General Questions
What is the Amplify program?
The Amplify program is a series of ten innovation challenges over five years. Using both online and offline collaboration tools, we’re out to find and support solutions to some of the world’s most pressing development issues. We’re looking for ideas that display bold thinking or a new approach in their sector.
What is human-centered design?
Human-centered design is a problem solving approach that starts with people and places them at the center of each stage of the design process. Human-centered design began as a way to ensure that products were designed for people’s needs and desires and evolved to be applied to services, systems, and in more global contexts - because any design solution should be informed by people’s experiences.
Who is sponsoring these challenges?
The Amplify program is operated by IDEO.org, in collaboration with OpenIDEO -- an online platform for open innovation. Amplify is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
I am not a designer. What does Amplify have to do with me?
Everyone is a designer. Human-centered design is a problem solving approach that can be used by anyone, anywhere.
How do I participate in an Amplify Challenge?
Visit OpenIDEO, create a profile, and get started!
FUNDING AND IDEO.ORG DESIGN SUPPORT
How do I apply for funding?
Amplify is not a prize or competition. Instead, the first step is to participate in the current Amplify challenge on the OpenIDEO platform. Throughout the challenge, you’ll work with the OpenIDEO community to refine and improve your submission. At the conclusion of the challenge, a small number of ideas will receive funding and design support from IDEO.org.
What funding is available?
Each Amplify challenge will award up to $500,000 in funding and human-centered design support to a handful of ideas. We are primarily interested in matching ideas submitted to Amplify challenges with the types of support that they need to go forward toward implementation. This may include funding, design support, or access to other forms of expertise.
The current Urban Resilience Challenge is in collaboration with the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and an additional $300,000 in funding will be awarded, for a total of $800,000.
While Amplify challenges are global in scope, funding and design support is reserved for implementation of ideas in the 42 DFID and GRP focus countries. These countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burma, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Papa New Ginuea, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
How many ideas will receive funding or design support per challenge?
As part of Challenge 4, we anticipate dispersing funding and design support to up to eight ideas.
What types of ideas will receive funding or design support?
Ideas that are meant for implementation in our priority countries, by organizations with sector experience and that answer our challenge question, will proceed through the following phases:
Beneficiary Feedback
In this phase, we ask contributors to get human-centered. We’ll share tools to help engage beneficiaries and get feedback on ideas. Contributors are expected share what they are learning on the platform.
Expert Feedback
Experts in resilience, urban slums, climate change and design will then review the shortlisted ideas. They will consider whether the ideas present new approach, take into account the context of the challenge and demonstrate an understanding of the needs of beneficiaries. Feedback and questions will be shared on the OpenIDEO platform.
Improve
This phase is an opportunity to improve and evolve ideas based on input from from beneficiaries and experts. It’s an opportunity to refine the initial idea and consider how your idea might be implemented in the future.
Winning
At the end of the Improve phase, we select approximately up to eight Winning ideas.
Winning ideas will demonstrate the following characteristics:
Potential: Will the idea improve resilience to the effects of climate change in urban slum communities?
Originality: Does the idea demonstrate bold thinking or a departure from the way this problem has been addressed in the past?
Engagement: Was the contributor responsive to the feedback and questions posed by their beneficiaries, experts and the Amplify Team?
Human Centered: Does the idea address the needs and context of its intended beneficiaries? Has it been developed with their feedback?
In early 2016, Amplify will bring these individuals and organizations together for a multi-day, Design Bootcamp. The group will explore human centered design and its connection to our Winning ideas. Participants will have the opportunity to build networks, refine their ideas and be connected to potential implementing organizations. The location of the Design Bootcamp will be based on the location of our challenge winners. Together with the IDEO.org team, participants will develop a plan to prototype their ideas, as well as for the funding required to bring these ideas to life.
What is design support?
Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem solving and the backbone of our work at IDEO.org. It’s a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs. Human-centered design is all about building a deep empathy with the people you’re designing for; generating tons of ideas; building a bunch of prototypes; sharing what you’ve made with the people you’re designing for; and eventually putting your innovative new solution out in the world.
IDEO.org provides many different kinds of design support to meet the particular needs of the ideas generated by the Amplify community. Examples of the type of support include product, service and systems design.
PARTICIPATION IN AN AMPLIFY CHALLENGE
How do I know if I am eligible?
Participation in an Amplify challenge is open to anyone in the world with an Internet connection. Over the coming challenges we’ll be designing solutions that make the OpenIDEO platform accessible to collaborators with limited or no access to the Internet.
How much time and effort will it take for me to participate in an Amplify challenge?
We’d love you to submit a relevant idea, comment, suggestion, experience or story to share with the rest of the Amplify community. The OpenIDEO platform allows any registered user to participate as minimally or as fully as they would like in any of the ten Amplify challenges that we will be running over the next five years.
What if my idea is similar to a product or service that already exists in the world?
We recognize that not all ideas are completely new. In fact, many of the best ideas on the OpenIDEO platform build upon ideas that came before them. If your idea is substantially similar or building upon another idea, provide a URL linking to that product or service, and then explain how your idea is different or an improvement. Consider reaching out to the creator of the original product or service and asking them to join your team.
Can I submit an idea for a product or service that I’m already implementing?
Yes. Amplify challenges are intended to help grow existing products or services too. By submitting your existing idea, you’ll be able to gain feedback and notice from a global community who can help you refine and improve your idea. Both new and existing ideas will be eligible for funding and design support at the conclusion of each Amplify challenge.
Do I have to be affiliated with an organization to participate?
No. Individuals are encouraged to participate in an Amplify challenge. However, ideas eligible to receive funding or design support will be evaluated in part based upon implementation capacity.
Can I submit my idea anonymously?
No. In order to participate in an Amplify challenge, you’ll need to create a profile on OpenIDEO before submitting your idea.
Can I submit multiple ideas?
Yes. There is no limit to the number of ideas that can be submitted to the site, though any given individual or organization can only receive funding for the implementation of one winning idea per Amplify challenge.
What is the deadline for participation?
Participation in an Amplify challenge occurs during the portion of the challenge hosted on OpenIDEO (approximately three months per challenge). We strongly encourage everyone to participate at each stage of the collaborative innovation process on OpenIDEO. In order to be eligible for funding and design support from IDEO.org for a given challenge, participants must submit their idea before the conclusion of the Ideas phase.
Can I submit an idea offline or via another format?
No. Ideas for Amplify challenges must be submitted via the OpenIDEO platform. Having trouble submitting your idea? Please email us and we can help.
MISCELLANEOUS
How do you choose the challenge topics?
As human-centered designers, we’ll be listening and learning from communities around the world as we select the topic for challenges Two to Ten. Each challenge will be designed to foster solutions that improve the lives of communities living in poverty, spark a diverse portfolio of solutions and afford adequate opportunities for innovation. Here is a working list of additional selection criteria:
• Is the challenge poverty related?
• Is the challenge topic relatable to people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and regions of the world?
• Will the challenge topic generate a variety of innovative design solutions (i.e, products, services, social businesses, etc.).
• Will the challenge topic generate ideas that can be easily prototyped or piloted?
•Will it be possible for community members from around the world to engage in the solution design process collaboratively?
What do I do if you didn't answer my question?
Please email us (Amplify "at" IDEO.org).
