Prototyping

P1000024It is said that you can’t design anything without first putting it in the hands of users, the people who will use what you have created.

Prototyping is about testing ideas out before you implement them.  For years, designers have made mock ups of everything from hairdryers to fridges to see what they would look like off the paper.

Prototyping works on many levels from testing how a form works- can people fill it in- to ‘faking’ a whole process to see if people can use it.  We now test end to end services and the mindset and methods around prototyping will give you the skills to test before you implement ideas.

 

Theory Video:

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Case studies and insights from participants

Anonymous

Observe, listen, empathise and give yourself permission to fail”

Bryony Albery - Support Worker, Wycombe Homeless Connection

Bryony shares her experience of experimenting back at work.

We ask people’s names as soon as they come in but they don’t know who they’re dealing with, this makes us equal”

Cath Stamper - CEO, York Road Project (YRP)

Redesigning The Way We Communicate: CathUsing Human Language

It occurred to me one day at work that all of our signs/posters for clients were a little authoritarian. Whilst relevant and informative, they contained a lot of ‘don’t’, ‘mustn’t’, ‘can’t’ etc. with threats of some sort of punishment if the rules are broken.

It’s not like we planned to banish the clients to the hills forever but still the threats were there, little insidious ones that ensured that everyone reading them would know that we have the upper hand. We had fallen into the power trap of ‘them and us’. And this is so damaging for all concerned.

So, I decided to look at the way we communicate to those we support, focusing on written materials. Continue reading here…