Winners of New Jersey's ENJINE competiton met to discuss their projects and engage in exercises to help them articulate - and reassess - exactly what problems they were trying to solve.

Participants discussed the process of articulating a specific and actionable problem and identifying the root causes of that problem by using data, research, and collaboration.

Participants discussed strategies for using human-centered design strategies to place end users at the center of the development process, including how to identify stakeholders and groups to engage with.

Participants discussed strategies for finding what possible solutions already exist, evaluating whether a solution worked elsewhere, and determining whether what worked in another context will work in your context and community.

Participants discussed how to start identifying and using data in their work, including conversatoion around practical examples, key takeaways for the public sector, and next steps to start using data in their day-to-day work.

Participants discussed how "agile" practices can help to break down large projects into smaller, discrete portions, involve multiple stakeholders in their efforts, adapt to new challenges, and ensure that solutions are human-centered.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned about the history of human-centered design and the importance of putting users first.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned how to generate huamn-centered and user-focused problem statements to guide work.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned how to interview participants and how to create and test innovative solutions.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned how to create personas to capture customer preferences and expectations.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned abut design techniques, includng service blueprinting and journey mapping to help them visualize and improve processes for users.

Staff from the NJ Office of the State Comptroller discussed data anlytical thinking and how to use data to define problems.

Staff from the NJ Office of the State Comptroller discussed collaborative approaches to data collection and analysis and strategies for utilizing administrative data.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned tecniques for engaging people in efforts to review existing evidence and possible existing solutions.

NJ Department of Labor staff learned how to apply participatory design methods to their work.