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SparkTank

Sparkpoints & rewards

What is a Sparkpoint?

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Sparkpoints are earned every time you contribute an idea, expand on someone else's idea or review an idea. Points are also given to people who create challenges. Every time you return to your dashboard you will see your total Sparkpoints in your profile. You can view the ledger of your points in your profile.

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The Sparkpoint ledger shows how your total points have been calculated.

Before you start this tutorial join SparkTank for a free account. Then select the topic you would like to know more about. 

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The two main activities on SparkTank are:

  1. Join an existing challenge 

  2. Create your own challenge

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You can also find out more about the following topics:

  • First time visit - avatars and organisations

  • Sparkpoints and rewards

  • Data and reports

  • Design thinking an overview

  • First time video tutorials 

     

Getting started with SparkTank

Set up your avatar

​​When you enter the tool for the first time you will need to set up an avatar and join an organisation.

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1. Avatar

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Go to your personal profile page. You can access this by clicking on the picture of a person in the top right hand corner of the screen or by selecting the grey picture of a person in the centre of your homescreen/dashboard.

 

In this page you will see options to provide information about yourself and your interests. It is up to you how much information you provide and also whether you wish to share this information as part of your avatar. 

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Some challenges may also allow you to participate anonymously. You will need to decide when entering those challenges whether you would like others to be able to see your profile information or keep it private. 

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You can select an image saved on your computer to upload for your avatar. You can also change this picture as many times as you want.

Step 1 - Locate challenge: When you enter the tool you will be able to browse through existing challenges or create a challenge.​

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Select the "Challenge" option in the top menu to search or find challenges that people have already defined and are seeking assistance to ideate and solve their problem. By joining a challenge, adding your ideas and extending other people's ideas you will receive spark points. These points will be used for you to reach different levels of innovator status. See SparkPoints.

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You can filter and sort the list of challenges by using the options either at the top of the screen or directly above the challenge list.

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You can preview challenges by selecting and reviewing the description. If you would like to participate you select the join challenge button. This will take you to the challenge waiting room

 

Step 2 - Enter challenge space​: In the challenge waiting room you will see the other participants also participating in the challenge. You can then enter the ideation process when you are ready. 

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Step 3 - Ideate or brainstorm​: You will then begin the ideation process. Follow the prompts and answer the questions provided by the tool.

 

Step 4 - Expand on other participant's ideas​: Before you can find out how your idea compares, whether it is similar to other people's ideas or find out how you have been rated, you need to work with others to expand on their ideas.

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When there are enough participants (there needs to be a minimum of six ideas before you can start extending and expanding on other people's ideas), you will either receive a notification on your dashboard or you will automatically be taken to the expand ideas page.

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When expanding on other participant's ideas you must use the same principles that are used in improvisation: always say "yes!" to an idea. Whatever the idea, no mater how crazy - you must find a way to add value to that idea. 

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If an idea for a participant includes the use of something fictitious such as "teleportation" as a way to solve a problem, build on that idea. Try to imagine what you could do if there was teleportation. 

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Do not judge other people's ideas. Part of the process is to use your imagination and to play with possibilities. 

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5 - Rate and provide feedback

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The next step is to provide feedback and rate ideas. This is a necessary part of peer evaluation within the SparkTank tool. Be open minded and honest in your evaluation of the ideas, but also remember that this should be tactfully delivered. If you do not like an idea state this - but do not be abusive. Abusive or aggressive feedback will be dealt with by the tool administrators. Your organisation may also choose to remove you from the tool.

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Each idea is rated by a minimum of three other participants.

Join a challenge

Create a challenge

Step 1 - Enter your challenge details

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Navigate to the challenges page using the "Challenges" in the top menu.

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Select "Create new challenge"

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You will need to select which organisation you would like participate in your challenge. You may wish for the challenge to have a wider audience than your team. If this is the case, create an organisation specifically for your challenge, or use an existing organisation that has all of the participants already included.

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Give your challenge a suitable name, this should be something that you can easily recall. 

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You will also need to determine the date for the end of your challenge. We recommend a minimum of a two week window for challenges that are conducted remotely and with asynchronous participation. If you have a large group of participants (more than 50) - you may wish to keep the challenge open for a minimum of a month.

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Step 2 - Provide a problem statement

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Describe your problem in one question. You may wish to start the statement with "how do we..." This statement will be displayed in the challenge overview and will be the question ton which all participants will focus.

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Step 3 - Describe the problem in detail

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Make sure that you provide enough detail in the problem description. This should include information about why you believe your issue is a problem, what you think is causing it and who is impacted.

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Step 4 - Create focus areas

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To address the problem and stimulate ideas during the ideation process, it is useful to reduce the problem into segments. Looking at the problem from alternative perspectives or "lenses" will help participants by constraining the problem area that their ideas will need to address. 

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Different people in the challenge will be provided with focus areas. Focus areas are randomly assigned, but participants can choose to change their focus area or can contribute to multiple focus areas.

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If you were looking at redesigning a shopping trolley, a focus area may be security or safety, another area may be ease of use, and another may be cost to produce. Each of these areas can then be used to stimulate thinking for ideation.

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Each challenge must have a minimum of two focus areas.

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5 - Upload image and finalise

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The final step is to upload your image and finalise. You should choose an image that is representative of your challenge will help people think about the problem. 

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After the challenge has been created, you will need to invite participants to the challenge. Make sure you send all of the people in your challenge an email with the title and challenge number so that they are able to easily locate and enter your challenge space.

Sparkpoints and rewards

What is a Sparkpoint?

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Sparkpoints are earned everytime you contribute an idea, expand on someone else's idea or review an idea. Points are also given to people who create challenges.Every time you return to your dashboard you will see your total Sparkpoints in your profile. You can view the ledger of your points in your profile.

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The Sparkpoint ledger shows how your total points have been calculated.

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Collecting Sparkpoints will give you the opportunity to earn innovator status and rewards.

Sparkbadges

Sparkbadges are rewarded when participants reach a set number of sparkpoints. Badges will provide participants with opportunity to claim rewards. The higher your innovation status the more likely you will be invited to priority challenges and receive special promotion offers.

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Earn your first level badge at 100 points: the Sparkie badge.

Sparkpoints & rewards 

Sparkbadges are rewarded when participants reach a set number of sparkpoints. Badges will provide participants with opportunity to claim rewards. The higher your innovation status the more likely you will be invited to priority challenges and receive special promotion offers.

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Earn your first level badge at 100 points: the Sparkie badge.

Sparkbadges

Sparkbadges are rewarded when participants reach a set number of sparkpoints. Badges will provide participants with opportunity to claim rewards. The higher your innovation status the more likely you will be invited to priority challenges and receive special promotion offers.

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Earn your first level badge at 100 points: the Sparkie badge.

Set up your organisation

Organisations are how you share your challenges and let other people participate in groups. Everyone within your organisation will be able to see any challenges that you post. 

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If you would like people outside of your normal team to participate in your challenge you will need to invite them to your organisation. 

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To participate in challenges you will need to join an organisation or create an organisation. An organisation can be large or small. You may wish to have several organisations - a larger organisation for anyone within your business or company to post challenges, and then other organisations that can be for your branch or team. 

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You can access create an organisation either through the app header.

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