Superbloom

Welcome

Welcome! We hope you enjoyed kick-off day and our presentation.

This page is a hub for getting started on your coaching journey with Superbloom and we are excited to be working with you!

Coaching can be a variety of things. Whether a discussion on strategy or methods, a hands-on design workshop or a usability test with current or potential users. We’ve made a list of popular themes and topics in the page below.

We are available to help you in whichever way you feel would be useful during your project. If you need a quick sense check or want to discuss an idea etc, you can book a 15 minute call with a coach at any time during your project, or email us with your query. Our coaches can be utilised in whichever way you feel would help. We are flexible and please use us as a resource. We have many coaches with much expertise! Plus we're a very friendly bunch ;-).

Below you will find more information about our coaches, how to book your session, how we can help you with your project, and more.

Dive straight in!

If you would like to book your session straight away, here are some useful links:

• Ask us a question: coaching@superbloom.design, and one of the coaching team (Nicola, Molly or Victory) will reply.

• Book your coaching session via our OS booking tool. Please email nicola@superbloom.design and she will send you a link. Not all coaches have a booking app; if so, Nicola will put you in touch. If you're not sure who would be the best coach for you, please email Nicola.

• View all our coach profiles including further information about our coaching offering. We have nearly 30 coaches with a wide variety of skills!

Overview

Superbloom is contracted to supply design and UX coaching services to Prototype Fund, Germany and has been working with the fund since 2017. We coach approximately 25 projects per year in two cohorts.

What is the Prototype Fund?

The Prototype Fund is an Open Knowledge Foundation Germany project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The Prototype Fund has supported ideas in civic tech, data literacy, data security and software infrastructure by funding projects since 2017, which gives it the necessary means to implement innovative software prototypes for the greater good.

One of the main benefits provided by the Prototype Fund is freeing people from dealing with German government bureaucracy.

Prototype Fund stipulates that all projects are based in Germany.

What is Superbloom?

Superbloom, formerly called Simply Secure, was founded in 2014 as a US 501c3 nonprofit to help build usable secure communications tools and make it possible for everyone to have access to security and privacy. We launched as Simply Secure and in October 2022 we rebranded to Superbloom.

Superbloom leverages design as a transformative practice to shift power in the tech ecosystem. We apply a holistic approach and view design as an intervention opportunity to center people and their needs. We collaborate closely with others in the space to grow the community focused on shaping our collective online future. Our vision is a world where everyone has the knowledge, network, and digital tools needed to enrich their lives.

We support teams through individual coaching and direct support in the design of software projects, especially in the areas of design, user experience (UX), strategy and project management. Our support covers topics such as user needs analysis, interaction design, content strategy, information architecture and usability and is tailored to the individual challenges of each project. Our work is highly collaborative and constantly building design capacity; our value-based approach helps teams focus on the needs of target groups.

• We empower practitioners to build trustworthy technology through professional education and research.

• We are an international team with expertise in research, design, software development, and product management, supported by a diverse set of advisors and partners.

https://superbloom.design/

How the coaching program works

• The Prototype Fund has two six-month cohorts or rounds:
  • March-August: kicks-off with a week of presentations at the end of February
  • September-February: kicks-off with a week-long programme of presentations at the end of September
• In each six-month round there are approximately 25 projects. Prototype Fund (PF) gives each project four hours of coaching.
• PF invites each project to introduce itself to us and we commence the booking process.
• Each project usually books two hours' coaching at the start of the six month round and two hours at the end of the six-month round. Coaching is not compulsory.
• We also work with the Prototype Fund on a separate basis to support some of its alumni projects around open source community work. For these projects, the Prototype Fund reaches out to us when a coaching need arises.

Our coaches

Collectively, our friendly coaches share over two centuries of experience in a large variety of sectors. Our coaches either work for Superbloom, or as a Fiscally Sponsored Project, or they are contractors who run their own company or work in a freelance capacity. You can find more information about each including a bio, social media links, their interests and languages spoken by clicking on their profile here.

Topics and themes

You can find a list of some of the topics we cover here and we can help match you to the coach who would best serve your project needs.

What we can work on

We have listed some of the ways below we can help you to realise the potential of your project:

• Structuring your approach to design decisions
• Sign-up and onboarding
• Thinking aloud while you watch first use (screen share or in-person)
• Thinking aloud while undertaking specific tasks you're developing

• Task flows
• Looking at information architecture (what are the menus, what are the items in the menus) and identify opportunities for simplification
• Navigation, menus and overall organization. Setting and control panels are a common place where confusion piles up, is there anything to do there?
• Make sense of your tool
• Helping to communicate what your tool does
• Looking at naming and descriptions in the app store or website and identifying ways to clarify the explanation.
• Looking at the setting and control panels. How much customization do you need?
• Competitive benchmarking from similar or analogous products. Would users expect a certain kind of interaction? Who handles this effectively?
• Discuss ways to gather additional feedback, e.g. setting up a customer advisory board or undertaking user research sessions, strategies for recruiting, ways of gathering feedback to prioritise features not yet built.
• UI suggestions (increasing white space, adding visual elements, etc.)

If you’re stuck, we can help unstick you!  We are a very friendly bunch and we’re here to help you in whatever way we can.

What does a coaching session look like?

How long is a session?

• Typically two hours, but if you would like four 1-hour sessions or something similar, we can work with that if it would be a better fit for the project’s needs.

How do we document the sessions?

• Coaches type all their notes directly into a Notion Page.

Do you need to send your questions/topics in advance of the session?

• You can send us information to review before your session if you wish or we can dive straight in during the session.

How do I prepare for my session?

• Prior to your session, please think about what you wish to work on and what you wish to achieve during your session and what you would like to be the outcome If you have materials you would like us to review or read before the session, please send them to nicola@superbloom.design.

Can I receive coaching in German or English?

• Yes you can coach in your preferred language, though some coaches speak English only. Please see the coach profiles for more information.

Do I need to book the same coach for each session?

• Most, but not all projects will book the same coach for both 2-hour sessions.

Where are our coaches based?

• Our coaches are based in five continents! We have worked hard to recruit new coaches to ensure we have a coach for your needs. This means that if if an evening or early morning session would work best for you and your team, we can facilitate that.

Where do we meet?

• Online or, if you are based in Berlin, we can organise a mutually convenient location. Online sessions may be held in GMeet, Jitsi, Signal, Whereby, Wire or Zoom, or if you would prefer another platform, please let us know.

Booking your session

You can book your coaching session via our OS booking tool: book.undesco.re. Not all coaches have a book.undersco.re link and if so, please email nicola@superbloom.design. If you're not sure who would be the best coach for you, please email your main point of contact: nicola@superbloom.design to introduce your project and we can help match you to a coach. Once you have booked, you will receive an email confirmation and the appointment details will be added to your calendar.

As part of the booking process Nicola undertakes the following tasks:

• Answers queries from, and liaises with the projects and coaches team
• Coordinates all aspects of bookings in cal.com or via email
• Keeps the project coaching tracker up-to-date
• Adds calendar entries and meeting links for each booking
• Liaises with the Prototype Fund team

Preparing for your session

Prepare for your session:

• Send us any relevant information you’d like us to review beforehand
• Write down what you would like to know by the end of the session and share this information with your coach at the start of the session
• Check you’ve received a calendar invite with booking link
• Find a quiet place with no distractions
• Enter the call five minutes early to cover off any potential tech glitches

Please bring the following to your session:

• A list of questions and goals, challenges or blocks
• A physical notebook and pen
• A computer
• As many team members as you wish
• Any demos, mock-ups, or sketches you may have

What next?

Pick your coach depending on your location, language, questions and goals.

Prepare for your session by making a list of things you’d like to discuss, and if you wish, send information to your coach prior to your session.

Book your session by emailing: nicola@superbloom.design.

Also, check out the design coaching page on our website.

Further information

Open Calls

We host four Open AMA sessions during the course of each round, each with a set topic:

• First call User Testing
• Second call Branding
• Third call Fundraising & Sustainability
• Fourth call Community Building

Coach Training

We are training new coaches and your coach may be accompanied by a colleague who is listening and learning.  If you would rather have a private coaching session, no problem! Please email coaching@superbloom.design.

Follow-up Coaching

We offer follow-up coaching once the six month Prototype Fund cohort has completed. You can find more information in the Superbloom CoachingCollaborative. Please email coaching@superbloom.design for our fees and further details.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback!  If you have any comments or suggestions about how we could improve any aspect of our coaching process, please email coaching@superbloom.design.

Who is the Superbloom Coaching team?

Our coaching team comprises Georgia Bullen, Molly Wilson, Victory Brown and Nicola Pratt.

Questions and help

The Superbloom coaching team: coaching@superbloom.design is always on hand to answer any of your questions and welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please feel free to email us at any point.

We wish you all the best with your project and look forward to hearing from you soon!