Doing user centered design. Across 5 companies, 5 projects, and multidisciplinary teams, simultaneously.
Greenfield projects. Redefining the future.
In 2023, I joined the Royal College of Arts, specifically the Design Age Institute (DAI) department, and I got a crash course into managing multiple companies and senior teams focused on creating innovative solutions in the mobility sector for older adults.
With government funding backing our design efforts, I emphasized strict compliance to the funding terms plus contractual agreements including milestone deliverables. Additionally, I coached each company on prioritizing human-centric approaches and empathetic research methods to validate their solutions with evidence.
From day one, I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. Transitioning to managing managers, CEOs, and stakeholder teams rather than a single team of individual contributors presented a significant career challenge. I found myself questioning, "What exactly was my role, and how would I navigate it?"
*Most of this work is under NDA and cannot be shared in public. Below is a snapshot of the projects, approach, learnings and outcomes. Please get in touch for more information.
Outcomes
• 75% increase in design quality, and 65% increase in user satisfaction and usability collectively, across all projects, in 6 months
• 5 companies bought into the higher value of design
• Sourced 35+ older adults, who gave insights in 15 user research workshops, across 5 companies
What I did
• Coached Tech and Engineering teams in adopting a design-first mindset
• Led and orchestrated senior team activities, mentoring and enhancing their design maturity
• Delivered user-centered design training to over 10 companies, providing 35+ resources, tools and frameworks
• Guided user testing and synthesis of research to reframe problems, transform insights into actions
• Established and maintained senior-level relationships as day-to-day contact
• Developed internal design briefs and designer selection templates for the DAI
• Provided network connections and allocation of spend accordingly to each business objectives and milestones
The ambition for this project with Centaur Robotics was to optimize and improve the human-machine interface, enabling users to better steer and control a revolutionary two-wheeled personal electric vehicle. Centaur Robotics had been developing this groundbreaking self-balancing chair for older adults for years, and to make it easy to use, they needed intuitive controls that considered the older adult's cognitive and physical abilities.
Strong emphasis across 2 full day user workshops with 20+ people was on was testing various physical combinations of physical prototypes, assessing human recognition and understanding of button typology, iconography, and placement. This approach guided our decisions, on how to empower people with arthritis or dexterity issues to gain full control in steering.
The original premise of Briteway by Briteyellow was simple: provide intelligent train journey planing and routing to train platforms and real-time support from family or staff for older adults. However, planning user insights, technology compatibility, and strained relationships made it complex.
For me, a strong project emphasis was in reframing the senior stakeholder's perspective on design, from viewing design as a solution task, to a process of exploration, creation and empathy. By combining virtual reality and augmented reality navigation with patented indoor position tracking, we created an easier to use digital experience that helps people plan their train journeys more effectively, with confidence.
The project proved the commercial business case, securing 10 bids, and will be launched 2024.
In collaboration with Invisible Creations, I aimed to develop inclusive, attractive, dual-purpose mobility products to help people maintain their independence at home. We started by exploring diverse user journeys in and around the home to identify key problems and opportunities for effective solutions. We conducted a full day of user testing with 12+ older adults using physical prototypes, VR headsets, surveys, and interviews.
The end result was a range of garden assistive living solutions that integrated seamlessly with items like plant pots, window boxes, and lighting, discreetly incorporating grab rails for safe outdoor access.
This product range designed inclusively for older adults and, for those with disabilities, will soon be available at B&Q.
Supersmith wanted to create a revolutionary mobility scooter that solves the inherent flaws in all scooters: a lack of stability, and manoeuvrability around corners using adaptive robotics. The unique innovation about in this project was:
• The scooter seating riders at 90% of standing height, overcoming negative social dynamics associated with low sitting positions
• Featuring three wheels for a more agile and stable ride
• The use of adaptive robotics to navigate slopes, cambers, and bumps on pavements and roads, empowering people with walking disabilities by enhancing their mobility.
Working closely alongside Supersmith my focus was coaching them as they developed this mobility scooter to be more lightweight and affordable after manufacture with guidance on marrying its aesthetics with values to portray a sense of modernity, durability and safety. I also mentored this team in how to frame and translate user insights, to develop the user experience.
The ambition for this project with Applied Information Group was to develop the UK's first national walking and cycling way finding system for active travel on foot or on wheels that specifically addressed the need and aspirations of a diverse ageing marketplace. We aimed high, seeking to involve numerous councils and governing bodies to establish this as a UK-wide standard.
The Inclusive Wayfinding Toolkit was created to in-depth presentation level with chapters on enhancing mobility, socialisation, and access to local services, while also ensuring safety, confidence, and a sense of connection for its people in the UK.
I approached each company uniquely, recognizing their distinct business objectives, team skills, and project starting points, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
I orchestrated a variety of activities to guide them through the ideation, testing, and validation phases, ensuring their solutions met the needs of older adults, such as;
• Researching user needs through surveys, interviews, or focus groups
• Ideation and concept exploration
• Overseeing prototype creation and usability testing
• Support in reframing user insights into design development decisions
With a strong emphasis on user centered design, research, and lean testing, each project was carefully evaluated and validated through:
→Understanding people's needs
→ prototyping
→ testing
→ learning
→ iterating
→ and deciding / repeating.
....Until the final deadline.
Prior to starting any project, a significant amount of time was spent reviewing each company's business, proposition, and product. Our focus was on learning about any challenges or opportunities they had encountered so far, and understanding their current team's support and capability needs.
This formed the foundation in kick-off meetings to define clear achievable milestone deliverables and project goals for a 6+ month period, and ensure they aligned with the overall mission of the Design Age Institute. Contractual agreements were also created and signed.
Several companies had never conducted market or user research to identify real user problems. For these organizations, I collaborated closely with their teams of engineers, developers, psychologists, sales, marketing, and manufacturing professionals. Together we planned several user testing workshops.
My focus was on:
• Avoiding leading questions
• Steering clear of idea confirmation bias
• Honing in on specific areas of the customer's journey
Additionally, I supported usability testing and analysed user feedback to identify potential risks and opportunities, informing design development decisions.
Contextual understanding
VR & physical prototypes' testing
Product feedback & comparison surveys
After each project kick-off, I collected books, reports, papers and resources from the Helen Hamlyn Center Research Team.
Whether it was access to paid research, accessibility compliance standards & regulations, specialized accessibility equipment, or access to NICA, the aim was to ensure each team had what they need to start product development.
Also, based on my knowledge of the design industry, I scoped, selected and help recruit the most suitable design experts filling any gaps in the team's current capabilities.
Snapshot of library resources
NICA Centre
I led weekly company catch-ups reviewing our design project progress, tracking key milestones, identifying any obstacles or challenges they may be facing, and providing guidance or assistance as needed to keep things on track. It was important to use this time to keep teams focused on the end user's needs, and their mental modes, preventing teams getting swayed by feature scope creep, or becoming bogged down with product development technicalities.
Snapshot. Weekly catch-ups cross all 5 companies
A few projects faced unexpected challenges, such as disagreements with external design experts, running out of project funds, and spending more time than expected on both planning and coordinating user research. Additionally, there were constraints on how much could be tested in a single user workshop.
To address these issues, where possible, we adjusted our project milestones and budgets. I made our workflow more flexible and increased our weekly check-ins to ensure we were meeting project requirements.
For one company, I took on a larger role as an interim Design Advisor/Head of Design. I conducted more in-depth design reviews and closely coached the engineering team and stakeholders on key design tools and frameworks. This helped keep the project focused and on track to meet the final deadline.
Some companies were unfamiliar with the product development process and unsure about what steps to take next or how to anticipate potential obstacles in bringing their solutions to market.
They lacked know-how of broader business factors such as, having enough funds to bring solutions to market, finding routes to market, and creating effective marketing and sales strategies. Here, I facilitated connection with specific industry experts and guided them through this process.
Within a few months into the role, I delivered a training session on human centered design to over 10 organizations and partners and provided resources for them to develop action plans. The aim was to inspire stakeholders & executives to focus on creating a business vision of wanting to meet people's user needs to gain growth, instead of operational product delivery. This sparked discussions about their user-centeredness, helped them assess their current design maturity level.
You can read a summary of this talk here.
Snapshot of me providing User Centered Design training
Design Maturity Level Framework explained across all teams
80% of this role was influencing stakeholders and helping to reframe their thinking. I found the difference between managing IC's versus managing business owners & leaders was I became the go-to person to help them think through sticky situations, instead of delivering tactical outputs e.g, 'How do I brief a design agency and assess them?', 'How do I spread user-centric thinking in my team?' In return, I asked a lot more inward and outward questions to check mindsets. It was key to bring focus and clarity to the vision, milestones and navigating project impacts.
This was all about being cross-functional and working with business units across the entire RCA, and NICA organizations to support the teams I was managing. I quickly had more departments to co-ordinate with - and learnt you need contacts and rapport to move forward, build buy-in and consensus, and to address conflicting priorities.
Business owners and senior stakeholders often see business areas as individual asset blocks. I learned that design's highest value in this context lies in its ability to identify ways to enhance the end-user experience. Then clearly linking this to how it can drive adoption and growth, improve customer engagement, and or strengthen brand positioning for companies entering new markets.
In workshops, plan extra 15-min breaks. Schedule sessions during off-peak times for convenience, and consider offering free coffee, snacks, and travel for a higher number of respondents.
I found most British older adults are extremely open to new tech, and have a much longer attention span and self-patience when learning! Additionally, their lived experiences make them less swayed by society trends / marketing promises - to get to them, show them the goods!
