3 lessons in human-centred design from an episode of DIYSOS
DIYSOS is a certified tearjerker. For the best part of 20 years, Nick Knowles and the team have transformed the homes of those in need, as we have sat back and sobbed.
But behind the powerful storytelling and subsequent tears are the design principles which underpin the successful transformations that take place.
In the first episode of the latest series, the DIYSOS team arrive to help Amanda, a 45-year old mum of four who lost the use of her legs in a cycling accident. Following the accident, Amanda’s experience reveals how difficult life can be when your world is no longer designed for you.
Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem solving that puts the person experiencing a problem at the heart of the solution. The team’s ultimate success in helping Amanda reveals three key lessons from the approach: understanding Amanda’s problems, working collaboratively, and building iteratively.
1: START BY FOCUSSING ON THE PERSON YOU ARE DESIGNING FOR.
Empathy plays a big role in DIYSOS — it’s both the reason we cry watching and why the design is successful.
We’re moved because we get to know Amanda, we learn about her inspiring life, her wonderful family and the problems she faces on a daily basis. Upon the big reveal at the end of the show, we can share, somewhat, in her joy.
Understanding Amanda’s problems is also the fundamental first step in the design process.
Following her accident, Amanda risked burning herself in the kitchen, she couldn’t wash by herself and had to use the toilet with the door open. But the biggest heartache was losing her role as a mum — from tucking the kids in at night to baking on a Sunday afternoon.
These are the problems, specific to Amanda, that informed the design of her newly renovated home. It wasn’t a case of redesigning a house for a paraplegic parent, the design decisions made were based on Amanda and her needs in particular.
The rigorous focus on understanding the perspective of the person experiencing a problem is what distinguishes human centred design from other approaches.
As is the case with Amanda’s newly renovated home, success is judged on whether the solution meets the person’s needs effectively.
2: WORK COLLABORATIVELY
In true DIYSOS style, an army of good samaritans descend on the project to lend a helping hand.
Design is a team sport and the show certainly captures this. The electricians, plumbers, joiners and others all come together to solve problems.
Likewise, the best innovation teams will bring a variety of skills to the table. The wider the variety of backgrounds the better.
Ideas are always shared and the whole team is brought together by a collective vision —in this case to redesign Amanda’s home and enable her to be a mum again.
When it comes to human-centered design, it’s never about the individual’s idea, but the quality of idea and the success of the team. Working collaboratively to test assumptions and reach a solution based on the user’s needs.
3: BUILD ITERATIVELY — IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED…
In the episode, it becomes apparent part way through the build that the lift, which was being installed to enable Amanda to go upstairs, was not going to fit. To paraphrase the title of an excellent book on the topic, the plan sucked.
The installation of the lift was based on an understanding of Amanda’s desire to go upstairs to tuck her kids in at night. But when the initial plans for the lift revealed major issues, the team came together to pivot and fix the issue. This collaboration led to an iteration in the design and, ultimately, the successful implementation of the lift.
These three steps, captured in one episode of DIYSOS, are key to any design project.
At Fluxx we work alongside our clients to design new products and services. We may be more comfortable mocking up a digital prototype than we are fitting a new kitchen, but the same principles still apply. We start with researching and understanding the end user, before building new products and services at pace, in a lean and iterative way — learning as we go.
Rory Keddie is a consultant at Fluxx, a company that uses experiments to understand customers, helping clients to transform their businesses. We work with organisations such as Atkins, National Grid, the Parliamentary Digital Service and the Royal Society of Arts. Email me if you’d like to know more.
