KISTproject gets underway

The KISTproject brings together design researchers from the University of Dundee with The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) to co-design, develop and test a prototype of a system which enables access to the internet using simple hand held objects as ‘remote controls’. Many CHAS residents have conditions which cause their motor functions to diminish over time, making it increasingly difficult for them to use computers for socialising and entertainment, without assistance.

Craft workshops in March and May 2012 bring together children, parents and carers at CHAS to imagine and make toys and accessories which enable children to independently access their favourite websites.

The outcome of the this stage of the project is a prototype device which enables young people in CHAS to independently access online content using engaging co-designed toys and accessories.

The project is funded by the Scottish Funding Council through the Interface Innovation Voucher Scheme

The project has been co-developed by Hazel White, director of the Master of Design programme at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (DJCAD), University of Dundee and Jo Hodge, PhD student at DJCAD.
CHAS have contributed time, expertise and enthusiasm through CEO Maria McGill and activities co-ordinator Alison Blair and the many CHAS staff and volunteers.
Paul MacKinnon from DJCAD has looked after the programming and technical development
Sara Nevay, Master of Design student at DJCAD is project managing.

SDN Members Day at Adaptive Path

Untitled, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

Stefan Holmlid and service learning opps

MacDonalds / Byron Stewart

MacDonalds / Byron Stewart, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

#SDNC11

How MacDonald’s use theatre to understand customer experience.

Download the presentation here http://bit.ly/yhWq5H

protopartners _ zilver_ virgin

protopartners _ zilver_ virgin, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

#SDNC11 Service Design Network, San Francisco

Damian Kernahan, protopartners and Erik Roscam Abbing, zilver discussed working with virgin to improve customer satisfaction. Protopartners describe themselves as a ‘keeping promises business’ rather than service design.

How do you embed empathy in customer service?

Question from company:

“The primary question behind the
“Intensive Care” programme is how do we
lift the customer satisfaction score from
7.XX to 8.X by Sept 2012, whilst delivering a
differentiated experience that our targeted
customers rave about.

But the key question which needs answered is:

“how do we install the internal processes
and capabilities and behaviours that will
guarantee that we’ll be able to predictably
DELIVER this customer experience.”

The key to improving customer services is to ensure that all the processes and systems are in place to deliver the service and that everyone is

Don’t need to redesign a whole customer journey, focus on the painful bits. Brand is the promise you make, customer experience (CEX) is the promise you keep (oh that Oz humour)

Told compelling story of customer running out of credit whilst calling her mother and having an asthma attack. The mother called the (offshore) helpline to put more credit on her daughters phone, but was bounced at the ‘account number/password’ details – leaving her distraught at being unable to call her daughter back. A video interview of the mother recounting the experience was used as an artifact to communicate the experience back to the Virgin board (alongside a range of quantitative and other qualitative data). This experience was a tiny part of the overall customer experience, but told such a powerful, potentially tragic tale, that it led to protocol changes in call handling. The daughter was okay. I think. You can download a .pdf of their presentation here

Then later informal chats in the Haight with Eric, Ross, Damian, Rishi, Aiden and Thomas.

Nokia_Bas Raijmakers_STBY_DA Eindhoven

Nokia_Bas Raijmakers_STBY_DA Eindhoven, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

#SDNC11 Service Design Network, San Francisco
Selling Service Design through telling stories

Takeaways – films to create shared stories of experience – ‘day in the life’
Films put on USB keyrings for Management to use at presentations
www.stby.eu/2011/02/05/design-documentaries/

Notes From Continuum/Forrester #SDNC11

Notes From Continuum/Forrester #SDNC11, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

Service Design Network, San Francisco. Key takeaways – gap between service expectation and delivery – eg. United’s promise to take ‘Dad’ on a flight on a white bird, slaying dragons as opposed to budget JetBlue’s more pragmatic approach

Notes from Richard Buchanan’s keynote at #SDNC11

Richard Buchanan Notes, a photo by hazelonewhite on Flickr.

Buchanan’s four domains of design summarised to posters, toasters, environment and now services.  Thinking of management as a design discipline – how we organise ourselves to do the things we do is a design issue.