Not everything should be digital
Yesterday, I experienced a research session with a group of people whose paper processes were going to be replaced by digital ones. Somebody somewhere has done some hand-waving analysis and decided that this will save time and be more efficient. Because — of course it will — it’s digital.
Too often when we think about digital transformation we go too far. We try and make an all-singing all-dancing digital thing that does everything — but. Not everything should be digital.
When I think about paper processes that work I think about nurses. Lately, I’ve spent more time that I’d care to in hospitals with my son and I’ve observed how nurses work and the efficiency of simple paper processes.
Nurses write live snippets of data down on tissue paper as a temporary store. The important job in that moment is the interaction with the patient. They then transfer the data into a permanent record later when they have time and it’s appropriate to do so.
I have never thought, “What nurses need is a mobile device to report this data in realtime”. I worry that someone somewhere is thinking that.
Sometimes our paper processes exist for good reason and the digitisation of those processes will break experiences and introduce friction.
I fear the project I observed yesterday — that I’m not sure I should identify publicly — is too far gone. Whilst it exists for good reason and the digitisation of certain process will be of great benefit, there hasn’t been enough consideration into the context of key moments where pen and paper might be the right solution. We’ve built a digital thing because we can.
Building software is easy. You can build pretty much anything these days and you can do it quickly. The hard part, is figuring out the right thing to build.
