Week 25 - Discovering and re-Discovering 🕵️🔎
Eat, sleep, breathe Data Hub 💾
For the past couple of weeks I have been preoccupied with many questions, thoughts and feelings whilst exploring the Department for International Trade’s corporate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool, known as Data Hub. The tool supports the Department to manage communications with global businesses, and in turn aims to secure better trade and investment in the UK.
Considering the drastic impact the big C has been having on trade and businesses the last 18 months - I feel keener to make our teamwork count! 🙌
Finding words to describe the problem 👄
Delving into the system of the CRM tool I soon realised its purpose was far easier to explain in words than the repetitive step by step process the user takes when recording a single interaction (type of communication), on multiple companies’ databases. It was clear from this verbal challenge alone that the simpler a service is - the easier it is to translate, and this area of service was too much of a mouthful!
I won’t exhaust you with the complexities of the process, but I’ll say when there is no alternative option that prevents the user from repeating manual tasks over and over again to complete a service, it’s just not user-friendly. 😓
But great things can come from repetition 🔁
Ironically, even though we are working to eliminate the user’s need to create unnecessary duplication of tasks, we had to embrace repetition to strengthen our awareness of user pain-points and explore meaningful solutions.
By this I mean:
Repeat the user’s experience. Only then can you gain a better perspective on the problem and heighten your empathy for the user.
Reiterate the issues. This helps to keep the user’s requirements focussed and in the foreground of every design exploration and discussion.
Re-read the user research. Ensure that all details about the user’s needs haven’t been missed and identify regular pain-points to aid prioritising the problems to solve.
Rewrite the problem. If the brief/mission brief is not defining the problem with clear connection to the user’s scenarios, make the necessary changes to get you heading towards that North Star.
Better understanding = better solutions 🤔
This may be a ‘that’s just common sense’ statement but sometimes through distractions and haste - the importance of having a better understanding for a problem gets neglected and produces ineffective outcomes. Just try to remember that repetition enhances awareness!
I think the plans for this weekend will be eat, sleep, repeat (and possibly re-watch Roy Pulver demonstrate the value of repetition 😁). Enjoy your weekend.
Dawn is a Designer at Made Tech, based out of our London office.