Design Research for large-scale sensemaking

Transforming the Context.

designdialogues.com

Peter Jones, PH.D.

Redesign Research

DESIGN THINKING HAS EVOLVED

IN JUST 10 YEARS

FROM things

TO experiences

TO transformations

DESIGN RESEARCH

has largely been missing from

DESIGN THINKING

OBJECT OF DESIGN RESEARCH

Understand the human, social, activity, technological & cognitive factors in a domain we intend to design for.

WE ARE TALKING IN NEW WAYS CREATING A NEW LANGUAGE

FOR DESIGN

TRANSFORMATION. &

WeWriteabout….

WeJournalabout…

WeTweetabout….

YETWENEEDACOMMONDESIGNLANGUAGE

FORTRANSFORMATION

SUFFICIENTTOTHECONTEXT.

WHAT DO WE REALLY MEAN

BY

transformation ?

Is this what we mean?

Is this what we mean?

Greeks & Turks in Cyprus healing their 50 year old dividing line

Is this what we mean?

Obama campaign’s radically effective social media strategy

Bottom-up urban makeover?

TRANSFORMATION

Transforma*onoccursintheworldasanoutcomeofprojectswecancontrolandeventswecannot.

Weonlysetthestageandhopetheplaytakesover.

“MATTERS OF CONCERN” Philosopher Bruno Latour suggests a change of design focus from “matters of fact” to “matters of concern.”

&

MATTERS OF CONCERN

Transforma*onaddressestheneedforprofoundinten*onalchangecreatedbyandfor:

Organiza*ons &theirworkforcesSocialproblems &thecommuni*esimpactedbythemInfrastructures &communi*esSystems &ci*zensconcernedwiththemEnvironments &ecosystems

HOWDOWEDESIGN&RESEARCH

FOR

transforma)on?

DESIGNRESEARCHLAGSDESIGN.

Italwaysdoes.Yes,butwhatabout… Theriseofethnographyindesign?Mixedmethodsinuserexperience?Blendingoffield&labmethods?IDEO,Maya,nForm–Methodcards?

TopographyofDesignResearch.LizSanders,DesignResearchin2006.DesignResearchQuarterly.

THESEMETHODSALLSTILLADDRESS

FROM things

TO experiences.

NOT transforma)ons

WHYISCONTEXTCRITICAL?

IntransformaSon,therisksareextremelyhighifweintervene(DESIGN)withoutunderstandingthedomain,thesituaSon,theworldbeingdesignedfor. Sensemaking

Makingdifferences

22

INSTRUMENTAL CONTEXT

Where is context?

What we “see,”

What we decide,

How we validate knowledge,

Almost entirely dependent on contexts.

Questions by context

24

HowdoImakesenseofthisfield?Wherearethenextopportuni*es?Whataretheunexpectedchallenges?Whoisemergingasnewcompe**on?

HowdoImakesenseofthisorganizaSon?Howdoweenhanceperformance?Arewealignedtostrategy—ornot?WhatcanwedoMUCHbeSerhere?How?

HowdoImakesenseofthisprocess?Whatnewideasareinnova*ve?Whatcanwelearnfromthewholeac*vity?Howdopeoplecollaboratehere?

HowdoImakesenseofthisproject?Howcanyouhelpmeachieve?Howaremyaspira*onsmetinlife?Whatarethegapsandbridgestomygoals?

HowdoImakesenseofthisthing?HowdoIinteractwiththisthing?WhatothertoolsdoIneed?Howmuch*medoIhavebeforeIleave?

How WhereWhen&WhyDoweaskthesequesSons?

Canwemakesensebeforewemakethings?

Complexity by context.

26

TransformaSonalChangeMulS‐organizaSonalcomplexityStrategicCooperaSonMonths–YearsduraSon

LeadingandBelongingComplexityNavigaSonMulSdisciplinaryCollaboraSonWeeks–MonthsduraSon

PracScesProfessionaldevelopmentLearningandEngagementWeek–MonthduraSon

WorkAcSvityLearning&DoingTasksDecisionsandRisksDay–WeekduraSon

SituaSonalInterpersonalImmediateduraSon

Methodsmustsufficethevarietyinacontexttoaffordunderstanding.

Methods are merely reflections of our perspective on inquiry.

Theyarechoicesabouthowweplantoobserve&communicate.

Methods by context.

28

TransformaSonalSystemicChangeMulS‐organizaSonalcomplexityStrategicCooperaSonMonths–YearsduraSon

OrganizaSonalChangeComplexityNavigaSonMulSdisciplinaryCollaboraSonWeeks–MonthsduraSon

PracScesProfessionaldevelopmentLearningandEngagementWeek–MonthduraSon

WorkAcSvityLearning&DoingTasksDecisionsandRisksDay–WeekduraSon

HumanCenteredResearchInterpersonalImmediateduraSon H

W

O

I

Methodsbycontext

So how might we scale

Thinking

Observing

Designing

Between contexts ?

Consider the context of design practice.

NextD D1.0 D2.0 D3.0 D4.0

Copyright2009

Copyright2009

33Copyright2009

Copyright2009

What does this mean?

How do we adapt designing?

How do we adapt design research?

UnderstandProblem

Implement&Sustain

FormulateSoluSon

D1 D2 D3 D4

Sensemaking Changemaking

Sensemaking

OBJECTS PRODUCTS/SERVICES ORGANIZATIONSPROBLEMSYSTEMS

“Strange” making

Increasedcomplexityrequiresthatmoreofthedesignengagementisspentsensemaking

CannotdesignoractunSlweunderstandwhatdynamicsystemswe’rechanging

Toolsforsensemakingdifferasproblemcomplexityincreases:

Ashby’sLawofRequisiteVariety:Varietyofthetransformingsystemmustmatchthevarietyofpossiblecondi*onsofthechangedsystem.

D1 D2 D3 D4 OBJECTS PRODUCTS/SERVICES ORGANIZATIONSPROBLEMSYSTEMS

WickedProblems(RijelandWebber,1973)areill‐defined,evolving,mulS‐factoredsituaSons

Thereisnodefiniteformula*onofawickedproblem.Wickedproblemshavenostoppingrules(youdon’tknowwhenyou’redone).Thereisnoimmediateandnoul*matetestofasolu*ontoawickedproblem.Wickedproblemsdonothaveanenumerablesetofpoten*alsolu*ons.Everywickedproblemisessen*allyunique.Everywickedproblemcanbeconsideredtobeasymptomofanother[wicked]problem.

D3andD4areWickedProblems

Sensemaking Changemaking

Sensemaking “Strange” making

By now it should be no surprise that we need new ways of sensemaking.

We need contextual methods & ways of creating knowledge …

For design.

FOR EXAMPLE,

HEALTHCARE

40

CONTEXT of SERVICE

Where do we locate healthcare?

Humansensemaker

CulturalbelongingPasthorizon,Culture,Tradi*ons,Na*onality,Values,Societalnorms

IdenStyProfession,Roles,Individual

differences,Pre‐understanding,Membership,Socialnetworks

Cogni*onEmo*on

Percep*onSensa*on

GoalsAspira*onDesireLearningDecisions

MakingSenseoftheirSitua)on

Experience

Constraints&gaps

OutcomesGoalsHelp

Bridgetogoals

What’snext?

What’sreallyimportanttoourcustomers?

MakingsenseofoursituaSon

Howpeoplemakesense.

ValuesUnderstanding

We’ve all heard about EMRs & the millions they will save on care $.

VA’s VistA system is free, to any health provider in the world.

This is how it looks at a VA clinic.

D1.0

Today’s EMR systems are so bad …

Good D1.0 only would make a huge difference. D1.0

“Though nobody can give me the specifics, it is rumored that our contract with Epic (and all EMR vendors) includes language forbidding screen sharing. I honestly think they do this to protect what they consider to be trade secrets as if these screens are wonderful works of innovation!

It's kind of sad when you think about it. I have shown Epic and McKesson apps to about a half dozen UX pros here in town. Without fail their first reaction is to laugh. Every single one. They can't help it. When I was interviewing at _____ and they showed me their OR charting app, I laughed.

Though we could argue for a methodological approach to evaluating the UI of these apps, maybe just getting past the "laugh test" would be a good start.”

1

2

3

4

Paper

Online

D2.0

EMR EMR

EMR EMR

What kind of problem is the integrated workflow of EMR?

Service, system, or organization?

Today it is treated as system (D2.0)

D2.0

Research Methods for D2.0 systems

Such a wide range that most UX researchers do not consider that they are not generalizable to all problems.

D2.0

Research Methods for D2.0 systems

Such a wide range that most UX researchers do not consider that they are not generalizable to all problems.

D3.0 How does the organization change to fully integrate the new EMR?

Are people still expected to conform to the dictates of poorly designed data services & user interfaces?

What is possible for a large healthcare system if we re-framed the EMR design problem as truly organizational?

D3.0 What are some of the ways we make sense of the organizational context for the EMR intervention?

AcSvity‐CenteredDesign

UnderstandingEthnographyAc*vityanalysisLifecyclemodeling

Genera)ngconceptsIdealac*vityscenariosPar*cipatorydesign

Organiza)onalresearchUserneedsanalysis

Evalua)onTotaluserexperienceevalua*onCompara*vebestprac*cesProgramevalua*on

R3.0

D3.0 D4.0

Scaling to the problem system, the situation is (always) socially distributed .

Here framed as Transforming Care.

Often requires we design to lifecycles.

Learningabout

CondiSon

Self‐evaluaSon

EvaluaSngtreatment

UndergoingCare

Self‐care

PrimaryCare

consult

ReferralTestsDrugs

Inter‐venSon

ConSnuity

HealthConsumer

Noknown Symptoms ConfirmaSon IntheOR ChronicIllnessIllness &Exam (NowPaSent) &Hospital Management

PersonalDiagnosis

TheSharpEndofCare

BecomingveryPaSent

Everydayhealth“Livingwith”

Researching all contexts in one problem

HealthcareProfessions

PaSent

Constraints,Structures,Rules,Standards

Mo*va*ons,Needs,Career

Scheduling,Admin

Inst.drivers,Mission

Inhibitors Enablers

MedicalDisciplines:Emergency,Clinical,Specialty,Pediatric,Medical,Surgical,…

InsStuSonalContext:Hospital&Unit

AcSvity:Pa*entCare,Admin,Educa*on

Tasksw/EMRAdmit,Prep,Surgery,Post‐op,Diagnos*cs,Therapy,…

InfoServices:EMRSystem,Intranet,Internet,Library,...

InformaSonArSfact:EMRData,Chart,CarePlan,Notes,...

D3.0 D4.0

D3.0 D4.0 What design research methods are considered when we frame a situation as a D4.0 problem?

In this frame, we see a fusion of research & design method.

Large-scale sensemaking requires the diversity & participation of stakeholders to the problem. We do not “do design” as usual.

We step into the realm of 3rd Phase Science (G. de Zeeuw, 2001). We interact with what we observe, we change ourselves as we intervene.

D1 D2 D3 D4 OBJECTS SERVICES ORGANIZATIONSPROBLEMSYSTEMS

Sensemaking Changemaking

Sensemaking “Strange” making

Individual Project Teams & User s

Org leaders Process leads Stakeholders Everyone

Communities Action teams Funders Institutions Community leaders

1. As problem complexity increases, we lose ability to understand factors influencing design.

2. Increasing the probability that we design the wrong THING or intervention.

3. Higher probability that we miss critical interactions among factors and stakeholders

Requiring us to collaborate, early, with all necessary stakeholders of the problem.

D1 D2 D3 D4 OBJECTS SERVICES ORGANIZATIONSPROBLEMSYSTEMS

Sensemaking Changemaking

Sensemaking “Strange” making

Finally, we cannot just treat the context shift as a problem of scale Or a problem of design process, or of methodology.

We must understand & design to the normative values differences that require a clear centering for each context.

Instrumental User Experience

New situational ethics Practice values Customer focus

Humanistic Social values Patient lifeworld Equality / Justice Care

Back to Transformation …

What are WE able to change, when

Change is owned by stakeholders?

LizSanders(2006)DesignResearchQuarterly.

Dialogic Design

ATopographyofDesignResearch.

Open Guided Structured

Strategic

Democratic

Generative

Scenariobuilding

Userco‐design

FutureSearch

Socra*cinquiry

Brainstorming

TownHallsessions

CharreSesStructured

DialogicDesign

OpenSpace

WorldCafé

NominalGroupTechnique

SimplexVisualSensemaking

ATopographyofDialogicCollaboraSveDesignMethods.

As we scale up problem context

We must scale ourselves up also - new perspectives, new skills, networks

Before we can help those who want to create lasting positive transformation.

Questions, dialogue?

Thank you.

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