Exploratory applied workshops

The most important test of an idea generation tool is probably whether it is found of use by its userswhether they choose to use it, or continue to use it, and embed it in their business or organisational decision-making processes. The workshops described in section 5.3.2 were carried out in a university setting rather than an industrial or public sector context, and the utility and usability of the toolkit in this latter `real world' situation is essential to its further development.

In response to invitations, some exploratory workshops applying the toolkit to `real' (and otherwise externally set) behaviour-related problems were carried out, using DwI v.0.9 in card, worksheet and on-screen form, in `inspiration mode'. These acted as a precursor to the larger applied trials with v.1.0 described in section 5.4, and were facilitated by both the author and others. In the following sections, the `act' and `observe' stages of the action research procedure are summarised together.

Workshops with IDEO, the RSA and the NPIA

In September 2009, an invitation was received from the RSA to run two workshops using the DwI toolkit as part of a collaborative project with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). The aim of the project was to explore a set of new approaches to the engagement of the police and citizens in local policing (RSA, 2009a), with contributions from consultancies ideo, live|work and Campbell Keegan as well as eldwork run by the RSA Projects team. One of the strands of work involved a persuasive technology approach, using design to address behavioural issues around public condence in the policefrom the points of view of both the public and the police themselves. Specically, there were six behaviours to be addressed (RSA, 2009b), listed in Table 5.11.

The rst workshop would be run at ideo London, with a mixture of ideo design-ers, RSA and NPIA sta, while the second, larger session, at the RSA itself, would involve serving police ocers and a range of community representatives. In the ideo workshop, which involved nine participants in total (though not all present the whole time), the project background, the six behaviours and the DwI patterns were introduced via presentations by Jamie Young from the RSA, Lydia Howland from ideo and the author. Then, both the larger-format cards and worksheets were distributed by lens, so that each participant (or pair of participants) had a dierent lensarchitectural, er-rorproong, persuasive, visual, cognitive and security. The session proceeded with each participant/pair `becoming acquainted' with the lens and then discussing the patterns and the approach to inuencing behaviour in the context of the police and public with the rest of the room, so that everyone present was familiar with the range of ideas. Then, collectively, the session was run along the lines of a conventional ideo brainstorm, fol-lowing the rules discussed in section 2.4.1, with each of the six behaviours considered in turn and ideas generated being recorded on Post-It notes and read out for constructive discussion.

The details of the concepts will not be discussed here (a representative sample is shown in Table 5.11); from the point of view of this thesis, apart from exploring an explicitly social rather than environmental behaviour change context, the main purpose of the workshop was to observe and take part in an ideo brainstorm, and to see how the DwI toolkit performed and was used in this kind of situation. Observation of how the toolkit was actually used in this workshop suggested that most participants did not work through the patterns or lenses in sequence in order to generate conceptsrather (as might perhaps have been expected), they tended to build on top of others' ideas, sometimes referring back to the DwI patterns and examples, but mainly using DwI as a kind of `priming' of inspirational ideas around behaviour change and design to set up the brainstorm. The A3 worksheets seemed to be used more than the cards. Lydia Howland kindly gave some feedback on the usefulness of the DwI patterns and her priorities for brainstorming at ideo:

ˆ The DwI toolkit was very useful in the workshop; the main possible improvement would be a more structured way of navigating the patternsit would be helpful to see something along the lines of these types of behavioural challenges are often best approached through these levers

ˆ For ideo, a brainstorm's `successfulness' is judged by both the facilitator and the client, but the facilitator (through experience) is often a harsher judge than the client

ˆ Quality of ideas is the most important criterion for `success' in a brainstorm, fol-lowed by diversity and then quantity. Quality is assessed by an idea being desirable to users, lling a need while also being viable/feasible to implementcriteria which may depend on user research specic to the brief being addressed. At the point of the brainstorm itself therefore, diversity and quantity may be easier to assess.

ˆ She always uses method cards or inspiration material of some kind in brainstorming In the second RSA / NPIA workshop, around 20 participants from the police and com-munity organisationsnone of them designers (other than the facilitators)addressed the same six behaviours, with the benet of an outline of some of the most promising concepts from the ideo session at the start of the workshop. Divided into three tables of six or seven people, each table worked on two of the behaviours, with each person receiving one of the DwI lens worksheets as initial stimulus material, generating ideas together and recording them on Post-It notes. This workshop was primarily intended to allow the `client' participants to take part in (and comment on) the idea generation process used in the ideo session; some of the behaviours were potentially controversial, and the workshop involved a signicant degree of discussion of the issues rather than aiming to generate a large quantity of concepts.

Discussing the NPIA project and the workshops from the RSA's point of view, Jamie Young emphasised the use of DwI as something to assist with transposing ideas from one context to another, particularly where non-designers are involved:

One of my frustrations [about behaviour change research] is that we need to put more of this research into actionbehaviour-change theory is fascinating, but it's only half the challenge. We need good ideas for how we can convert knowledge into practice. [. . . ] One of the strengths of the DwI toolkit seemed to me to give those who aren't professional designers the condence to come up with new ideas. By looking at how others have used design to inuence behaviour it is easier to transpose those ideas to the behaviours that you are trying to change.

It's methods like DwI that are one of the components missing from much of the behaviour change discourse. We need that idea-generating process to help policy makers work with designers, behaviour experts and people to make the leap into practice (Young, 2010).

Other applications of DwI v.0.9 cards and worksheets

Five other trials with the DwI v.0.9 cards and/or worksheets were carried out, the details of which are summarised in Table 5.12 for brevity. While these were not formal trials, some feedback was received from each as to how well participants understood and were able to apply the ideas from the toolkit, and how the cards and worksheets were used in practice. The exercises with Brunel design students led to some incorporating elements of DwI or the patterns into their own projects (see section 5.4.5 below), and a number of the Design for Conversion 3 participants subsequently followed the development of DwI,

Table 5.10: Some concepts from the NPIA workshops (text paraphrases RSA, 2009b) behaviour some concepts generated in workshops

Pre-empting &

preventing ocers from losing their temper

ˆ Heart rate monitors for ocers, signalling through earpiece when they might be in danger of losing their temper

ˆ Wearable cameras, so the ocer knows that other people might be able to see the way he or she handles an exchange Encouraging ocers

and sta to keep individuals updated

ˆ Enable people to update themselves on the progress of their case via police website. Make triage of cases and priorities clearer for the public

ˆ Dierent methods of update provision, e.g. text messages Helping ocers to be

more responsive and engaged with their local area

ˆ Greater smart phone use so ocers can do `desk work' while in the community and a visible presence; or hot-desks for ocers in public places such as libraries and doctors' surgeries

ˆ Smart phone applications overlaying police database information on maps of area to help ocers be more aware of vulnerable people or crime hot-spots

ˆ Oer dierent methods of engagement for segments of society, such as local radio station discussions and text messages as well as neighbourhood meetings

ˆ Shops could give the public voting tokens along the lines of Waitrose's charity scheme, to allow people to vote publicly on their policing priorities using transparent bins

Encouraging the public to police their own neighbourhoods

ˆ Open local crime data to allow people to create their own crime maps, applications and community interventions, and make it easy to keep evidence diaries on anti-social behaviour

ˆ Encourage people to challenge anti-social behaviour by pledging to match small groups of volunteers with a PCSO Encouraging the

public to treat the police with greater fairness & respect

ˆ Police badges could show the ocer's name as well as number, and perhaps also characteristics such as languages he or she speaks

ˆ Real-time signs on police stations or in other public spaces could show how many ocers are currently out in the community and could correct misperceptions of the levels of crime and anti-social behaviour

Table 5.11: Brief details of some trials with DwI v.0.9 cards and worksheets people not to spend so long showering, and / or to reduce the temperature of water used

Run by the author together with David Harrison. A lecture theatre exercise carried out with around 80 students, in small groups, after a lecture about design for sustainable behaviour. Each group received all six DwI v.0.9 worksheets as inspiration material for concept generation. Groups generated ideas and then presented them back to the room, with discussion. people not to spend so long showering, and / or to reduce the temperature of water used

Run by the author together with David Harrison. A workshop with around 20-25 students, divided into groups, with each group receiving all six DwI v.0.9 worksheets as inspiration material for concept generation. The `pinball', `shortcut' and `thoughtful' approaches (see Chapter 10) were introduced, and each group was asked explicitly to consider the merits and implications of each when developing their ideas.

persuading users to sign up to services

Run by Arjan Haring of Hogeschool Utrecht. 150 participants, divided into 10 teams, were provided with copies of the DwI v.0.9 cards as inspiration and reference material for idea generation and

development.

Run by Arjan Haring of Hogeschool Utrecht.

Students were provided with copies of the DwI v.0.9 cards and headline patterns poster as inspiration.

One activity involved arranging the cards on a whiteboard (attached with magnets) and sketching concepts and notes around each one, allowing easy cross-links between concepts and patterns, and collaboration between groups of students.

The author presented a subset of the DwI v.0.9 cards (on-screen) to an audience of Learndirect sta, and collaboratively worked through applying the patterns to the problem, with the audience

generating ideas and recording them on a ip-chart.

The simulation and feedforward pattern proved particularly productive.

downloading or buying a printed pack of the DwI v.1.0 cards when released. Where the author was able to observe the activities directly, it was evident that there were structural elements to some of the trials which seemed to make them run more smoothly (e.g. introducing worksheets to participants with a recommendation that one person in each group become familiar with each lens him or herself for a couple of minutes, before talking together as a group, rather than simply putting six information-dense A3 sheets in front of everyone at the same time) or which made certain aspects easier or more dicult (e.g. the cards, even in the larger size, were dicult for more than one person to look at together at the same time).

Section 4.4 reects on the insights from the workshops and other applications of v.0.9, and considers how improvements based on these can be incorporated into the next version of the toolkit, v.1.0.