Earlier this month, the Service Design Global Conference in Toronto really illustrated how design – as a way to integrate the needs of people, technology possibilities and business requirements to create products and services – is becoming part of mainstream business mentality. However, as the pace of new technology quickens and companies feel like they just need to keep up, considerations of what people actually need and how it makes them feel can get left behind. This leaves many organisations suffering with unrealised value or rejected digital services. 

At CDP we have an expanded approach to innovation we call Potential Realised. In particular it embraces the diversity of human experience and emotion within a design lead process; building services for people, by people. In this blog, I explain how.

The theme at this year’s conference was ‘Building Bridges’, which provided a platform for a truly inspiring array of case studies where design, and it’s inclusion of people-centricity, co-creation and systems-thinking, has enabled inclusivity and shared outcomes across diverse groups. A quote that resonated for me throughout the two days was that of the late John Heskett who said: “Design is the human capacity to shape and make our environments in ways that satisfy our needs and give meaning to our lives.” This reminds us that design is essentially a human task which aims to do more than satisfy purely functional ambitions. And by doing so has the potential to realise unique experiences and value.

Phrases such as user-led, human-factors and customer-focused design are now firmly fixed in the lexicon of innovation and business. While this is generally a positive shift from business-centric thinking, it can place a simplistic lens on the individual; functional jobs-to-be-done; customer-needs; the user. If we are to really design for humans, the complexity of emotions, to provide meaning we need to raise our thinking to social and emotional levels. Of course, empathetic thinking and behavioural science lends much to this endeavour but what I am suggesting, and is included in Potential Realised, is a more concentrated and forensic application of these concepts.

Speakers at the conference had some great examples of how this can play out when thinking about how certain technologies are adopted in services:

• AI: The buzz word and cloak for a plethora of different technologies, comes with connotations of a robotic apocalypse. Perhaps because it is seen as faceless, logic-driven or perhaps even too human-like. But if we design in emotional ‘best-practice’ we can create a much healthier relationship with AI technology. For instance, what qualities do we value in a work colleague? Communication, adaptability, transparency? So let’s explicitly build these qualities into AI solutions so we can understand decisions, question logic and retain control; ultimately maintaining the social norms which we expect.
• Wearables: Initial offerings in the fitness sphere have expanded into an array of health, wellness and lifestyle devices and apps. The proposition of a personal trainer on your wrist is pretty sound logic and for many is helping them live healthier lives. However, as a recent study shows for others it may have adverse effects with reduced activity levels and possibly raised anxiety caused by the ever-present reminder of their unachieved goals or data-overload. The lure of technical possibility can sometimes mean we fail to anticipate and design for such responses. iPhone ‘screen time’ is a good example of this done well. Perhaps others could go further to embrace these anxieties such as actively enabling people to go on a ‘digital detox’.
• Chatbots: The rise of the chatbot has been helping point of need customer service and operational productivity across markets. However, the focus on efficiency benefits often means they can be more ‘bot’ than ‘chat’. However, Capital One’s Eno service is a great example of where a chatbot has been purposefully designed to learn about and respond to the patchwork of human emotion – using language and offering support in a way that engenders personality, fun and trust.

In all these cases, we can see different paths to implementing new technologies. Broadly speaking, one which builds on a technology that appears to offer value but which after time reveals some barriers to adoption and can lead to unintended consequences. On the other, the path favoured in our organisation similarly embraces technology opportunities but consciously puts human emotion at the core of design, which not only caters for human needs but discovers new areas of differentiating value.

Taking this path requires a deep understanding of people’s behaviour, the context in which they engage with a service and how they perceive value in it. Here are some ways you can start building this into a service design:

1. Be diverse. Design is a great tool because it embraces multiple views and is built to pivot solutions based on learning. But it is only as strong as those involved in the process and the information they have to work with. By opening the net and including as many diverse viewpoints as possible, and where feasible seeking quantitative evidence, more of the diversity of need and emotion can be captured accurately.
2. Get real. The sooner you can get concepts into the complexity of the real world the better. This often requires early tech input and creative prototyping methods such as Wizard of Oz, ( https://www.cambridge-design.com/news-and-articles/blog/prototyping-of-digital-concepts ) which are low cost but still provide the insights you need. It’s also crucial to have a clear set of success measures, for example, as well as utility measures what emotions do you want to generate – feelings of trust, excitement, reassurance?
3. Be a storyteller. Stories are what make us human. They have the power to convey specific viewpoints in the context of societies and structures. From them we can learn about the complexity of our interactions. Through them, we can paint multiple visions of the future, converge on what we’d like to see and what is needed to realise it. Either through speech, text, art or even Lego, we can use stories in the design process to work through different versions of stakeholder viewpoints and needs.
4. Beware the icebergs. Observation and experiences are important elements of design discovery, but these visible elements are underpinned by structures and social norms that may not be so visible. For instance, asking a team to work in a more agile way may prove fruitless if they are dependent on other parts of an organisation who aren’t. Things like structure, language and rules may need to be broken or reformed in order to deliver a desired experience.
5. Be local. Even if you have done good work in understanding your broad customer base, there is a risk in applying a solution uniformly, particularly if you operate globally. Trying to wrap-up generalised services and messages for local audiences will be seen through and the authenticity of your offer will be undermined. For instance, Unilever have addressed this risk head on by establishing nimble regional teams who gather and apply local audience data to deliver targeted messaging at pace, thus combining the scale of a global company with the agility and relevance of a local provider.

At CDP, our multidisciplinary teams follow these principles through our Potential Realised approach, translating deep insights into digital and physical concepts that we test as early as possible using creative prototyping. This reduced cost and risk management approach allows us to evaluate and refine services that integrate the complexity of human experience and maximise the value for organisations, individuals and society. By providing an end-to-end service of research through to build and launch we ensure initial ambitions don’t get lost or compromised along the way; resulting in live services which delight you, your customers and your bottom line.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you, please get in touch.

Earlier this year Cambridge Design Partnership went global with the launch of a new East Coast engineering center in Raleigh, North Carolina, allowing us to better address the needs of our growing North American customer base. The obvious challenge however, is the 3,868 miles between our creative teams.

CDP’s essentially holistic design process requires close collaboration. Take brainstorming for example, a fundamental step in the design process, where team members with different skills and experiences come together to discuss problems and generate new solutions. During these sessions new ideas are sparked, shared and built upon. Without the major carbon impact of engineers and designers leaping on a plane, the challenge was to replicate the brainstorm experience virtually by exploiting different tools and technologies. We needed the teams to feel as though multiple locations had been merged together with everyone feeling relaxed and engaged so that they could fully contribute. It’s crucial that the team can see and hear one another as well as look at what’s being created whether it be sketches, models, prototypes, videos or other simulations.

Yes, there are well known high-end, off the shelf solutions for this from the big video conference providers, but we wanted to create a flexible and scalable solution by leveraging the desktop and mobile video conference tools that are becoming ubiquitous in international commerce.

Firstly, we needed to get the right technology in place and secondly, we needed to get the team feeling comfortable and confident using the technology. Here’s how we did it:

Minimum requirements

First of all we kitted out specific meeting rooms in each location with the audio and video equipment needed to reach a minimum level of fidelity. Essentially each room needs to have enough cameras and screens for all team members to see and be seen. This makes the team feel connected rather than just having one camera focused on the whiteboard. We link these cameras and screens to the Zoom platform that we use across CDP.

A key tool we use is the smartphone. This provides the flexibility for individual members to communicate very quickly. For instance, if there is a sketch or prototype they want to show, they can grab their smartphone, activate the camera and immediately share it.

Having good audio is essential. We’ve all had bad experiences with dropped calls and delays, which won’t do any favours for successful group dynamics. There are some great plug and play teleconference devices on the market and, together with high speed, low latency internet you’re well on your way to stutter-free conversations.

To integrate the rooms further, you need high-definition video so participants can clearly see each other’s facial expressions and body language, which is surprisingly important.

Tips from lessons learned

Firstly, we always set up the meeting rooms in advance because there is often a technology ‘moment’ that needs resolution, and you don’t want to lose that creative vibe fiddling with IT issues. So our engineers can walk into the room, open the meeting and we’re up and running.

Secondly, we make it as easy as possible for participants to dial-in and we ensure we have back up options. You can easily email a link to join a meeting and with one click and the participant is in.

Thirdly, don’t forget the conventional brainstorm best practices apply as normal, with a facilitator who takes charge of the session with a clear plan and issuing briefing documents well ahead of time.

Benefits

With a number of virtual brainstorming sessions now under our belt, we’ve found that the technology can actually enhance the brainstorming experience. For instance, instead of those in the same room huddling around an A4 drawing, by using smartphone cameras that drawing can immediately be shared with everyone on a screen regardless of their location.

Working across time zones can actually work to your advantage as team members can effectively work on a creative brainstorm for an extended day. The team in the first office can prepare for the session and then after the event, the team in the second office can collate the output and develop and visualise the best ideas after their colleagues have gone home.

Also with a virtual brainstorm it’s easier and quicker to organise and assemble the right people, whether that be one large group or smaller separate groups. It also scales beyond CDP, as clients and key partners are able to join virtual brainstorms effortlessly. A key benefit is that it enables privacy at the touch of a button. In other words, if during the session the client team would like a quick breakout to discuss strategy or sensitive information, they can simply mute their video, have a chat between themselves and then unmute to join the session again.

Another key benefit is that sessions can be easily recorded. This can be useful in helping to decipher exactly what concepts were shared during the session. It’s also potentially useful for IP and communication with lawyers when drafting patents.

Let the miles disappear

Having done a number of virtual brainstorming sessions between our Raleigh and Cambridge sites, and having ironed out the kinks by getting everyone comfortable and confident with the technologies, we’ve found that although we may be 3,868 miles apart those miles disappear as the two rooms merge in the heat of creativity.

Now, with an effective process and with the various technologies in place, we look forward to many more exciting brainstorms amongst our team and our customers, wherever they are in the world.