co design for beginners

Co Design for Beginners

Thea Myers

Thea

What is it?

Why do it?

How do you do it?

Co Design:

What is it?

Why do it?

How do you do it?

Co Design:

Co Design

Co Design operative

Co Design mmunity

Co Design llaborative

1. Collaboration on a design project between the client, the end-user, the deliverer and the designer. 2. Collective thinking and designing to address a community’s needs.

Co Design KŌ dē’zīn [noun]

What is it?

Why do it?

How do you do it?

Co Design:

Requirements & design

Band-aid (or nothing)

Traditional process:!

Launch (Users se

e it

here)

Feedback/ Unforeseen requirement

Co-Design process:!

Requirements & design

Co Design Workshops User research

Launch Party! ...Continue to

iterate

Co-Design process:!

IMPORTANT: Design is still owned by the designer

Co-Design process:!

≠"Co-Design   Design by committee!

IMPORTANT: Design is still owned by the designer

Let’s review the benefits . . .

Surfaces requirements early Helps achieve buy-in

Inexpensive validation Allows all voices to be heard

✔  

✔  

✔  

✔  

What is it?

Why do it?

How do you do it?

Co Design:

What NOT to do:!

Just ask users ✗  

Make it lime green

I use that one – take the rest

away

Didn’t see that - It should

be flashing

What NOT to do:!

Just ask users ✗  Do whatever users tell you they want ✗  

The Homer: Features"•  Large beverage holders"•  Little ball on top of the aerial"•  Bowling mascot on the hood"•  Horns that play La Cucaracha"•  Sound-proof bubble for the kids"•  Huge motor"•  Big Fins"

What NOT to do:!

Just ask users ✗  Do whatever users tell you they want ✗  Ignore what you learn ✗  

What NOT to do:!

Just ask users ✗  Do whatever users tell you they want ✗  Ignore what you learn ✗  Play favourites ✗  

So we go with “B” then?

Everyone likes “A” more,

except the CEO

What NOT to do:!

Just ask users ✗  Do whatever users tell you they want ✗  Ignore what you learn ✗  Play favourites ✗  Let participants off without trying ✗  

Engagement is key. Get them engaged, or kick them out.

What is it?

Why do it?

How do you do it?

Co Design:

Prepare your guest list

Think wide

Anyone customer-facing (sales, support) ✔  ✔  Decision makers

✔  Developers/techies

✔  Actual users if possible (“friendlies” ok)

✔  And...?

Try to get a good mix of personalities

Try to get a good mix of personalities

Black pen people: “Hand me the pen!” Canʼt wait to get up and whiteboard a solution."

- From Dan Roamʼs “Back of the Napkin”"

Yellow pen people: “I can’t draw, but…” Need some encouragement, but happy to add to or modify someone elseʼs idea or sketch."

Red pen people: “I’m not visual.” Likely to point out issues. Not as happy with simplistic sketches."

Gather your supplies

Lots of post-it notes

Black pens (thick and thin)

A couple coloured pens

Big fat grey marker

Stacks of paper

“A nice big, fat Sharpie is the perfect tool because it requires you to really think through your idea before you put the pen to the paper. ‘What if it doesn’t work or the layout’s all wrong?’ Great! Grab a new piece of paper and start from where you left off, having learned something valuable in a matter of minutes.”

– Joshua Brewer

We want ideas, not artworks!

What you have to do to reality to represent it as a map.

Cartographic abstraction:

Selection: Which features to include? Classi!cation: What categories of stuff? Simpli!cation: What details can you leave out? Exaggeration: How do you show something relatively small? Symbolism: How do you visually represent things?

Logical Components

Sequences Language

Patterns Images Colour Creativity

Doodling even relieves boredom

and increases focus!

Warm up

Record & annotate everything

Act on the outputs

Stay in touch

As always, iterate.