re-engaging with people.

experience test.

The experience of the service was tested by observing the person involved and interviewing them afterwards. This is a technique used by Service Designers to find out what clients do, what they think and how they feel.

 

focus groups.

A small group of diverse people were selected to enable me to have a guided discussion about my selected idea. This qualitative method was used to share thoughts and opinions, feelings , attitudes and misconceptions. This was an interesting method to identify what people really think of my service and get their opinions on new ideas or improvements.

thinking aloud.

A selected few people were asked to think out loud whilst using a part of the service. This revealed their expectations, experience and problems of using my service. prompted and encouraged to speak out. I also studied how people feel when they go out to collect the mail - bringing in the mail is a detour that allows consumers to relax, unwind and come back a little more refreshed.

contextual interview.

One user in particular was interviewed in the relevant environment; I chose a green park on a sunny day. I arranged the interviews to take place in an environment I predict people would become part of my service. This enabled me to find out why people do certain things and what their expectations are. This information was captured in audio form. This also provided qualitative data about the use of the service. Rich insights into client behavior and their interactions with the service were found.

character profiles.

This exercise helped to establish an understanding of who the clients of the service are. I created an image and a short description of a fictional character. This helped me to understand and imagine what sort of client would use the service, and what their needs, experiences and expectations are. It was a cheap and quick method of gaining insight into users. found myself often questioning values of certain characters..."what would Sara do at this point?"

The following are examples of user input from these events.

 

This book was a strong insight into a user group I did not fully delve into in my research.

It is crammed with examples of letters and notes that flat mates send to each other. It was particularly interesting to see the different objects/mediums people write on.

continuation of self-involvement.

This experiement was continued on from the research phase as I do believe the act of posting and receiving my hand written letter most days contributes to my understanding of the area.

typewritten vs. handwriting vs. word processing.

Following my initial research into this concept I wanted to explore it further beyond my personal opinions, by involving other.

Some people study best at night time and in silence, while others prefer daylight and background music. Extended mental processes, and creative processes in particular, are hopelessly open to individual variation. Development in a skill is partly a matter of finding what works for you personally.

So talking to people regarding the question of longhand vs typewritten and handwriting vs word processor drew the following conclusion.

It is not an either/or thing -- people frequently use both. The trick is to know when to use what. Secondly, there's a large number of factors that go into the choice, including:

• How fast you can type, and how IT-literate you are
• How messy your handwriting, and how tiring
• How good an editor you are, and, in general, where your various writing strengths lie
• The sort of work you're doing -- fiction or non-fiction; prose or poetry; blogging or magazines; outlining or drafting; brainstorming or proofreading; deadlines or no deadlines.
• The style and genre you're writing in (perhaps tiring handwriting is a good thing if you want weariness in your story; perhaps typing is a good thing to access the conventions of e-mails)
• What you grew up with and are comfortable with
• What your associations are, how your thinking works
• The sheer limitations of your life... whether or not you've got computer access.
  

In word you can word count, spell check, find and replace, and footnote. Furthermore, you can easily reach google, your e-mail and your blog etc.

On paper you can mind map, chart, and draw. There are associations that come along with handwriting. Many people questioned said they felt like they were writing in a diary when writing by hand. Whereas, typewritten can feel more like a public announcement.

Handwriting is more relaxed .Whereas typewritten is closer to publication, and an audience is more distractingly present.

When talking about speed- typing lets you get it down before you forget it, and gives you the power to catch a lot more of what flickers across the consciousness - including your natural speech patterns.

Typing can be closer to flying, and can encourage you to think faster. If your mind is thinking a thousand thoughts a second ...typing captures them all.

If your pen can't keep pace with your brain, people often find themselves left with nothing to say. That is why many people questioned felt intimidated by a blank sheet of paper.

It seems apparent that people put more thought into their words when writing with a pen. This is a good thing as your brain spends more time on the words, and can bring more to them.

Typewriters are perceived differently, yet again. They are associated with feeling efficient, professional, businesslike - people felt they put you in a working mood, give you a sense of 'working away'. Perhaps they feel like something is happening, like things are getting done.

Consider the sound of the carriage return, or the physicality of it, especially if you actually need to push. The crisp action of the keys, their solidity, their precision. The closeness and realness of the machine, and the associations and self-image you're tapping into. Or is the noise distracting?

pen and paper.

It seems there are no shortage of people who admire the glide, who have a 'favourite pen' and who spend time and money on finding the right pencil or pen (light, dark, fountain, ballpoint), and the right colour and texture of paper.

When you turn off the computer's drone, you begin to be aware of other things - paper can make you think more purposefully. Just like people play better chess against real rather than computer opponents, and when there's a physical board involved.

Handwriting is natural: typeface is not. Speech is natural: but your recorded speech is not. When you hear words in your mind, you know them. But on page, on tape, they're another's voice, their implications mysterious. They're open to interpretation in a way that they weren't; and they have a likely interpretation, based on a statistics game; and they are vulnerable to common meanings.

Typewritten letters are mostly always regarded impersonal, whereas the shortest of handwritten notes has life, character, humanity.

The same word typed and handwritten means different things to different people, triggers different thoughts in everyone's heads. I suppose as a conclusion this could be an argument either for typing or for longhand,

Typewriting is too impersonal, and the computer is too much of an interruption.

The answer to my problem lies in hand writing.

people and Douceurs service.

Douceurs is a service designed around peoples needs, wants and desires. The crucial point in relation to Service Design and people is this: they are all unique. People who use your service are not just 'users' they are much more. Users are one dimensional - people aren't.

The customers journey is one which is documented heavily in the design section. However, it is gaining feedback that has been key in allowing me to develop my thinking towards the way people interact with my service.

In order to reach more people to assist in the development of my service I placed an advert in the local newspaper.

I initially wanted to place this ad:

After discussion with the team at the newspaper, we decided the letter would generate the most feedback.

douceurs greetings.

moodboard.

A collage of different images and materials were used to show the mood or atmosphere of Douceurs. This allowed me to create an overall impression. I tried to collate the service experience and the environment the service will take place in. This created an unconscious, sensual and intangible value of the service that is difficult to capture by words. Some images are conceptual, some show details ad some are metaphors.

conversations with the experts.

I have been in regular contact with an archivist, who is a key person in the development of my design.

This lady is teaching me all about time proofing and the ways I can adopt it into my service.

I have also been in contact with the head of Innovation at the Royal Mail. His input is crucial as he can inform me of technicalities behind mail that I otherwise, would have no access too.

This article is an profound example of how my service relates to people and their lives. Capturing real stories has been an active part of my development.

experience prototyping.

As my type written emails evoked such a response in my research phase I adopted a similar approach when designing a 'probe' to encourage users to experience a component of the service.

 

These images portray a sample of the letters I have received as a result of this probe. The users highlighted who the wanted the letter delivered too, their current relationship with that person and the date they wanted it delivered.

p.s. I encouraged users to use their own paper and pen to give me an insight into peoples preferred writing materials.

Here are some samples of the writings:

"it excites me to guess what it will be like in the future. I can only hope that at 32, I have more common sense than I do at 22."

"i sincerely want to be able to remember daily routines."

"ten years worth of love."

"I know I have told you what a caring person you are so I am just putting these feelings into words."

"You used to be funny - I hope you still are."

''I hope you keep listening to music: remember how loud you should play it."

"enjoy the next chapter of your life with the same enthusiasm you always have and know how special you are to me."

Some of them were small scale experiences and I delivered the letter weeks later. This allowed me to document the emotions involved in receiving the letter as well as sending it.

becoming an empathetic designer.

I believe curiosity is vital to understanding human behavior. Sometimes you don't know how to be very curious? Talking to a five year old and hanging out with them for a while allowed me to ask the same questions they do....why? because the communication methods we use today lack value.

Getting out into the real world has helped me to walk in the shoes of my users ...talking to the people I am designing for.

ethnography.

the systematic and immersive study of human cultures.

A trip to Paris enabled me to observe where and when people write from the perspective of a different culture.

In praise of snails pace.
By Ellen Goodman

“I arrive at the post office carrying an artifact from another age. It is a square envelope, hand written with a return address that can be found in map. Inside a condolence note ..I would no more send an e-condolence than an e-thank you or an e-wedding invite. There are certain rituals you cannot speed up without destroying them.”

Whats next for people?

Making things work for people - I started with an understanding of users. I imagined what it could be. I have experimented through prototyping. I then encouraged participation...I will now make it work for real people and their lives.

The mail ‘smoothes out life in the sense that itss interactions mediate social relationships.