Exercise

Step-by-step guide:

1. Find someone to interview - It could be a friend, a friend of a friend or a colleague. Think about what you might want to learn about in relation to this person and their life. This isn’t about conducting a targeted interview so you don’t want to be too specific, but settle on a particular area of their life or needs that you could focus on. You might want to learn about their family and experience of parenting, their school and social experiences, or how a disability affects their day-to-day life for example.

2. Tell them about what you’re doing - That you’re participating in a design course and are trying out some new tools to get to know people better.

3. Get ready - Take a look at the three tools below and how they can be used. Print off one or more of them depending on what you think you might like to explore, and have some different coloured pens and markers ready.

4. Find a time and place to chat - You could go to their place, a cafe or somewhere quiet like a local park. Wherever the participant feels comfortable and able to share openly. User research usually happens in-situ, so that the researcher can observe as much as listen. For example, if you wanted to learn about a parent’s experience of family life, it would make sense to visit them in their home or at a park - the places they spend a lot of their time.

5. Write up your observations into a story - use your completed tool alongside your memories and additional notes to write a short story about the person you interviewed. Start with a short description of who they are, so that anyone reading the story can get a clear picture of them in their mind. You could also include a photo of them if they have given you permission, or draw a cartoon of them.

Timeline

WHY USE THIS TOOL?

Timelines are a way of helping people to talk through the positive and negative events that make up the narrative of their life.

Putting the individual in control of drawing their own timeline lets them tell their story at their own pace. It often reveals connections and causes that the individual themselves had not considered before, and can sometimes be an emotional experience.

Timelines also reveal the kinds of social and  service support that have really made a  difference to people, and the kinds that have been unhelpful or destructive. Identifying these points allows comparison across the stories of others. What has consistently made a difference to people?

OUTPUTS

A detailed story of an individual’s personal history, as told by them.

PRINTING (OR DRAWING)

Print or draw the Timeline on 297 x 420 mm (11.7 x 16.5 in).

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

Step 1

Use the timeline to help the participant plot the

important events in their life. The year they start is up to them. Events which they feel positive about go above the line, and negative events below. Ask the participant to join up the points to give an overview of the ups and downs over the years.

Talk to the individual about any ‘turning points’  that had a big impact on their timeline, as well as the ongoing factors that have either helped keep things on track or been a constant struggle.

Step 2

Return to the timeline during the day, to add more detail or revisit a particular event. Talking  about the past can be a difficult experience, and breaking it up into chunks can help.

Step 3

Use the insights generated from this tool to inform a short story about this individual. In a full design thinking process we would then feed into a group synthesis, Here we would look across a number of people’s lives and extract some meaningful insights about what we learned. These insights then inform how we go about designing possible solutions to their biggest challenges.

Social Network

WHY USE THIS TOOL?

The social network tool maps the connections  and support that an individual is able to draw on. 

Uncovering networks of support help us to  understand people’s motivations and preferences in how they connect with the things around them. It also highlights any gaps that exist in their network.

It is up to the participant to define what they  count as being someone in or out of their social network. It can include friends and family, professionals such as a doctor; non-professionals such as a bus driver or faith leader; or institutions like schools and community centres.

Social networks can cover many different types of support, for example:

• Financial

• Emotional

• Physical health

• Parenting and childcare

OUTPUTS

A visual diagram of the types and level of support available to different individuals.

PRINTING (OR DRAWING)

Print or draw the Social network tool on on 297 x 420 mm (11.7 x 16.5 in).

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

Step 1

Ask the participant to write the people places and organisations that they have relationships with on the map. It is up to them what they count as being a ‘close’ or ‘loose’ relationship.

Include their names, who they are and how long the participant has known them.

Finally, write down the different types of support these people or services provide.

Step 2

Discuss what these people or services mean to the individual. Who do they feel closest to? Where  would they go to in a time of crisis? Are there resources they would like to draw on more often? What’s missing?

Step 3

Use the insights generated from this tool and write a short story about the individual. In a full design thinking process we would then feed into a group synthesis. Here we would look across a number of people’s lives and extract some meaningful insights about what we learned. These insights then inform how we go about designing possible solutions to their biggest challenges.

Daily Routine

WHY USE THIS TOOL?

Helping people to talk through their daily routine will give a sense of how people spend their time, and particularly positive or difficult times during a typical day.

It builds a picture of the typical ‘rhythm’ of  people’s lives, even if that rhythm is characterised by an absence of routine or stability. This opens up new conversations that reveal people’s deeper ambitions, struggles, knowledge and support.

Questions around daily routine include:

• How do you and your family spend your time?

• Are there moments you particularly look forward to?

• Are there moments or activities you find particularly difficult?

What makes something a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ day?

OUTPUTS

Insights into the best and difficult parts of everyday life and opportunities for more support.

PRINTING

Print the Daily routine tool in on 297 x 420 mm (11.7 x 16.5 in).

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

Step 1

Ask participants to talk through a typical day in their life. What happened, and when? Did things go to plan? Think about activities as well as time spent looking after yourself or others.

Step 2

Think about yesterday, and talk through what  happened. Was it a typical day? If not, why not?

Step 3

Use the insights generated from this tool and  write a short story about the individual. In a full design thinking process we would then feed into a group synthesis. Here we would look across a number of people’s lives and extract some meaningful insights about what we learned. These insights then inform how we go about designing possible solutions to their biggest challenges.