Problem space

Working with a collaborative team in ANZx, we were tasked to redesign the ecosystem of the services and products for a key category within the bank. The project required innovations across multiple products and services in order to build a full end-to-end hybrid digital and physical ecosystem to support the category.

1.

We conducted in-depth ethnographic research through observation, shadowing and comprehensive interviews to understand people's needs and to define the principles to inform design solutions.

2.

Based on the generated insights, we prototyped the entire experienced and invited previous and new users to test it and give us feedback.

3.

We had to adapt to the COVID-19 scenario and the consequent new policies which were enacted immediately. This further challenged the project requiring us to find alternative methods to work, to conduct research and to quickly hypothesised possible fall-backs in order to be ready in case anythings would have turned wrong.

Problem space

The client notes that an increasing number of people require unsecured credit products. Unsecured products, if not managed well on the user side, can have a major financial impact. A three weeks sprint was conducted to explore users’ need, challenges and inform the design of a new solution.
How might we design an inclusive experience from the whole to the singularity of the individual while staying within the regulatory boundaries?

1.

In a sprint format, the team conduct an extensive desktop research to understand competition and new comers in the financial sectors. A further exploration is conducted to explore how other sector onboard their user. A discussion guide is developed to interview 12 users of unsecured credit product and people who are thinking to apply for one.

2.

Comparing the insight from the interview with customer’s complains, an end-to-end digital experience prototype is developed and tested on a second round of interview with the same users.

3.

The proposed solution shifts up-side-down how users currently apply for unsecured product. The experience poses a strong focus on accomodating users’ needs. The three weeks sprint exercise produces an actionable and incremental strategy for ANZ to implement the solution. Furthermore, the client was glad of their involvement in the process. They said that it informed and influenced ANZ’s agenda to design its services with people in mind.

Problem space

Scope’s model hub shifted from a home-based service to a center-based one due to a change in the governmental NDIS funds scheme. A human-centric evaluation for the new service model was needed to understand how the service was delivered and what was the resulting impact for the doctors and patients.

1.

Design of research tools to collect, analyse and triangulate qualitative and quantitive data. Research methods were user interview, customers’ and employees’ surveys.

2.

Data were synthesised in an excel dashboard. The dashboard was used as a visual asset to analyse the data in order to discover patterns, unmet needs and opportunities for intervention. Opportunities were modelled against gathered insights related to organisation’s productivity, profitability and customer experience.

3.

A written report were presented to the organisation board outlining the overarching experience of the new hub (center-based service) and design recommendation. Evidence-based strategic recommendations were offered to the client in order to design a customer-first organisation and digital-first internal management system.

Problem space

How might we design an enjoyable and empathetic “personal assistant” for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) that monitors the progression of the disease (including ideally relapse prediction) and provides superior support to improved outcomes, better quality of life and personalised symptoms management?

1.

Extensive desktop research and interview with doctors and main institutes to identify challenges and trigger-factors that people with MS have to face during their day-to-day life. This informed the design process from definition to ideation.

2.

Conducted numerous interviews with people living with MS across Europe and Australia to understand what it means MS for them. It is a very sensitive topic. The team was always available for further clarification and conversation could have been stopped at any point without reason. After each interview, information were synthesised, then analysed and clustered. In addition, insights were compared between continents to explore possible differences in how MS is experienced, understood and managed.

3.

The team designed a physical-digital ecosystem solution which aims to benefit people living with MS and the research of it. The main component was a smart-bio-inspired non-medical wearable solution. It monitors people’s quality of life and offers recommendations. An innovation roadmap was included in the delivery describing the integration of the elements within the eco-system. The objective was to leverage on data to generate novel insights which can support a better understanding of MS as well as the self-monitoring of the user’s daily activity.

Problem space

Research shows that the current earthquake disaster management practices have major limitations in localising victims and rescuing them. This is mainly due to a low level of preparedness for such events.

How might we design an innovative disaster management system that is minimal, efficient and effective while improving the the level of preparedness?
The complexity of such topic has been mapped using a human-centred design approach.

1.

An in-depth research (data mining, big data analysis, literature review) was conducted to understand disaster management and which phases (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) offers the best fit for intervention: 67% of damages can be reduce with an effective preparedness strategy.

2.

By using lateral thinking techniques the focus was steered to existing mesh of networks and the number of owned smartphones (quantitative data). Such insights gave a push forward to the projects. These existing technology can be retrofitted and used to significantly improved the connectivity of remote areas while increase preparedness and response. In addition, integrating this with new technologies such as drones and bio-inspired robots could highly impact the rescue outcome.

3.

An integrated concept was designed to include a preparedness-system app to facilitate rescuers/victims communication, to reduce response timing and the delivery of goods.

Problem space

Millions of people in small spaces, going their separate ways but ultimately still all connected in some way creates challenges for a myriad of people, from town planners to governments, businesses and consumers, workers and employers and everything in between. How might we design a more resilient and sustainable road traffic system?

1.

An insightful research with different councils around Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This exercise gave precious insights on how cities make decisions on roads, parks, parkings, traffic directions, pedestrian areas and public transport.

2.

A detailed causal-effect interpretation of urban traffic congestion and parking issues was mapped by using complex theory and system thinking. A set of strategic and design principles was offered to support design planners in developing resilient solution for urban traffic congestion. A key suggestion was to use complex adaptive systems to analyse and approach to the congestion challenge.

3.

A systematic analysis of secondary data. Cynefin, Cause/Effect/Output framework, Journey Map and Attract/Increase/Decrease framework were used to inform the set of principles.

* The research has been presented at the DMI 2018 conference. Click here if you want to read the article (p. 1288)