Transforming Reanda Art Conservation’s Internal Innovation Process

project scope

Role
Business and Service Designer

Year
2023

Team

Myself (researcher/designer)
RAC’s Leadership Team (5 members)

Scope & Timeline

3–4 months of research and prototyping. Fulltime.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews
Surveys
Ecosystem mapping
Co-creation & strategic visioning workshops
Prototyping

Tools

Figma, Miro, Google Meet, Zoom

Reanda Art Conservation

is a women-owned business in Chicago specializing in old master paintings. They struggled to attract interns in a highly competitive art conservation field. Most graduate students favored internships at prestigious museums, making it difficult for smaller, private conservation businesses like RAC to secure emerging talent.

what was missing?

Visibility among graduate programs and advisors.
A clearly communicated value proposition for student interns.
A long-term hiring and growth strategy aligned with industry needs.
Clarity on RAC’s ecosystem of partnerships, influence, and positioning

what decisions were needed?

How to position RAC as a desirable internship destination

What initiatives could attract talent without expanding the company’s size

How to leverage existing partnerships and form new ones

How to ensure long-term organizational growth through strategic insights

RESEARCH QUESTION

How might we make Reanda Art Conservation visible and desirable to graduate students?

approach

Participants Recruited

15 stakeholder interviews (graduate students, mentors, business owners)
75 survey responses (30 students, 45 businesses)

Tradeoffs & Challenges

Niche Industry = Small participant pool, extremely rich insights

Long Change Timelines = Recommendations took 8 months - 1 year to fully implement

Balancing internal constraints with external visibility goals

methodology and process

Competitive Analysis
Generative Research
Survey Design
Ideation and Data Synthesis
Semi-structured interviews
Surveys
Ecosystem mapping
Co-creation & strategic visioning workshops
Prototyping

Ideation

survey reports + analysis

semi-structured interviews

workshops

key insights & actions

Mentorship dynamics strongly influence student internship decisions.

Mentors defaulted to recommending museums due to prestige and familiarity.

Developed tailored communication strategies and talking points for mentors; highlighted RAC’s differentiators like business training, client interactions, and hands-on work.

Students sought real-world skills not offered in academia.

Surveys revealed students felt unprepared for business aspects of conservation work.

Designed a new learning track featuring RAC-led workshops on business and client management—key differentiators from museum internships.

RAC’s position in the conservation ecosystem was unclear.

Internal teams lacked visibility into potential allies, competitors, and collaborators.

Created a system and value map of RAC’s ecosystem including grad schools, museums, clients, and businesses. Helped RAC identify strategic partnerships and network better.

Hiring was reactive, not strategic.

No clear structure and projects for what interns would do, or how to attract them.

Helped RAC define intern roles aligned with strategic goals. Improved hiring appeal and planning; interest from students for summer 2024 internships increased.

deliverables & prototypes

3 Workshops with Leadership

1. Finding Opportunities Workshop: Co-identified opportunity areas using insights.
2. Impact–Effort Workshop: Mapped ideas on a 2x2 matrix and aligned them on a 5-year timeline.
3. Future Scenario Planning: Co-designed RAC’s long-term vision with the team.
Value Map

Aligning RAC’s offerings with unmet student needs
Workshop Toolkit Prototyping

A set of educational materials and workshop planning prototype for graduate internship training
Relationship Map

Visualizing RAC’s relationship with museums, competition and network organizations and how they affect graduate student hiring
System Map

Visualizing RAC’s ecosystem, competition, and partnership landscape

impact

Increased student awareness and interest in RAC internships for 2024

Strengthened relationships with graduate mentors and programs

Expanded partnerships with conservation professionals and clients through word-of-mouth

Gave RAC clarity on its growth path and a strategic lens on hiring

Contributed to the American Institute of Conservation, increasing industry credibility and visibility

reflections

This project taught me valuable lessons. I learned to embrace the uncertainty of entering a new industry and recognize that humility and curiosity are essential when collaborating with experts.

Engaging in co-design workshops with RAC's team not only yielded stronger strategies but also fostered trust and morale within the company.

Through this experience, I discovered the power of teamwork in driving innovation and positive change.