4. Involving humans in the design process
Introduction
In human-istic design, people are not just the objects you design for, they can also be subjects with a voice in your design process. In Educate! we consult our humans at several stages of the design process. When and how depends on the design project you are working on. Commonly we shape this participation carefully to ensure designers and the end-users get the most out of it. How do you set up the end-users for a successful contribution to your design process? Learn it here.
Design skill
- You will be able to engage end-users in your design process.
By Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company
Who are our end-users?
Before you decide how and when to engage your end-users, it is important to identify who your end-users are. Designers normally deal with three categories of end-users; learners, facilitators and influencers. Whose voice do you need to integrate in your design process?
Learners
These are the people under-going the learning experience you design. These could be students, scholars, mentors, teachers, Program Officers, etc.
Facilitators
These are the people delivering the learning experience you design. These could be mentors, teachers, Program Officers, etc. In some cases you have two layers of facilitators, the trainers and the trainers of trainers.
Influencers
Whether your design is going to be a success does not only depend on learners and facilitators. Therefore it is recommended to consider the influencers, these are people that affect the change you want to see. Think of head teachers, managers, district officials etc.
When to involve the end-users in the process
The mostly likely stages you would involve the end-users are during discover and strategy. At this point you usually have a blank slate that allows space for more input and insights from different end-users. However, it is also possible to test your first draft either through a prototype or pre-test. Ultimately, feedback from the end-users during and after implementation can always feed into the next design process.
How to involve the end-users
Brainstorms
Aim:
Generating many creative ideas.
Tips:
- No ideas are wrong in brainstorms, avoid contesting ideas shared
- Aim for many ideas to go beyond the obvious
- Use games and imagination/visualization exercises to open people's minds
- Create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable
- Pose a surprising/controversial question to stir creativity, e.g. how could we influence teachers to implement Skills Lab without running any training sessions.
Example:
Organisation-wide brainstorms involve all departments in design sessions. For the Educate! Experience 3.0 in Uganda, different department representatives met to brainstorm possible peer-to-peer delivery models. During the meeting participants developed a story board, took on the persona of their best friend in O'level, brainstormed as many ideas as possible and worked in pairs to elaborate some of the ideas. The design team considered the contributions against general 3.0 design rules of thumb and selected the top idea.
Prototyping
Aim:
Testing core design assumptions
Tips:
- Make your assumptions explicit, e.g. how will the end-user engage with the design, what will make the design easy to work with, what will be the result of a certain feature...
- Create a prototype that end-users can easily interpret and respond to, highlighting the key design features you want to test.
- Formulate specific and mind-opening questions to get feedback on your prototype, e.g. how would you explain this to a colleague? If you were to use this where would you start?
Example:
In the Experience Week run in Uganda in 2014 teachers prototyped project based learning activities designed by them! Many of them used a role play to demonstrate what the learners would experience and others used poster presentations to highlight key features. After these presentations, other teachers would give feedback and provide suggestions.
Pre-testing
Aim:
Test design under real-life conditions.
Tips:
- Set up a realistic setting and run the session/design as planned.
- Create time with the end-users involved to receive feedback on their experience.
- Deliver the design yourself or observe the session as it runs.
Example:
In Rwanda, designers organize mock-days with the team to trial teacher training sessions. Based on the mock they receive feedback and make changes to the design where necessary.
Seeking feedback
Aim:
Receive user-feedback on implemented designs
Tips:
- Avoid yes and no questions, this will lead to very little insight for the actual redesign.
- Create a safe space to question the status quo.
- Probe further to create an in-depth insight of user experience.
- Engage end-users in solution finding and not just highlighting problems.
Example:
Curriculum review forms are given to a random sample of mentors every term. At the end of a LEC session, mentors share what is great about the lesson and what was challenging. During the review of the LEC, the designers analyze the feedback and come up with a way forward.
Co-create
Aim:
Take on parts of your design together with end-users
Tips:
- Create rules of thumb to guide the discussion to avoid receiving impossible solutions (e.g. give all mentors smart phones).
- Create a scaffolding to enable non-designers to be involved in the design, e.g. follow clear steps, provide all necessary information.
Example:
In Kenya, the team of Program Coordinators and Program Officers was involved in finalizing the mentor induction design. Together with the designer the team for example developed a concept note on how to assess portfolio activities, including sample activities, criteria, review processes and verification measures.
Rules of thumb for engaging end-users
- Make your assumptions explicit and design the methodology towards testing these. What do you specifically want to learn from the experience?
- Ease the end-users into the design process. Break it down to what they know. E.g. an imagination exercise (imagine your best friend in senior 2, imagine what they would think of this activity), ask clear and relatable questions (e.g. imagine you were to deliver a, b, c, what would make it easier for you?).
- Manage communications around innovations. What can an end-user know about our strategic design plans at this moment in time? When innovations are uncertain, manage expectations
- Make the experience as beneficial for the end-users as possible. What will the end-users gain out of this experience? Think about activities that help them think like designers. Keep it brief and sweet, make it a fun experience!
- Be accountable. End-users have availed their time and energy towards your design. Let them know how you have used their input for the final design.
- Set a goal for yourself: What do you want to get out of the engagement? For example, checking logistics, new activities to deliver a certain objective, knowing how to remove barriers, etc.
Assignment #4 Involving End-users through the Internal Advisory Board
It is Internal Advisory Board time! Teachers, mentors, field and office staff have come to share experiences and give feedback on the program. As a designer you are given 45 minutes to engage this diverse audience in your current design project.
- What is the design project you are currently working on?
- In which stage of the design process would you like to involve these end-users?
- Choose one of the 5 methods explained above or choose another possible method.
- Design the 45 minute session integrating the rules of thumb. Share details of how you would break down the session, how you would encourage everyone to participate, what questions would you ask, etc.
- Identify your bar of success: what would you like to walk away with at the end of the session? How would this help you in your design process?
Submit your submission (not more than 1 a4 page) to designacademy@experienceeducate.org
Excited to learn more?
The Ideo toolkit on human-centred design has a lot more resources on involving end-users in the design process. Acumen+ regularly offers online courses on this methodology too!