Startup
Participatory Design Consultants
This case showcases my knowledge and skills within the field of participatory and interaction design, startups, and project management.
The startup team consisted of three MSc - Product Design students with bachelor backgrounds in the healthcare sector. Our initial aim was to create a concept and identity for the startup based on our knowledge, skills, interests, and the needs of the market. We focused on offering consultation services to companies in welfare technology product development through participatory design and interaction design. Our main achievement was the design of a dialogue tool based on participatory design and interaction design for Haderslev municipality, which involved various stakeholders.
This case differs significantly from the other cases in my portfolio due to the specific project management tools and the business approach that was used.
So, why did we decide to use participatory design? We based our reasoning on empirical insights from our previous work experience in the healthcare field. We all had experiences where we found that welfare technology and solutions were not adequately adapted to consumers, and often the facilitators did not possess the necessary knowledge to instruct consumers in using the products optimally. We shifted our consultancy focus from welfare technology to participatory design because we believed in the huge potential it holds. Participatory Design can be defined as a learning process in which designers and users learn from each other. We did however keep our professional interest in welfare technology but used participatory design and interaction design as our methodology.
The experiences gained from working with the startup have provided me with valuable insights that I will carry forward into my future product design endeavors.
Business
The goal of this startup was to generate actual revenue and transition from a startup stage to a full-fledged company. To achieve this goal, I identified specific business methods and approaches that would be beneficial. We conducted a market analysis, developed a business plan and canvas, and utilized other tools. However, one tool, in particular, proved to be extremely effective - the value proposition canvas. We used this tool on several occasions, such as visualizing the insights we gained from our potential users during our networking process (market analysis) and discussing and mapping out the reasons and methods behind our first employment with Haderslev municipality.
Value proposition canvas
Project Management
When I joined the startup, I approached it with a project manager's attitude. I found that various tools and methods from the field of project management benefited the startup. For example, we employed a goal hierarchy to ensure stable progress and provide the team with an excellent overview of the processes. We also utilized a Gantt chart to stay on track and meet our deadlines. Additionally, each co-founder kept a logbook to reflect on their personal progress and make it easier for us to track our activities and accomplishments.
The Goal Hierarchy for our startup
After engaging in our first employment (as described further down the page), we created a stakeholder map to visualize the stakeholders' influence and interest in the project. We understood the reasoning behind their interests and influence, so we chose not to invest time in making a stakeholder analysis.
Overall, I found that by actively practicing the mindset and critical thinking of project management, I was able to stay on top of things, work effectively, and maintain an overview. I doubt this would have been possible with a less structured and professional approach.
Stakeholder map from our first employment.
Design
As with every other case in my portfolio, this one also contains design elements. However, due to the context of a startup, the design elements are quite different. In order to establish a company identity, we designed a logo and a website. To create the logo, we used our company name and designed it using the letters of our name. Each of us made sketches, compared them, and collectively decided on and finalized the logo design. As for the website, we were not very ambitious at first. I created a draft using WordPress, primarily describing the people involved with the startup. We decided to finalize the website once we had completed our first job and became a registered company.
Final logo design.
Once we secured our first job, we could dive into product design by utilizing methods such as ideation, prototyping, mockups, tinkering, and more. We promptly opted to develop a communication tool in the form of a game, utilizing gamification approaches.
During the design process, three particular instances stood out to me.
Firstly, we struggled with deciding on the game's shape and form, as games can incorporate a wide variety of objects and mechanics. However, once we settled on a hexagon puzzle format, the process rapidly accelerated, marking a pivotal turning point in the design phase.
Secondly, we aimed to clearly define the game's purpose and theme for the users. During the ideation phase of accommodating that purpose, we devised "the key," which symbolized the user's house key. Once we integrated this element into the game, it suddenly made sense in the overall picture and met our customer's requirements.
Prototype tinkering in session
Finally, we encountered some minor disagreements concerning the game's materials. It's important to note that the startup was operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced our selection of materials. The game was designed to be physically used by multiple individuals in various settings, thus the need for disinfection was paramount. I strongly recommended using acrylic as the primary material. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 circumstances, our workshop had to shut down, and we were unable to produce the final prototype. Consequently, we opted for cardboard pieces for one-time use.
I will elaborate further on the product in the section “Our first job - Dialogus”.
This is a digital illustration of the pieces involved in the Dialogus game.
Networking
We had reached a stage where we decided to expand our network by setting up meetings and acquiring contacts. We spoke with various organizations, including The Development Unit for the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management at SDU and a project leader from the OPI foundation at Welfare Tech, among others. The outcome of these meetings primarily consisted of further references to persons of interest and distribution of our startup pitch. At this point, we had decided to offer our services pro bono to build our startup portfolio.
I then discovered a hub-oriented organization and scouted the members of their community, identifying a series of companies from which we could gather crucial market intelligence. Our goal in collecting these insights was to determine the challenges the companies faced, how they overcame them, and whether they engaged in participatory design. We sent out emails with three questions and received eight replies, which provided us with an excellent foundation to build our startup based on the industry's demands and needs.
While I was familiar with the concept of networking as a business strategy before, this stage of the startup truly emphasized the power of networking. Networking is an effective method for gaining market insights, engaging in collaborations, and mapping out stakeholders.
Our first job - Dialogus
Snippet from the game manual
The Haderslev municipality was conducting a project to assist the elderly in living at home for a longer period, rather than residing in a nursing home. During this project, we approached the project manager and proposed that we could help the project team gather insights from the elders utilizing a product design approach. The project team was enthusiastic, and we were hired for the job. Our task was to design a tool that would facilitate the sensitive conversations between the project team and the elderly. To achieve this, we requested a thorough briefing on the users, including their personas, as well as the project details, to take a user-centered approach to the design task at hand.
This is a screenshot from one of the prototype testing sessions. The project manager is on the left, the prototype is on the bottom right, and the observer is on the top right.
Prototype testing
An interesting aspect of this job was the prototype testing phase. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to conduct the testing with the users in person, so we developed a virtual approach to conduct the testing sessions.
We utilized a method called "The Blind Processor" using the virtual platform of Microsoft Teams. One designer would tinker and operate the prototype based on the inputs from another facilitator, functioning as a user. In this case, I acted as the user and gave implicit instructions to the operator displaying and operating the prototype in his video-feed. By doing so, the users gained an understanding of the game mechanics and the overall concept of the game.
One significant drawback of this approach was the absence of UX, which we planned to incorporate later in the project. We conducted several sessions with various members of the project team in the Haderslev municipality and used their feedback to finalize the prototype, so we could proceed with the sensitive analog prototype testing with the elderly and the project team. We wanted to ensure that the prototype worked correctly, even without UX insights, as the analog prototype testing sessions would be very sensitive, and the elderly deserved to be introduced to a well-functioning prototype that would not confuse or frustrate them.
Dissolvement
Unfortunately, the startup had to be dissolved due to several reasons. Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the completion of the project for Haderslev municipality. Secondly, the startup was founded by three MSc students who lost interest in the project once they started working on their master's thesis. Additionally, when the pandemic ended, so did the project with Haderslev municipality. The realization that all the hard work and effort put into the startup would not be utilized as intended dampened the motivation to continue. As a result, the decision was made to shut down the startup.
