Design, Consequences & Everyday Life
Summary
This session examines design interactions beyond screens -- supermarkets, train stations and kiosks alike -- to examine the ways we've grafted the digital world into everyday life without bringing along the users of these tools and technologies. We'll explore the ways that friction causes bottlenecks in the delivery of government services and how designers can use research and collaboration to uncover these pitfalls before they're too hard to fix.
Key Insights
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Many service technologies fail because they are poorly researched and not designed with real users in mind.
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Every design challenge is fundamentally a research problem requiring ongoing investigation, even under tight timelines.
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Good friction can be a necessary security feature, though friction is often considered negatively by designers.
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Attention theft—designs that siphon user focus aggressively—is a growing problem, often embedded in common digital experiences.
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Service design often assumes a homogenous user group, ignoring significant disparities between neighborhoods, cities, and demographics.
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‘Consequence design’ emphasizes the unseen orchestration behind smooth service experiences, akin to a backstage orchestra in a performance.
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In the US, profit-driven approaches and cultural attitudes make public service design more difficult compared to countries with stronger social service frameworks.
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Participatory design—designing with users rather than for them—and building trust are crucial for successful public service projects.
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The gaps and failures in service design often stem from focusing too narrowly on problems or from insufficient stake-holder involvement.
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Small, practical improvements (like providing warm coats to children) are sometimes more impactful than pursuing large-scale system changes.
Notable Quotes
"Every problem is a research problem."
"That friends is service experience in the 21st century."
"Friction can be good, especially when protecting private information."
"Attention theft is when experiences are designed to siphon away your focus aggressively."
"We’re not designing for people, we’re designing with them."
"Service design does not have an answer for how to handle radically different user needs across communities."
"Public services in the US are harder to design because everything has to have a cost and be paid for."
"If you do enough research, you might find 20% of your users are edge cases, so maybe you’re not building for the right people."
"It’s less about interaction and more about integrity: How can we build trust in experiences?"
"I’m just trying to get the kid a coat, I don’t need it on my resume."
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