service design on stage
points and preferences of physicians and patients in a chronological and contextual frame that much more effectively represented reality than does reducing the multi-faceted complexity of diabetes to a slide full of bullet points. The ‘customer journey’ was understood in a more nuanced and, therefore, more valuable way, allowing the audience to see clear opportunities for innovation. We were also able to share complex information with a large number of stakeholders in a relatively raw and ‘real life’ context and with minimal reductionism. Wherever possible, Cooler had included client teams into our fieldwork, as this provides invaluable understanding and commitment to the people we are designing for. With such a large team, this was simply impossible, so the play acted as a comparatively immersive and enveloping experience.
when to play big in healthcare • The client organisation has limited access and understanding of the human experience of the targeted area • Complex social dynamics between patients, physicians, caregivers, and other stakeholders exist • The client organisation includes a variety of departments and functions that must be enrolled in order for new solutions to be introduced • Audience size and potential market opportunity justify investment in an enhanced experience
The play followed a main character before, during and after an appointment with her physician. The storyline was paralleled by a sales professional who is calling on the same physician whom the patient was seeing. The play also involved interactions between patients and other people and between patients and their physicians. The script was based on transcripts from immersions with patients, observations with patient-physician interactions and from ‘ride-alongs’ with sales professionals to hospitals and physicians offices. The play was performed in three acts, with a narrator calling out specific insights after each performance. Between acts, the entire group broke out into facilitated workshops where participants identified opportunities to develop services or tactics that would address the pain points and preferences the actors had just presented. This in turn deepened the understanding and increased buy-in by the broader organisation. Producing a large-scale play within the context of a large pharmaceutical organisation was incredibly complex and risky. In the end, five pilots were launched resulting in two new in-market services. The first is a social network where diabetics can talk to one another about how to understand and cope with the disease. The second is a live video detailing service that provides a video link between pharmaceutical representatives and physicians on their computer. Live video detailing gives physicians 24/7 access to disease state information and the ability to order samples and schedule visits from a pharmaceutical sales representative from any location with an Internet connection. Both have been extremely successful and have been scaled up since their launch, proving to be a success in a completely new commercialisation model. If we hadn’t been able to use a live play to convey research insights, it would have been extremely difficult to achieve buy-in to design these two new services. By applying theatrical methods, our research was effectively translated into innovative new services that are bringing tremendous value to both physicians and the diabetic patients whom they treat.
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