How Good Design Can Help Communities Thrive
As designers, we have the unique ability to create solutions that have the power to improve people’s lives in countless ways. From the products we use every day, to the services we rely on, to the experiences we have, good design has the ability to make complex tasks easier, inspire confidence, and help users feel in control. To this end, we at Sixty Two make it a principle to design experiences that not only serve their intended purposes but also empower people to exercise choice and help them achieve their goals.
One inspiring example of this is in our case study where we reimagined healthcare. In collaboration with our research partner, we saw the potential for a healthcare app beyond just facilitating communication and scheduling appointments. We noticed that many patients and caregivers struggle with keeping track of medical records, especially when they see multiple providers or have conditions that span multiple years. This can make it difficult for them to fully understand their health history and make informed decisions about their care.
Considering the needs of patients and caregivers, we recognized the importance of providing a record keeping system within the app. This not only helps individuals better understand their health, but also gives their caregivers and doctors a complete picture of their medical history, empowering them to make informed decisions about their care.
This principle has also guided our development of a marketplace app for local communities in Gunung Kidul (Yogyakarta), Kupang (Java), and Soe (East Nusa Tenggara). As an extension of our work on a task management system, we thought about how we could support the village’s community development. We recognized that many communities were looking for ways to become more self-sufficient, but often didn’t have the skilled workers they needed to put such plans into action.
For instance, the locals would like to sell chips, but they have no knowledge of how to properly make chips or how to promote their goods to the public. They also want to build their own community through projects like constructing bridges and mosques, but have a hard time doing it since they can’t find enough skilled workers to do the work.
One thing we picked up on through all of these dilemmas was how greatly the locals need help from knowledgeable figures in order to achieve their goals. After much deliberation, we concluded that the community could use a system that lets people choose from multiple service providers to meet their needs.
As we worked on designing a service marketplace platform for local communities, we identified a few key steps that we wanted to follow in order to create a solution that would meet the needs of both communities and service providers.
The Key Findings
Our first insight was to inspire village residents with ideas and innovative solutions from local service providers. We wanted to showcase the diverse range of skills and expertise that was available within the community, and help villagers to see the possibilities for creating positive change.
Our second finding was to facilitate villages to articulate their needs through the app’s toolkit. It was important to us to provide a platform on which villages could clearly define their goals and needs, so that service providers could better understand how they could help. This would also help service providers to identify relevant projects and opportunities, and encourage them to get involved.
Finally, we wanted to forge collaboration between villages and service providers with diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and skill sets. By providing a platform for people to connect and share their skills and resources, we hope to create a dynamic and vibrant ecosystem of collaboration within the community.
The Solution
To support these goals, we developed several key features for the app. The first was a ‘Browse by Service Providers’ page, which allows village decision makers to easily find and discover relevant service providers that meet their needs. This page would also provide clear guidance on the role of the service provider in supporting the village, and encourage collaborative efforts.
Another key feature was the ‘Job Board’, which allows villages that had already identified their needs to find service providers that were relevant and personalized. This feature opens up opportunities for further collaboration between communities and service providers.
Finally, we developed a ‘Service Provider Details’ feature that showcases service providers’ profiles and past portfolios to allow village decision makers to download CVs and learn more about the diverse projects and collaborations that service providers have been involved in. This feature would help to celebrate transparency and credibility, and inspire and encourage villages to initiate collaboration with service providers.
Working on this project has given us valuable insight into what it takes to forge collaboration between communities. While we understand that there is always room for improvement, we hope this approach is able to help communities and spark a positive chain reaction that encourages individuals to work together for the betterment of their neighborhoods.
If you would like to read the full case study on this project, you may visit the link below.
The Team
Agustian Hermanto, Victoria Simansjah, Fikrun Nashih, Kautsar Anggakara, Lody Andrian, Dahlia Kuwatly
