Beyond Co-design. How open collaboration formats can enhance your design process

Beyond co-designHow open collaboration formats can enhance your design process

Franco Papeschi - @bobbywatsonJohanna Kollmann - @johannakoll

User Experience @ Vodafone Group Services

…is about developing a service or a product by a process that involves all perspectives that are related to the design.

Co-design…

…has its origin in systems-thinking.

…involves different groups of people actively in the design process, and all perspectives are equally important.

… is defined as ‘working jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavour.’ (Merriam Webster Online dictionary)

Collaboration…

Collaborating openly with others means that ideas are shared rather than protected.

Open collaboration activities, such as barcamps or Hack-a-thons, encourage participants to share information, their work, and reflect and learn together.

Awesome!

co-design

open collaboration

More and better ideas

Awesome!

Tangible outcomesPerception of VodafoneRelationshipsChange internal perception of UX

We’re hiring more UX agencies for strategy work!

The MicroFutures project

WhatInternal ideas around marketplaces and transactionsQuickly turn these ideas into tangible product concepts

MicroFutures: Goals

WhyDo more than one designer can doExpose ideas to fresh perspectivesCollaborate more with users and internal stakeholdersLearn for future co-design projects

MicroFutures: People

Stakeholders

Designers Lead users

Co-designBridge the gap between Explore and Design

MicroFutures: Process

explore

design

build

experience

Internal research and design workshops

MicroFutures: Process

Co-design project

Internal sharing of design concepts

Mobile app spin-off project with R&D

MicroFutures: Process

Workshops

OnlineCollaboration

Sprint 01

Sprint 02

Sprint 03

Sprint 04

Ideation

MicroFutures: Process

Sprint 03

MicroFutures: Process

Workshops

OnlineCollaboration

Sprint 01

Sprint 02

Sprint 04

Ideation PersonasDetail

concepts

MicroFutures: Process

Workshops

OnlineCollaboration

Sprint 01

Sprint 02

Sprint 03

Sprint 04

IdeationPresentation of final conceptsPersonas

Detailconcepts

MicroFutures: Outcome

ObjectivesPersonasBrandBusiness objectives

ConstraintsDesign briefTechnical constraints(Mobile) platforms

Information facilitates focus and prioritisation.

MicroFutures: Information

BackgroundInitial ideasResearchOutcome of internal workshops

MicroFutures: Spaces

DesignVisual communicatorStimulus materialCollagesScenariosStoryboards

MicroFutures: Tools

CommunicationBlogSkypeCameras‘Adopt a remote member’

CollaborationPrioritisation techniques, eg dot democracy

Tools facilitate designing and collaborating.

Share ‘secret’ information like personas or business objectives.

MicroFutures: Learnings

Facilitate self-organisation, rather than try to control the teams.

Co-design requires a shift in mindset to succeed.

Info

Tools

Process

People

Mindset

Spaces

DesignersExpertsLead users

BackgroundObjectivesConstraints

Design studioPublic online platform

Design toolsCollaboration techniquesCommunication tools

Share ideas and informationSelf-organisation

SprintsTimeboxingClear tasks

CompetitionRetrospectives

Collaborative decision-making

The ecomo09 project

Ecomo09: Goals

WhatCreate tools and services that help people understand their impact on the environment, and act upon it.

WhyCollect expertise on the topic.

Generate ideas that had a tangible result, and could be evaluated quickly.

Designers

Design knowledge

Lead users

Challenges of daily life

Sustainability experts

Topic knowledge and passion

Developers

Technical knowledge and passion

R&D

Technical knowledge

Ecomo09: People

explore

design

build

experience

Co-designClose the loop between Explore and Design

Hack-a-thonMove from Design to Build

Ecomo09: Process

Similar to MicroFutures

Ecomo09: Process

Internal research and design workshops

Co-design project

Public sharing of design concepts

Hack-a-thon: apps and prototypes

Further development of concepts and apps

Ecomo09: Process

Co-design Hack-a-thon

Physical Virtual

Ecomo09: Spaces

ObjectivesBrandVision of the future

ConstraintsDesign briefTechnical constraints

Ecomo09: Information

BackgroundInitial ideasResearchOutcome of internal workshopsInterviews with experts

OpportunitiesTechnical assets (APIs,…)

Information facilitates focus and prioritisation.

DesignVisual communicatorStimulus materialScenarios

Ecomo09: Tools

CommunicationPublic BlogTwitter Flickr

CollaborationPrioritisation techniques, e.g. dot democracy

OwnershipLegal framework (Creative Commons, Open Source)

ReuseCode repository

Tools facilitate participation and creativity.

Ecomo09: Outcome 3 concepts

Ecomo09: Outcome 3 concepts

Ecomo09: Outcome 8 prototypes

Ecomo09: Outcome 1 new set of API

Adopt practices and tools of people you want to engage with

Platforms

Events

Ecomo09: Learnings

Photos by Tory Dunn

Users Developers

More interactionneeded

Ecomo09: Learnings

Ecomo09: Learnings

It saved money – but we didn’t tell the business!

Info

Tools

Process

People

Mindset

Spaces

DesignersExpertsLead usersDevelopers

BackgroundObjectivesConstraintsOpportunities

Design studioHack-a-thon warehousePublic online platform

Design toolsCollaboration techniquesCommunication toolsRepositories for reuseLegal framework

Passion for the topicShare ideas and information

Co-design + hack-a-thonPeople involved at different stagesCompetition

Self-organisation

Reflecting on the projects

Contribute

Collaborate Create

Connect

Core

Charles Leadbeater, We-Think (2008)

Elements of open collaboration

explore

design

build

experience

Co-designClose the loop between Explore and Design

Build on the projectsNeither project managed to inform product decisions in Vodafone

Reflecting on the process

Hack-a-thonMove from Design to Build

How to go beyond co-design

Info

Tools

Process

People

Mindset

Spaces

If you want your participants to be like a design team, give them all the information a design team would need!

Information gives focus Info

Provide visual design / sketch support

Provide access to sources of data (API) if you want people to create something tangible

Pick tools and spaces thatfacilitate creativity

Tools Spaces

Hack-a-thons

Design studios

Retrospectives, dot democracy and other collaboration tools

Pick tools and spaces thatfacilitate collaboration

Tools Spaces

Engage the right people

Who?

Why?

When?

Give strong incentives - ideally intrinsic motivation

People

Adapt the process

Process

Keep it flexible

Reflect

Experiment

Collaborate

Be less protective about your ideas

Step back and facilitate

Practice the mindset

Mindset

Info

Tools

Process

People

Mindset

Spaces

DesignersExpertsLead usersStakeholders Developers

BackgroundObjectivesConstraintsOpportunities

Design studioHack-a-thon warehousePublic online platformPrivate online platform

Design toolsCollaboration techniquesCommunication toolsRepositories for reuseLegal framework

Passion for the topicShare ideas and information

Co-design + hack-a-thonPeople involved at different stagesCompetition

Self-organisationCollaborative decision-making

SprintsTimeboxingClear tasksRetrospectives

‘Risk’ of openness

Challenges

Ownership of ideas

Continuous engagement and motivation

Tangible outcomes and new ideas

Only relevant if you’re in-house?

Awesome!

co-design

open collaboration

More and better ideasTangible outcomesPerception of VodafoneRelationshipsChange internal perception of UXWe’re hiring more UX agencies for strategy work!

Awesome!

It was so much fun!

Photo ofJohanna by Kevin McDonagh http://www.flickr.com/photos/appletv/3942194437/

Thank you. Questions?@johannakollkollmann.johanna@gmail.com

@bobbywatsonfranco.papeschi@gmail.com

Hicks, Mark: Collaborate to Innovate? Getting Fresh Small Company Thinking into Big Company Innovation. Interactions, XVII.3 - May / June, 2010. http://interactions.acm.org/content/?p=1363Leadbetter, Charles: We-Think. Mass innovation, not mass production. Profile books, 2008. http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/orange-buttons/we-think.aspxMore about ecomo: http://tinyurl.com/betavine-sustainability

Resources

MicroFutures team: Mark Hicks, Dug FalbyEcomo 09 team: Tory DunnHeather Moore, Dan Appelquist, Steve Wolak, Tracey Lee-Joe, Richard Child, Bryce Ashdown, Phill Julian, Josh Ulm, FJ van Wingerde, Russell SeseSense Networks, Seren, BASH Studio, Sprung Studios All our collaborators and hackers! London IA community, Matthew Solle and the Vodafone UE team for valuable feedback on our dry-runs.

Thank you

Beyond co-designHow open collaboration formats can enhance your design process