Design Thinking: A case study into the professional design marketplace

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DECO2020

Vivian Truong

Design Thinking A case study into the professional design marketplace.

vtru8122

Page 2 of 12

Introduction Every user is a complex user.

And built upon their experiences in life and the choices they’ve made up until now, professional designers can map out their stories, empathise with their problems, and create solutions that aid them in their journey online and in person. Dubbed the founding father of user experience (UX) design, Don Norman conveys that:

“We must design for the way people behave, not for how we would wish them to behave.” Norman, D. A. (2016). Living with complexity. The Mit Press.

And in my time as a design student, this notion has followed me. The reinforcement of human-centric design practices during my degree has given me the opportunity to learn about the little things. The micro-interactions which make or break your user experience. And when considering how design affects our lives, it acts as an “instrument of cultural life” (Buchanan, 2001) as it is the way we build society, making solutions to meet our needs and desires.

After searching through various corners of the internet and reaching out to my network, I position myself as a designer who strives to build community and create inclusive experiences.

Coming from personal experience as an Asian Australian woman, I’ve felt misplaced in school, social circles, and even at home. This experience I felt as an ‘other’ has pushed me to try twice as hard to get to a position where I can study and work in the design field in Australia. Along with this, I feel a strong personal connection to disability-friendly design practices with my two younger brothers having Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Throughout their lives, I have been witness to increased struggle due to poorly planned user journeys and user experiences. I would like the opportunity to aid children and other vulnerable groups in their day-to-day life.

Page 3 of 12 In

the

future,

I’d

like

to

underserved communities

work like

with

people

with disabilities, non-English speakers, and socially vulnerable groups, creating safe and important solutions for whatever problem they may have.

My focus lies on inclusivity at a social level and being able to achieve this through “a range of products and services that together

accommodate

the

whole

population without stigma” (Clarkson et al., 2013).

To achieve a greater understanding of this niche market, I’d like to research into ‘inclusive designers’, focusing on user experience and service design related roles.

Specifically investigating how professional designers end up designing for such specific groups of people.

Stemming from this research, by providing different communities with relevant and human-centred experiences, I can become much more equipped to deal with design practice and other professional designers as I continue on in my career journey.

Page 4 of 12

User Experience Designers Who are User Experience Designers?

User (UX) Experience design is defined as the “process design teams use to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users.” (Interaction Design Foundation, 2019) But more than this, UX design involves the consideration of morals and ethics.

Philosopher T.M Scanlon highlights in his book ‘What We Owe to Each Other’ that we are responsible for upholding good and reasonable actions for the benefit of people.

It is in fact what we owe to each other. Although one can be deemed responsible for a decision, it is also recognized by the individual assigning accountability that several factors beyond one's control played a role in the ultimate outcome.

“A desire to act in a way that can be justified to others”

Scanlon, T. M. (1998). What we owe to each other.

Belknap Press Of Harvard University Press.

This philosophy directly translates into the work of a UX designer. These designers are studying the intricate and complicated life stories of various audiences and creating an inclusive journey for them to experience. They look at every factor in one’s life and map out their motives, priorities, challenges and more. From ideating solutions for a brief or testing the usability of digital applications to integrating a product or even branding and marketing, UX designers

must

understand

how

to

be

empathetic. They need to put themselves into the shoes of a user and judge what action would be the most beneficial to them.

Page 5 of 12 Challenges and Opportunities A UX Designer’s work “touches the entire end-to-end journey of a user’s interaction

with

a

product”

(BrainStation, 2023) which also means that their work may differ depending on where they end up working. Whilst being versatile is a great skill, UX Designers often report the stress of being

titled

a

‘UX

Designer’.

User

Experience Design Collective (UXDC) Founder, Olha Bahaieva (2021) conveys that although a part of building a product from beginning to end, “you’re just a solution provider, but not the final business owner.” (Bahaieva, 2021) The role of a ‘UX Designer’ acts as an umbrella term for the many responsibilities one can have. From content design, UX research and user interface design, there are many different responsibilities which fall under this position. Often, in-house designers working at startups or small companies are ‘corporate unicorns’ covering other creative related duties like graphic design or marketing.

Often times, corporations will not consider the extensive research and processes used to find a solution, rather focusing on the profitability of a product. However, as more companies realise the value of mapping out a user’s journey and planning products, this is changing. Moreover, UX Designers are learning how to be compatible for both businesses and users, finding a moral ground between the two. By considering the long-term benefits of user satisfaction and retention, UX designers can help companies achieve their goals while also prioritising the needs of their users.

With the demand of user-centered design growing, corporations are shifting their focus towards creating products which generate revenue but also cater to the needs and wants of their users. This shift is largely due to the realisation that comprehending the user experience is crucial for constructing products that are successful. Another challenge UX designers face is keeping up with ever-evolving trends and technologies. With different technologies advancing, new devices and platforms emerge as users adopt new behaviors and preferences. UX designers must be able to understand these changes and apply them to their design process.

Page 6 of 12 Professional Designer Profile: James Nau - VP of Design @ AirTasker James Nau is the VP of Design at AirTasker.

AirTasker is an Australian-based company which

“provides

marketplace

an

online

and

enabling

users

to

mobile

outsource

everyday tasks. Users describe the task and indicate a budget, community members then bid to complete the task.” (AirTasker, 2023) James has been involved in building and rebranding AirTasker, coming on as VP of Design in 2019, he describes his journey from Motion Designer and Videographer to Head of Branding and User Experience.

“I really just want to learn from other (James Nau, 2023) people” I wanted to interview a senior designer to learn more about their career journey and what brought them to their position today. As I interviewed James Nau, I gained a broader perspective on my career path, realizing the importance of user experience as well as the significance of time management and work-life balance.

Studying Digital Media in university, James didn’t come from a product background. In fact, he worked as a motion designer, photographer and brand designer before stepping into the UX space. He attributes these past experiences to building his character and giving him an edge against his peers. However, James also credits his graphic design background as being a conduit for his imposter syndrome, always feeling out of place and afraid that someone may ‘find out’ you don’t know what you’re doing. His solution for this was to “throw yourself into your role as early as you can” (James Nau, 2023).

James gave me an insight I hadn’t quite expected, explaining how his passion for art translated into a job in the tech industry. In general, his enthusiasm about user experience design and the importance of creating accessible and inclusive solutions made me feel acknowledged as a designer who values inclusivity. And after interviewing James, I felt a strong affinity for his role and aspire to become a head of branding/design at a company that prioritizes inclusivity and accessibility.

Page 7 of 12

Service Designers Who are Service Designers?

Service design refers to the creation of sustainable solutions and experiences for service providers and customers in “unique contexts” (Interaction Design Foundation, 2015). They aim to solve problems for various audiences based on one’s socioeconomic status, location, age, gender and other factors. Instead of focusing on one part of the design process or individual touch points, service designers must consider the overall customer journey of a user.

“Users don’t access brands in a vacuum, but within complex chains of interactions.”

(Interaction Design Foundation, 2015) For example, a train is a product. But to a service designer, it’s a tool used by high school students to commute to and from school, nurses to get to a hospital, elderly people visiting a family member. Within one product are the life stories of different people. One user may not know how to take public transport whilst one may have years of experience catching trains. Perhaps this user has a physical disability and must receive aid from train station workers. From here, we must now consider the service provider's user experience in relation to this user.

Service designers must be able to cater various users and their context as a designer, understanding how each relates to each other from beginning to end. Only then will they be able to provide sustainable and important solutions.

Page 8 of 12 Deriving from the book ‘This is Service Design Thinking: Basics, Tools, Cases’, authors Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider pinpoint the five principles of what service design should be:

1. User-centered Service design begins with investigating into the needs and desires of the users, and then creating solutions which can meet these needs.

3. Sequencing Service designers must view the entire end-to-end customer journey and map out the touchpoints and interactions each user has.

2. Co-creative Service designers must co-create with users, stakeholders, and other designers to find more effective solutions.

4. Evidencing By creating tangible evidence of the service experience, both the service provider and the customer can understand the importance of this journey.

5. Holistic By considering the entire ecosystem in which the service exists, designers can make solutions that are sustainable, and considerate of all stakeholders involved.

However, service design does not come without its challenges. Often, service designers are building on top of existing processes and solutions to create an enhanced user experience. One of the biggest barriers service designers face is their team, or rather their “inertia to change'' (NEXA, 2019). With a team comes web developers, product managers and other people who want different things for this specific solution. Designers must fight for their belief and change the opinions of or compromise with their team to create a viable solution.

Some critics argue that service design on its own does not incite enough change to resistant organisations or government bodies. “Not because it isn’t an important piece of the puzzle” (Mhanna, 2019) but as the complex and systemic nature of problems users face requires radical change rather than “incremental problem solving and experimentation” (Mhanna, 2019) which companies are possibly willing to implement.

Page 9 of 12 Professional Designer Profile: Michelle Ou - Service Designer @ eHealth NSW Michelle Ou is a ‘Human-Centred Designer’ at eHealth NSW where she takes on an educational role to teach non-designers about the design process.

In the past, Michelle has worked for the Centre of Inclusive Design where she supported different organisations to better serve their people, using culturally

appropriate,

safe

research

and

design practices. In her career, she has engaged with over 200 people with lived experience of exclusion or mismatch.

“Not every person is just like us"

(Michelle Ou, 2023)

Having watched her inclusive design lecture in another unit of mine this semester, I was adamant to hear about her experiences as a UX and service designer. Michelle comes from a unique perspective, she originally worked in the health sector however after re-evaluating, she realised she didn’t want to do the same thing every day.

Michelle spoke to me about her experiences in consulting and how it differed from working at a firm like the Centre of Inclusive Design, the main differences being culture and the difficulty of work you complete. After hearing about her personal story, I felt I could relate to her experiences as a person of colour living in Australia.

Through this, she extracted her experiences and used them to create a career for herself as a mentor, designer and educator.

As I heard more about her time working with underserved communities, it

made

me

realise how much one designer can impact the world. I hadn't fully pondered the tangible effects of design in the real world until Michelle talked about her work with hospital patients and public schools. I really enjoyed my conversation with Michelle and strive to change the world through my own design.

Page 10 of 12

Reflections Where I Stand Having

interviewed

multiple

designers

and

conducted research on UX and service design, my aim

is

to

concentrate

on

improving

user

experience by enhancing existing solutions for the betterment of the world. And after hearing from Michelle Ou about her experiences working with underserved communities, I’d like to start my career at a place like the Centre for Inclusive Design and hear about the processes involved in creating inclusive and sustainable solutions for vulnerable groups of people.

Through this research, I wanted to understand how design could change the world and affect people’s lives. In my experience studying design, we’re often taught about the surface level of how our solutions could help a business or a customer, I never felt connected with what I was creating. However, this has changed. I now appreciate how things differ within teams and how different solutions require different skill sets. I want to be a designer that can educate non-designers and put myself within their

research

accessible

empathetic usable

inclusive

diversity

ethical philosophy patience

testing

interaction

digital

art creative

human

shoes, designing not for myself or a business but for a human.

Although I don’t know which field I’d eventually like to work in, user experience and service design align with what I’d like to be doing in the future. I hope to make a difference in the world in my own way, solving problems through empathy and strategy, incorporating different philosophies of life to solutions. It is what we owe to each other. Hopefully one day, I'll be a designer someone reaches out to for help, a mentor who can teach them about the career market or perhaps even asks to interview them for their assignment about the professional design marketplace.

Page 11 of 12 What's Next?

From here, I have 3 years left of my degree.

During this time, I’d like to build my network and become involved with more extracurriculars. As of now, I am currently the co-president of the University of Sydney’s Google Developer Student Club and work for the streaming company Stan in the product team.

By the end of 2023, I have an internship lined up for a consulting firm. Eventually, I’d like to move overseas and explore the world, working with different types of companies like startups or large corporations.

After hearing from James Nau about his experience job-hopping and his shift into the tech space, I hope to work in various industries like film or music, finding out how user experience can relate to different corners of the world.

Later on in my career, being the ‘Head of Design’ like James Nau would be my ultimate goal as I’d like to dictate the vision of a company’s brand and be in charge of other aspiring designers, shaping their career journey just as all of my role models and mentors have done for me.

1 year 5 years Complete my internship at a tech company

10 years Become a junior UX designer @ a mid-level firm

20 years Move overseas and experience different design roles for various fims (inclusive design, service design, graphic design and etc.)

Become head of branding/design for an inclusive design firm

Page 12 of 12

Bibliography AirTasker. (2023). About us. Airtasker. https://www.airtasker.com/au/about/ Bahaieva, O. (2021, December 11). 3 Revealing Reasons Why a UX Designer Career Is Stressful. UX Designers Club. https://medium.com/ux-designers-club/3-revealing-reasons-why-ux-designercareer-is-stressful-30a9b4bdcb6a BrainStation. (2023). What Does a UX Designer Do? (2021 Guide) | BrainStation®. BrainStation. https://brainstation.io/career-guides/what-does-a-ux-designer-do Buchanan, R. (2001). Human Dignity and Human Rights: Thoughts on the Principles of HumanCentered Design. Design Issues, 17(3), 35–39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1511799? casa_token=J2HInryMuNgAAAAA%3Ah0NpO5xjreaLdOVHXukXf55DIHLPpnI5JConCWt7AtvG_nSvUZDrwiAPfRs8CRd1r6WAQ6aSh7AQQhSbCXegQwukTg1D45KjYy6X5O5uCLfnlYXB0l Clarkson, P. J., Coleman, R., Keates, S., & Lebbon, C. (2013). Inclusive Design: Design for the Whole Population. In Google Books. Springer Science & Business Media. https://books.google.com.au/books? hl=en&lr=&id=z2vjBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP17&dq=inclusive+design+&ots=oAaObSv6fA&sig=kZD aPm1GhNryidYAAhmbzVGA4mU#v=onepage&q=inclusive Interaction Design Foundation. (2015). What is Service Design? The Interaction Design Foundation; UX courses. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/service-design Interaction Design Foundation. (2019). What is User Experience (UX) Design? The Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design Mhanna, S. (2019, October 15). Service Design is not enough. The Moment. https://www.themoment.is/service-design-is-not-enough/ NEXA. (2019). Service Design: 6 Barriers to Service Design and how to overcome them. Nexa.com.au. https://blog.nexa.com.au/blog/6-barriers-to-service-design Norman, D. A. (2016). Living with complexity. The Mit Press.

Scanlon, T. M. (1998). What we owe to each other. Belknap Press Of Harvard University Press.

Stickdorn, M., Lawrence, A., Hormess, M., & Schneider, J. (2018). This is service design methods, a companion to This is service design doing : expanded service design thinking methods for real projects. O’reilly Media, Inc.