Social Distancing & Design Thinking

The coronavirus pandemic has shifted the way we engage with others, and has taken a toll on the Greek experience within many campuses. As Chapter President of my sorority on campus, I knew that I had to think outside the box to come up with an effective solution that would leave members feeling engaged and connected during this time.

“The designer does not begin with some preconceived idea. Rather, the idea is the result of careful study and observation, and the design is the product of that idea” - Paul Rand

All throughout my life I have been one to really look at problems and get to the root of them to come up with an optimal solution. In theory, I suppose I have always been practicing a form of design thinking by leaving no rock unturned. However, the opportunity to approach a challenge with a design thinking mindset appeared in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while I was Chapter President of my sorority on campus.

Everything I had known about sorority life had existed in person. From recruitment where girls go house to house and interact with dozens of people in a day, to philanthropy events that relied upon in-person engagement, to chapter meetings and sisterhood building events where almost a hundred women would be in the same room, virtual events were practically unheard of. When the pandemic began and we were sent home from school, the members of my chapter and I were scrambling to try to comprehend how the sorority experience could be translated to fully online.

While it was easy to get wrapped up in the stress and begin to overthink and over-execute, I decided to take a step back. I realized that while the sorority experience is a large part of what we do at school, there were many external factors at play that required careful observation before making quick decisions. I spent the remainder of the spring semester sorting out our financials and ensuring the safety of the chapter, as that was my top priority. Then, after observing how members were adapting and sending out surveys to see what would be of interest for them, I got to work planning over the summer.

I noticed that one of the most widely-missed aspects of the sorority experience was the connections sisters make with one another in person. Many members expressed the feeling of being disconnected, especially newer members who had not had the opportunity to meet older members. However, an added layer of complexity came with realizing that zoom burnout is a very real thing and many members did not want to have to be on Zoom any more than they were required to.

I began brainstorming ways to make members feel connected again without it feeling inauthentic or unnecessary. I prototyped the way in which chapter meetings could be held and the things each officer could do to engage with members. I created slide decks and agendas to keep my board on task. After all of the brainstorming and discussions we had over the summer refining our plan, we finally made it to fall semester.

Fall semester was when we really got to put our ideas to the test. We incorporated a bonding activity, song of the week, poll question, breakout rooms and more into our first chapter and members truly started to feel more engaged. There were a few small things we had to reevaluate, like how practical it would be to have a breakout room every week, but with member feedback along we way we came up with our original chapter formula.

It is incredible looking back now at the end of this semester and see how far myself and teh women on my executive board have come over the last few months. The ideas that we implemented into chapter have been carried over by the newly elected executive board, and it is amazing to see them continue to work with our foundation. I may not have known it at the time, but emphasizing with members, defining their wants and needs, ideating potential solutions, prototyping these solutions, testing the best solution out and continuing to check back for improvements has created a lasting structure the chapter will continue to use in the virtual forum. From this experience I learned that design thinking can truly be magical and impactful if you thoroughly complete the steps and have the drive to see it through to the end