education Enterprises Researchers funding, capacity-building, policy-making, and connection.
sharing (based on interviews and conference insights) institutes Social enterprise A successful solution may also support or integrate with
To translate these insights into a clear design direction, representative their services.

• Volunteer Platform - to find and manage volunteers (the I developed a problem statement I went through a few bodies Mentors

initial idea of this project and also mentioned during Key Insights iterations (see Figure 9) and eventually arrived at: Tertiary users are those indirectly impacted, including
interviews) communities served by social enterprises, researchers,
• Direct feedback helped reframe the project direction This question aims to address the key areas raised by SEs Social finance Corporate Partners designers, tech teams, traditional businesses, higher

• Knowledge System - to retain expertise during around sustainability, internal organisation, and peer and create space for several design directions. providers education institutes, and the users or customers of SEs.
leadership changes (based on interviews) connection rather than volunteer coordination alone. Funders & Investors Designers

• Social Media Toolkit - to boost your online presence • If the thematic analysis had been completed before the “ How might Traditional
we support social
(based on interviews and desk research) poll, some options might have been framed differently. enterprises to business
For example, Knowledge System could have been navigate change, Tech

• Resource list - of funding and support opportunities labelled Succession Planning, and volunteer wellbeing or foster engagement, department
(based on interviews) broader innovation support could have been included. and build long-term

sustainability? ”
Results and Observations • The variety of responses aligned with the research,
which highlights how social enterprises have evolving

Process Book Discover 15