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ExperienceLabs:co-creatinghealthandcareinnovationsusingdesigntoolsandartefacts
TaraFrencha*,GemmaTeala,SnehaRamana
aInstituteofDesignInnovation,TheGlasgowSchoolofArt*Correspondingauthore-mail:[email protected]
Abstract:Forhealthcareinnovationstobesuccessful,thevoicesofthosereceivingordeliveringsuchinnovationsneedtobeheardmuchearlierinthedesignprocess.Thisisnoteasyastherearelikelytobemultiplestakeholdersinvolved,andtheirdifferentbackgrounds make it difficult to challenge or evaluate potential innovation in theearly stageofdevelopment.Thispaperpositions theExperienceLabasameansofco-creating sustainable, innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. TheExperience Lab offers participants, both receiving and delivering healthcare, theopportunitytoengageinthedesignprocess,shareinsights,experiencenewconceptsand imagine new ways of responding to challenges. The material artefacts andbespoke tools provide the conditions through which to create newmeanings andsharedexperiences.ThispaperpresentstheExperienceLabapproach,artefactsandtools,providingexamplesoftheseincontext.Thepaperconcludeswiththeneedforfurther research to understand the role of artefacts and tools in supporting detaildesignand implementationbeyond theLab,and thepotentialof theLabapproachforothercontexts.
Keywords:participatory;healthcare;creativity;materialartefacts
1.IntroductionInScotland,oneinfouradultsover16reportsomeformoflongtermillness,healthproblemordisability(ScottishGovernment,2009).Wefaceincreasedcareneedsduetoourageingpopulation,withapredictedriseof38percentinthenumberofpeoplewhowillbeover85inthepopulationby2016,anda144percentriseintheover85sby2031(ibid).Thechallengesofincreasingdemandandcostsarecompoundedbydecreasingbudgets,whicharenotpredictedtoclimbbacktotheir2009-10levelsuntil2025-26(Christie,2011).
The‘2020’VisionsetoutbytheCabinetSecretaryforHealth,WellbeingandCitiesstatesthatbytheyear2020“everyoneisabletolivelongerhealthierlivesathome,orinahomely
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setting”(ScottishGovernment,2011).Toenablethisvisiontobecomearealitythereisaneedforthefocusofhealthcaretoshiftfromoneoftreatment,tooneofprevention,anticipatorycareandsupportedself-care,encouragingpeopletotakeincreasingresponsibilityandagencyintheirownhealth.
TheChristieCommissionontheFutureDeliveryofPublicServices(Christie,2011,p.vi)calledforasignificanttransformationofpublicservicestomeetthesechallenges.Ithighlightedtheneedforreformto“empowerindividualsandcommunitiesreceivingpublicservicesbyinvolvingtheminthedesignanddeliveryoftheservicestheyuse”,andtheopportunitytousethetalentsandassetswithincommunitiesto“supportself-relianceandbuildresilience”(ibid,ix).TheScottishGovernment’sCommunityEmpowermentActionPlan(2009,p.8)makesacommitmenttosupportpeopleandcommunitiestohave“morepowerandinfluenceoverwhatmatterstothem”.
Livedexperienceofpatientscanoftencomplementtheexpertiseofhealthcareprofessionalsandinvolving“layperspectives”inhealthresearchcanleadtoanumberofbenefitsforthequalityandimpactoftheresearch(Entwistle,Renfrew,Yearley,Forrester&Lamont,1998,p.463).Governmentandpolicymakersplacegreateremphasisoninvolvingthepublicindecision-makingandthereforeinnovationinthehealthandsocialcaresectorisbecomingincreasinglyparticipatory(ScottishGovernment,2009).
Thekeydifferencebetweenparticipatoryresearchapproachesandconventionalresearchapproachesliesprimarilyintermsofthe“alignmentofpower”withintheprocess(Cornwall&Jewkes,1995,p.1668).Variousmodesofparticipationexistincludingcontractual,consultative,collaborative,andcollegiate(Biggs,citedinCornwall&Jewkes,1995).Inparticipatoryapproachestheresearcherisnolongerthepersonwhoconductstheresearch‘on’participants,butresearches‘with’participants,becomingalearnerandfacilitator(Cornwall&Jewkes,1995,p.1668).
Inthispaper,wepositionExperienceLabsasaparticipatoryapproachthroughwhichtoharnessthelivedexperienceofparticipantsinacreativeenvironmenttoco-createsustainableinnovationinresponsetohealthcarechallenges.Wedescribeourparticipatoryresearchapproachandthedesigntoolsandbespokeartefactsusedintheprocess.Thetoolsandartefactsareillustratedwithexamples,andtheirroleinembodimentandlearningisdiscussed.
2.ParticipatoryapproachestohealthcareinnovationThevoiceofresearchparticipantsneedstobeheardmuchearlierinthedesignprocess,i.e.priortoideageneration,inordertoexplorechallengesandidentifyneeds(Teal&French,inpress).Participatorydesignisbasedonthepremisethatinvolvingparticipantsinthedesignofproductsandsystemswillachieveenhancedresultsintermsofefficiencyandusability(Bowen,2010).Engagingwithparticipantsattheearlystagesalsoallowsforadeeper
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understandingofexperienceinordertoidentifyunmetneedsforideation,andcanleadtopositivebenefits(Sanders&Stappers,2008)andcreateuser-drivensolutions.
Pressureisincreasingonhealthcareservicesanddigitaltechnologyisproposedasapotentialsolutiontoovercomemanyofthechallenges.Designisincreasinglyconcernedwiththe“futureexperiencesofpeople,communitiesandcultures”,andincreasingemphasisisplacedontheroleofgenerativedesigntoolstoimaginethese(ibid,p.10).Employingparticipatorydesignisthereforeimportantindevelopinginnovationtoensurethattheproductsandservicesdesignedwillmeetthefutureneedsofthepeopletheyaredesignedfor,i.e.thosedeliveringandreceivinghealthcareservices.
Thereisagrowingrecognitionoftheroleofdesigninshapingfutureservicesinthehealthandsocialcarecontext.Forexample,theNHShasemployedtheuseofdesignthinkingwithinhealthimprovementandincreasedadoptionofapproachessuchasuser-centredhealthdesignandevidencebasedco-design(Bowenetal.,2013;Robertetal.,2015).Thedevelopmentoftoolkitsandtheavailabilityofonlinedesigntoolshavemadedesignprocessesmoreaccessibletothosewhoarenotformallytraineddesigners(Bevan,Robert,Bate,Maher&Wells,2007).Whiletoolkitsmaysupporthealthcarestafftoinvolvepatientsinongoingserviceimprovement,itisunclearwhethertheseprocessesleadtotransformativeandsustainableserviceinnovationinresponsetothechallengesfacingourpublichealthandcareservices.Theseresourceshavealsoledtocriticismsofariskofdevaluingtheroleofdesignerswithintheprocess.Healthcareisacomplexadaptivesystem,andinadditiontoskillsandexpertiseindevelopingnewideas,designerscanprovidealevelofobjectivitythatpeoplewhoarepartofthesystemmayfinddifficulttoachieve.
3.Researchapproach:ExperienceLabsExperienceLabsareadesign-ledapproachtoco-creatingsustainablehealthandsocialcareinnovations.TheLabsaredevelopedandledbyamultidisciplinaryteamattheInstituteofDesignInnovation,TheGlasgowSchoolofArtandarecurrentlyatthecoreoftheDigitalHealthandCareInstitute(DHI),aninnovationcentrebasedinScotland.Weareexploringthepotentialofourapproachacrossawiderangeofprojectsinhealthandsocialcareinordertoshareourknowledgeandlearningwiththewiderdesigncommunity.Wehypothesisethatourparticipatoryapproachcanrespondtothechallengesfacedinthiscontextthroughthespacewecreateforcollaboration;supportingparticipantstowardscreating“preferablefutures”(Dunne&Raby,2013;McAra-McWilliam,2014,p.25);throughdesigningbespoketoolsandartefactstosupportdesignmethodsandactivities;theskillsoftheteamandtheenlightenedevaluationoftheapproachtosharetheknowledgeandlearning.
3.1CreatingaspaceforcreativityandcollaborationExperienceLabsprovideasafespaceforcreativityandcollaborationamongthosewhoparticipate.TheLabofferstheopportunityfornewcommunicativespacesandexperiential
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learning(Reason&Bradbury,2013)leadingtothedevelopmentofcollaborativerelationships.ExperienceLabsareanemergentprocess,similartoParticipatoryActionResearch(ibid),andasaresulttheenvironmentneedstobeflexible.Flexibilityallowstheresearchteamtogainarichunderstandingofparticipants’experience,behavioursandattitudesasparticipantsexploreandexperiencedigitaltechnologies.QuestionsposedintheLabaresometimesnotfullydeveloped.Developingthequestionissometimesasvaluableasfindingtheanswer.Thisisallpartofacreativeprocess,whichencouragesparticipantstothinkbroadlytowardscreatingapreferablefuture.FlexibilityisalsoaninbuiltpartoftheplanningofaLabgiventhatitisacreativeprocess,predominantlyfocusedonengagingparticipantstothinkcreativelyintermsoffutureexperiences.
ExperienceLabsaredesignedtooperateprimarilyatthecollaborativemodeofparticipation,butcanalsocutacrossallmodesofparticipationasthedesignprocessevolves.IntheLabstheacademic,businessandcivicstakeholders,togetherwithrelevantusergroupsassumetheroleofco-creators.Co-creationinvolvesabroadrangeofactivitiesthatareundertakenthroughtheentireresearchanddesignprocess.Thismeansinvolvingparticipantsatanearlystageintheprocess,asearlyasscopingandplanningresearch;andkeepingtheminvolvedatthelatterstagesofthedesignprocess,allowingideastoevolvefromaconceptstagetodevelopingprototypesinaniterativemannertowardscreatingaproofofconcept.
Whileresearchers,designersandthevariousstakeholdersareexpertsintheirrespectivedomains,theusersareexpertsoftheirownexperiences.TheLabsvaluethecollectiveknowledgeandsharedmotivationsofallparticipants,andpresentoutcomesthatrepresenttheinterestsofeveryoneinvolved.Overall,theLabsaimtoempowerthoseinvolvedtofeelalevelownershipoverwhatevolvesasaresultoftheLabprocess.
3.2ExperienceLabactivitiesPreparationandearlystagesofExperienceLabsaimtogainanunderstandingofthelivedexperienceofusers,inordertodesignbespokeactivities,artefactsandtoolstofacilitateco-creation.Inclusionofend-usersisconsideredascrucialtothesuccessoftheinnovationbeingexploredtoensurethattheconceptdevelopedmeetstheirneedsandpreferences(Kline&Rosenburg,1986).Scopingactivitiesmightincludeethnographicobservationsandinterviewsintheuser’shomeorworkenvironment.VisualandexperientialmappingactivitiesareoftenusedintheearlystagesofExperienceLabs,aimingtoexplorethepeople,places,productsandservicesinvolvedtocreateasharedpictureoftheuserscurrentexperiences.
ExperienceLabactivitieslargelyinvolveobservation,brainstormingandtheembodimentandtestingofideasasphysicalandexperientialprototypes.Prototypingallowsthinkingandideastoevolvethroughphysicalmakingandcreatesasafespaceforfailureleadingtofasterlearning(Coughlan,Fulton&Canales,2007).Italsoprovidesencouragementandpermissiontoexplorenewbehaviours(ibid).Thissupportsrapidcyclesofmakingandtrialling
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experientialprototypesfornewproducts,servicesortechnologyandextrapolationoffutureexperiencesinthenewcontext.Prototypingoftenbeginswithlowfidelitymodelsandgraduallyleadstoexperimentationwithafunctionalprototypeasideasarereviewed,adaptedandrefined(Swann,2002).ThisreflectstheexperimentalnatureoftheLabswiththeterm‘laboratory’representingtheexperimentationofnewideasandprototypesleadingtouser-driveninnovation.
LaterstagesofExperienceLabsoftenuseroleplayactivities,andmayinvolvetestingprototypesinrealisticenvironmentstounderstandhowparticipantsinteractwiththeprototypesandhowitchangescurrentworkingpracticesorexperiences.ExperienceLabactivitiesarerecordedandfootageislateranalysedtogaindeeperinsightsintohowparticipantsengagewithtoolsandwithothers.Avideographerdocumentstheexperienceoftakingpartasakeyoutcomeoftheresearchactivitytoaccompanyafullreportdetailingresearchfindingsandthemes,userrequirementsandideas,togetherwithiteratedprototypes.
3.3DesigntoolsandbespokeartefactsExperienceLabsareexperientialinthattheyallowandprovidespaceforparticipantstoexperiencenewproductsorservicesinordertocriticallyreflectandgivefeedback.Theroleofdesignwithinthisprocessistocreateboththeenvironmentandartefactsinorderforparticipantstobeabletodothis.Designtoolsandbespokeartefactscreatea‘newreality’(Niedderer,2013p.6),whichallowsparticipantstoexperienceaconceptthatisunknowntothem.Inthisway,thereisnoonemethodthatfitsall;eachLabisuniquetothecontext,participantsandcollaboration.TheLabsusearangeofgenerativetoolsincluding,experienceprototypes,scenariobasedtools,storyboards,androle-play.ThetoolscanalsobeusedintheLabtoexplorecurrent,nearfuture,andspeculativefutureexperience(Sanders&Stappers,2014)althoughitisapremiseoftheLabstoensurethatparticipantsareguidedtoconsiderpreferablefutures.Thesetoolsaretypicaltocollaborativeactivitiesfacilitatedbydesignersandcanrevealunderlyingpatterns(ibid),inadditiontoprovidingarichunderstandingofparticipantexperience.Designtoolsencourageparticipantstosharetheirexperiencesandbuildoneachother’sideas.Thetoolshelptoopenupthedesignprocesstomultiplestakeholders(Koskinen,Zimmerman,Binder,Redstrom&Wensveen,2011).ManyparticipantscometoaLabwithfeelingsofapprehensionanduncertainty,butthetoolsandartefactsgentlyeasethemintotheprocess.
MaterialartefactsarecreatedandmadebydesignerswithintheLabteamtosupplementthetoolsandenableparticipantstogainamorerealisticexperience.Artefactsproviderichinsightsintopeople’severydayexperience,actasamediatorandcoordinatorofinformationandprovide“anunderstandingofimportantprocesses,protocolsorconventions”(Vyas,Heylen,Nijholt&VanDerVeer,2009,p.106).ArtefactscanbeusedatdifferentstagesoftheLabprocesstoaidbrainstormingandexplorationofideas,enhanceinteractionsamongparticipants,enablethedesignofconcepts,andcollaborativeprototyping.Theartefactsare
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craftedaestheticallybutarenotfinishedtoaprofessionalstandard(Gaver,Dunne&Pacenti,1999)andenableparticipantstounderstandandimaginehowaproposedideamayworkforthemwhilsthavingtheflexibilityorambiguity(Gaver,Beaver&Benford,2003)tobechangedormanipulatedbyparticipantsthroughouttheprocessoftheLab.Theartefactsgeneratecreativediscussionamongstparticipants,theresultsofwhichareusedtoiteratethedesign.Theartefactsandtoolshelptocommunicateexperientialinformationtoparticipants,andthroughtheprocessofengagingwiththeartefactthroughthetoolduringtheLab,participantscanbegintounderstandhowtheproposedinnovationwouldcatertotheirneedsand‘fit’withtheireverydayexperienceorpractice(ornot).Artefactsnotonlyenablethetangibilityofapossiblesolutionbuttheyalsoprovidetheopportunitytoshareideas,reflect,envisionandrecord(Vyasetal,2009).ArtefactsandtoolscanthereforebeusedasbothadatagenerationmethodandaformofanalysisandevaluationofwhatoccursduringtheLab(Niedderer,2013).
TheartefactsfacilitatecommunicationwithintheLabsbyprovidingacommonlanguagethatallowspeopletoshareandbelistenedto:overcomingbarriersofdiscipline,hierarchyandculture.Theyallowparticipantstocommunicatevisuallyanddirectlywitheachother(Martin&Hanington,2012).Thetoolsandartefacts,likethemethod,areopen-ended.Theyhelptokeepthediscussionfocussedandprovideacommonmeansofexpression.However,thereisanadditionallevelofinterpretationandusethatisinvolvedinthecreationofanartefact.Eachartefactisthereforeunique.Anartefactprojectsthe“thoughts,feelings,anddesiresthataredifficulttocommunicatethroughmoreconventionalverbalmeans”(ibid,p.94)andthesharedmotivationofthegroupinvolvedinitscreation.Theyembodythenewknowledgethathasbeencreatedthroughthecollaborativeprocess.Thetangibilityofpossiblefutureinnovationsallowsparticipantstobegintodiscussandexplorehowtheconceptcouldbeembodiedandimplemented.
3.3RoleoftheLabteamWithinthecontextofExperienceLabs,thedesignprocessisopeneduptoincludeendusers,andthedesigner’staskistoensurenon-designersfeelsafeoutsidetheir‘comfortzone’,enablingcreativeconversationstohappen.Atthisearlystagetherearemanyunknowns,andtheopportunityidentifiedislikelytobedifficulttoarticulateatthefuzzyfrontend(Sanders&Stappers,2008)ofthedevelopmentprocess.Allthisuncertaintycanbeoverwhelmingtonon-designers,andfacedwiththetaskoftakingideasforward,itcanbetemptingtoreverttoinductiveproblemsolving,andtriedandtestedapproachesthatofferlittlescopeforrealinnovation(Bate,Robert&Bevan,2004).
Inhisethnographicstudyofdesigners,Michlewski(2015,p.53)highlightsthedistinctivedesignattitudeofdesignersinpositivelyembracinguncertaintyandambiguityinordertotake“acreativeleap"andinnovate.Inadditiontothisinherentattitude,designersgroundcreativeexplorationwithagenericdesignprocessthatisopenenoughtosupportemergenceandambiguitywhilstensuringtimelydecisionsaremade.
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TheLabsbringtogetherstakeholdersfromarangeofbackgrounds.Thismayinvolvethepublic,professionals,academicsandbusinesses.Itisthereforeimportantforthedesignertoensurethatthetoolsandartefactsemployedaresupportiveofthecollaborations.Whenworkingwithdifferentstakeholdersitisimportanttoestablishacommonlanguageandwayofunderstanding,oftensupportedthroughthetoolsandartefacts,whichcanbreakdownbarriersandprovideaplatformforcommunication.WithintheLabitisimportantthatparticipantsaremadetofeelcomfortableandareencouragedtobecollaboratorsengaginginopendialogue(Maxwell,Woods&Prior,2013).ItisalsoimportantthattheresearcherswithintheLabshavetheabilitytonavigateroles(Maxwelletal.2013)andaltertheseinresponsetotheLabactivitye.g.facilitate,observeorbecomeanactiveparticipant.
TheLabteamemployanasset-basedapproachtoempowerparticipantstobecreative,sharetheirskillsandexperience,towardsidentifyingopportunitiesforhealthcareinnovation.Assetbasedapproachesaimtopromotehealththroughtheidentificationofhealthassetssuchasskills,capacities,interests,andnetworks,whichfosterhealthandwellbeinginindividualsandcommunities.Participantsareencouragedtobecomeactiveagentsintheprocess,tacklingthechallengesasopportunitiesratherthanfocussinguponproblemsanddeficits(Foot&Hopkins,2010;Morgan&Ziglio,2007).
3.3EvaluatingtheprocessInadditiontodevelopingdigital,serviceandsocialinnovationforhealthcarechallenges,theExperienceLabteamdocumentandresearchthedesignprocesses,methodsandtoolsthatcontributetoeffectivecollaborationanduser-centreddesign.WithinonecurrentstrandofinquiryweareexploringtheroleofartefactswithintheExperienceLabtounderstandandsharethekeyattributesofeffectivetoolstoenablenon-designerstomeaningfullyparticipateinthedesignprocess.
4.SituatingthetoolsandartefactsincontextDesigningthetoolsandmakingmaterialartefactsplaysavitalpartindocumentingthelearningandhelpingtoshapenewandbetterquestions,whileatthesametimeembodyingthenewknowledgecreatedandfutureopportunitiesfordesign.Whetheranobjectfunctionsasatooloranartefactdependsonthestageinthedesignprocessthatitisbeingused.Designtoolsoffersomestructuretofacilitatethedesignprocessandhencetendtopossessalevelofclarityandprecision,whileanartefactrepresentsknowledgethatdoesnotyetexistandhasalevelofabstractionorvagueness.Toolshelptosetacommongoalandofferageneraldirectionfortheco-creationprocess,andartefactsembodytheoutcomesthatrepresentthelivedexperiences,sharedknowledge,recognisedneedsanddesiresandmutuallyagreedopportunities.InordertoillustratethetypesofartefactsandtoolsthatareusedwithintheExperienceLab,examplesaresituatedwithinthecontextandpurposetheyweredesigned.
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4.1Scenario-baseddesignAneffectivewayofbringingconceptstolifeisthroughstorytelling.Scenario-baseddesigniswidelyusedwithinsoftwaredevelopmentteamstomakeconcepts‘concrete’andallowunderstandingoftheactivitiesthatneedtobesupported,thenallowingtheseactivitiestodrivethedesign(Carroll,2000).WithinExperienceLabsscenario-baseddesignisusedtoillustrateareallifeormockscenario,whichactsasastimulustogeneratediscussion.Scenario-baseddesignor‘stories’canalsobeawaytodemonstrateproposedideas,whichmaybeunimaginabletoparticipants(Muller,2003).Forexample,asetofscenariocardspresentedpossibleoptionsforanewsystemtoassistolderadultstoremainindependentathome(Figure1).Theillustratedscenariosbroughtoptionsforsystemfunctionalitytolifeandenabledmeaningfulconversationwiththeintendedenduserstoexploreusefulnessanddesirability.Theconceptisembodiedthroughthestories,whicharetoldthroughthescenariocardartefact(Sanders&Stappers,2014).Thelearningthatoccursthroughthisprocessistwofold.Throughthesharingofthescenariostheresearchteamareabletounderstandwhichscenariosweremostappropriatetotakeforwardtothetestingphaseforthesystem.Fortheparticipants,thescenariocardswereabletomaketangiblethetypesofscenariosthesystemwouldbeabletoassistwith.
Figure1 Participantsreviewingandvotingonscenariocardsdescribingoptionsforsystemfunctionality(photo:JeroenBlom).
4.2PrototypingInExperienceLabs,participantsareoftenintroducedtolowfidelityprototypestotestapotentialsolution.Participantscanbeengagedbothintestingtheinnovation,andindesigningtheinnovationcollaboratively.Whendesigningandcreatingprototypeswith
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participantswemayuseavarietyoftechniquesortools(Figure2),includingbespoketemplates,orofftheshelfequipment(e.g.electroniccomponents,modelmakingkits,dollshousesandtoys).
Figure2 Materialsforcollaborativeprototypingintheearlystagesofconceptdevelopment(photo:JeroenBlom).
BothcreatingprototypeswithparticipantsanddesigninginadvanceasaprovocationinvolveasignificantamountofcollaborativePre-Labworkandpreparation.InnovationprojectsofteninvolveaseriesofExperienceLabsinordertogaincontext,testtheconceptanditerativelydeveloptheprototypetotherequiredlevelofresolutiontoenablecommercialisationandsecurefurtherfundingforsoftwaredevelopment.Prototypeshelpparticipantstothinkthroughdoingandcanbeiteratedtoprovidealternativeideastobetrialled.Learningaboutthedesiredfunctionality,physicalattributesandinteractivequalitiesoftheconceptexploredandembodiedintheprototypeisobtainedfromstudyingtheprototypeasanartefactalongsidetranscriptsofconversationsduringtheprototypingactivityandsubsequentdiscussion.
4.3Participatorybodystorming‘Bodystorming’(Oulasvirta,Kurvinen&Kankainen,2003)orsimplydesigningincontext,involvesdesignersactingouttechnologyscenariosandideatingproductsorinteractionsintheplacewheretheyareintendedtobeused.ExperienceLabsuserole-playandbodystormingtechniquestodesignandmakeprototypeswithintendedendusersasparticipants.Oneexampleofsuchanactivityinvolvedembeddingaco-designsessionwithinarole-playactivity.Participantswerefirstaskedtoenactascenarioofanambulanceattendanceusingcurrentworkingpractice.Thefacilitatorthenaskedthemtorole-playit
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imaginingtheywereusinganewapplicationtosearchforinformationtosupportthemindeterminingwheretotransportthepatientanddescribingthecontentofeachscreentheywouldaccessinordertofindthenecessaryinformation;meanwhileadesignersketchedthescreensonpaper.Thedeckofhand-sketchedsequentialpaperscreensweretheninsertedintoasimpleplasticframecreatingamocktablet,andthescenariowasactedoutoncemoreusingthelowfidelityprototype(Figure3).Bybreakingthisuserscenariodownintoindividualstepsandscreenstheparticipantswereabletomovefromavagueconcepttoawell-definedprototypewithinoneshortsession.Itwaspossibletotakethisprocessastepfurtherbyusingasoftwareapplicationtotakephotographsofthescreensandlinkthesetogetheronatablet.Thismadetheapplicationappeartoworkasintended(i.e.sketchedbuttonslinkedtothecorrectnextpage)andthisfunctionalprototypewasusedinanotherrole-playactivitytotestwhethertheapplicationmettheneedsofparticipants.Theactofmakinginthisexampleinvolvedtheconstructionofmeaningbyparticipantsthroughenablingtheparticipantstoexperiencethewayinwhichtheconceptcouldthenbeimplemented(Sanders&Stappers,2014).Learningaboutthestructure,contentandorderingofinformation,alongsiderequirementsfornavigation,interactionandsystemfunctionalitywereembodiedintheprototype.
Figure3 Participantsusingthehand-drawnpaperscreensinaplasticframeduringtheparticipatorybodystormingsession(photo:LouiseMather).
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4.4Role-playDesignersoftencreaterealisticsettingstoallowparticipantstoexperiencetheprototypeinitsintendedenvironmentandenablethemtoembodytheexperience,recognisinghowtheproposedsystemwouldworkandidentifyinwhatwaysitwouldmeettheirneeds.Laterintheprojectdescribedin4.1,wewereabletobringfurtherresolutiontothesystembybuildinga‘wizardofoz’prototypetoenableparticipantstoexperiencewhatthechosenscenarioswouldfeellikeinarealistichomeenvironment,encouragingfeedbackanddrawingoutrequirements.‘ExperiencePrototyping’enablesfirst-handappreciationofexistingorfutureconditionsthroughactiveengagementwithprototypes(Buchenau&FultonSuri,2000);inthiscasethroughrole-playbasedonouruserscenarios.Participantswereaskedtoreacttotheprototypesystemandatouch-screeninterfaceonatablet.Therole-playscenariowaslargelythesameforeachparticipantalthoughsomeaspectswerepersonalisedbasedonourunderstandingoftheirdailyactivities.Therole-playwasrecordedusingaspecialistcameraandviewedbytheprojectpartnersinacontrolroomsetup.
Throughundertakingtherole-play,participantswereabletoexperienceandenvisionhowtheconceptwouldbeimplementedwithinthehomeenvironment.Thetasksandactionswithinthemockhomeenvironmentallowedparticipantstofurtherunderstandtheconceptandtheirreactionstoit(Vyasetal,2009).Theexperienceprototypeenabledparticipantstoembodytheexperience,andlearningwasobtainedfromboththeirinstinctivereactionstothedifferentsysteminteractionsandtheirreflectionsduringgroupdiscussionfollowingtherole-play.
Figure4 Role-playusing‘wizardofoz’prototyperecordedusingspecialistcameraequipment(photo:SanneReeBarthels).
4.5DesignfictionMembersoftheresearchteamenacteduserscenariosforanewsystemtosupportpeoplelivingwithdementiainaseriesofshortfilms,whichdemonstratedpossibleoptionsforsystemfunctionality.Thisapproachistermed‘designfiction’andhasbeenusedeffectively
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inconceptevaluationanddevelopment(Blythe,2014).Thisapproachcanalsobeusedasagenerativetoolbydeliberatelybuildingambiguityintothefilmedscenariostoinvitetheparticipantsto‘fillintheblanks’andarticulatewhattheyunderstandhastakenplace.Briggsetal(2012,p.534)termthisapproach‘InvisibleDesign’andarguethatthistechniquecreates“aspaceforcriticalandcreativedialogueduringparticipatoryconceptdevelopment”.Inthisexample,designfictionsuspendeddisbeliefbyenablingparticipantstoimaginewhattheproposedsystemcouldofferandallowthemtogivefeedbackandmakesuggestions.Designersobservedthatdespitetheintroductionofunfamiliarnewtechnologyparticipantswereabletounderstandwhatwasbeingproposedanddiscussoptionsforimplementation.Thisdiscussioncreatedlearningaroundwhothesystemshouldbetargetedat,andthedesiredsplitbetweenfunctionalitythatshouldbedeliveredbythesystemandfunctionalitythatshouldbedeliveredbyapersonpromptedandfacilitatedbythesystem.
5.AssessingthetoolsandartefactsThedesigntoolsandmaterialartefactsusedintheExperienceLabsprovidetheparticipantswithasafeandcreativewaytoengageinthedesignprocess.Thetoolsandartefactsillustratedintheexamplesdemonstratethewaysinwhichconceptscanbeembodiedandideascanbemadetangibleforparticipants.Inaddition,thetoolsandartefactsaidcommunicationwithintheLabsthroughbothallowingparticipantstoexternalisethoughtsandfeelings,andgeneratediscussion.TheexamplesalsodemonstratetheuseoftoolsandartefactsatvariousstagesoftheExperienceLabapproach.Vyasetal(2009)proposethatmaterialartefactsneedtobeassessedatthreephasesofdesign:exploration,attheearlystageofdesign;communication,atthecollaborativestageofideaandconceptdevelopment;anduse,whereideasaretestedandevaluatedwithusers.
MaterialartefactsusedearlyintheExperienceLabs,attheexploratoryphase(e.g.4.1)enabledadeepunderstandingofparticipant’sexperiencesandeverydaylife.Visualisationsusedatthisstageactedasavehicletoallowparticipantstointerpret,express,discussandreflecttheirideas(Sanders&Stappers,2014),whichallowstheresearchteamtotaketheseinsightsforwardintothedesignofthetoolsandartefactsforlaterstagesoftheLab.Artefactsallowparticipantstoconsiderchallengesandturntheseintoopportunitiesforthefuture.
MaterialartefactsusedasformsofcommunicationintheLab(e.g.4.2)allowedatwo-wayformofcommunication.Fortheresearchteam,theartefactsprovidedawaytoconveyexperientialinformation(Vyasetal,2009)abouttheproposedideatoparticipants.Fortheparticipants,theartefactsprovidedawaytoexternaliseandcommunicatetheirthoughtsandreactionstotheidea,allowingthemtogivefeedbackinameaningfulway.
Finally,materialartefactsusedlaterintheExperienceLabapproach,whenideasaretestedwithusers(e.g.4.3,4.4),enabledparticipantstogainanunderstandingandexperienceusingtheproposedideainarealisticenvironment.Thisallowedtheresearchteamtogain
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feedbackontheideainadditiontoprovidinginformationonkeyuserrequirementsandsystemfunctionality.
6.ConclusionExperienceLabsareaparticipatoryapproachtohealthandcareinnovation,involvingstakeholdersfromacrossacademic,businessandcivicorganisationsasco-creatorsintheprocess.ExperienceLabsusedesigners’capabilitiesandtoolstodetanglethefuzzyfrontendofthedevelopmentprocesstoenablenon-designerstofeelcomfortableexploringintangibleorambiguousconceptsforcollaborativeinnovation.
TheLabsinvolvedesigningabespokeexperienceforparticipantsusingdesigntoolsandmaterialartefacts,providingaplatformforuser-driveninnovation.MaterialartefactsusedwithintheExperienceLabembodytheknowledgecreatedfromLabsbutalsobuildonourinternalresearchprocesses,contributingtoourunderstandingofwhatthismeansforthewiderdesignresearchlandscape.IntheLabswehavecompletedtodate,thebenefitsofusingartefactsarealreadyemerging,howeverwedonotyetknowthefullextentofthepossibilitiesofthisapproach.
FutureresearchwillinvolveexplorationofthepotentialreusabilityandapplicationofartefactsandtoolsinotherLabsandcontexts,e.g.forprojectsindifferentareas,toexplorewhetherthetoolorartefactcanbeusedinotherways,bydifferentpeople,orcanbealteredinsomeway.Wearealsointerestedintheroleoftheartefactinmuchlaterstagesoftheprojectstodeterminethetransferabilityofknowledgeembodiedintheartefactandthepotentialoftheartefacttobecomeatoolinfurtherexplorationoftheconceptbydevelopersandduringtestingandimplementation.Thiswillallowustoevaluatethetoolsandartefactsingreaterdetailandcontributetoourbodyofknowledge.Finally,weaimtobuildinopportunitiesinfutureLabstogatherspecificfeedbackonthetoolsandartefactstoexplorewhetherparticipantsexperienceotherbenefitsthanthoseintended.
Acknowledgements:Wewouldliketothankourcolleagues,projectpartnersandparticipantswhohavebeeninvolvedinExperienceLabprojects.
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AbouttheAuthors:
Author1TaraFrenchisaResearchFellowattheInstituteofDesignInnovation,TheGlasgowSchoolofArt.Tara isaPrimaryResearcheron the Experience Labs, tackling health and social care challengesusing Design Innovation approaches. Tara leads projects that arecentredonenhancingwellbeingandqualityoflife.
Author2GemmaTealisaResearchFellowattheInstituteofDesignInnovation at The Glasgow School of Art, working in the area ofhealth and wellbeing. Her work focuses on opening up the designprocess to meaningfully engage academic researchers from otherdisciplines, industry partners, health professionals, people withhealthconditionsormembersofthepublic.
Author 3 Sneha Raman is a Research Associate at The GlasgowSchoolofArt,andworksondevelopinganddeliveringtheExperienceLabs.Hercurrentresearchfocusesontheroleofspacesandartefactsin enabling collaboration and creativity, and the quality of co-creationbyexaminingwhatmakessomeapproachesmoresuccessfulthanothers.