Have you ever been left with severe existential angst after trying to find your way out of a car park or office block? Perhaps you found yourself trying to decipher the difference between G, UG, CY, U1 or P on a lift's control panel? Or maybe you have been stuck between lanes on a major road trying to figure out the meaning of a road sign which suggests that place A is both left, right and straight ahead at the same time?
If you have experienced any of the above, you might have caught yourself wondering whether the designers, engineers, architects or planners ever consider the user's perspective, or if their focus remains solely on aesthetics, functionality, and technical specifications.
Enter Design Thinking. This is a series of iterative steps that can be used to empathize with the end user by attempting to experience how they might interact with a product or service. Design Thinking can be done through a five-step approach, which if done correctly, should lead to solutions that improve rather than confuse the customer's experience. Let's look at the five steps of design thinking and relate them to the example of our lift control panel above.
Step One - Empathize
In step one we attempt to understand how our users will interact with the service or product. In the case of lifts, we might need to research common problems that exist with using lifts and potential difficulties that frequently arise. Furthermore, we can build personas of future users and imagine the needs and problems that they could have. For example, a building on a hill may have multiple entrances that have different ground levels. In that case, we might need to consider how to develop a logical numbering or labeling system that minimizes confusion.
Step Two - Defining the Problem
Next, we can attempt to define the problem statement or statements. This might be something like: 'users may struggle to understand which floor the reception is on' or 'users may find the signs in the car park ambiguous or confusing'. It is important that when we form a problem statement we do not presuppose the solution.
Step Three - Ideation
Ideation is the fun part where we attempt to solve the problem by using a range of brainstorming techniques. These might develop ideas like:
- arranging lift buttons in different orders
- using a guide to explain each letter or symbol
- using a voice announcement to explain each floor
- using iconography above each button to clarify each floor
When we ideate, we must continue to see through the lens of the customer.
Step Four - Prototype
In the fourth stage, we build prototypes of feasible and effective ideas from stage three. In the case of our lift panel, this could be done in a variety of ways from basic sketches right through to virtual interactive models and 3D prints.
Step Five - Test
In the final stage, we test the product or service. This can be done with targeted groups of users who represent a segment of our intended users. We can gather feedback on their experience and potentially uncover any pain points. Alternatively, we might attempt to test the product or service by imagining ourselves as the customer and attempting to live their experience. At Stage Five, our discoveries may well lead back to stage two, so that we iteratively develop solutions to our problems.
Start with the User
By putting the end user at the heart of design, we may be able to radically enhance how users interact with our products and services. Or perhaps you would miss figuring out which floor you parked at or where your screaming toddler's favorite toy store is located?
Mango Training run HRDC claimable design thinking programs physically and online. For more information, check out:
