According to the World Health Organisation there is a crisis in the world today, one of physical inactivity. So how can we use Service Design, or Experience Design thinking to create a more active world?
This presentation was given at the UX Australia Service Design Conference in Canberra, November 2016.
In my world of sport and physical activity there is a somewhat surprising situation on our hands… according to the World Health Organisation
There is a crisis in the world today, one of inactivity.
“Physical inactivity is recognized as a global pandemic that not only leads to diseases and early deaths, but imposes a major burden to the economy”
In 2012, The Lancet published a landmark study on physical activity, which showed an estimated 5·3 million deaths per year are due to inactivity; it is 1 of the 10 leading factors contributing to death, and that physical inactivity is as deadly as smoking!
And, a world-first study has revealed that the cost financially is immense, at $67.5 billion* globally, in healthcare expenditure and lost productivity, revealing the enormous economic burden of an increasingly sedentary world.
More than 80% of the world's adolescent population is insufficiently physically active.
Many Australians will be shocked to know that 14,000 deaths each year are attributed to physical inactivity. Only one in every 3 of children, and ONLY ONE in TEN young people undertook the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. AND, 7 out of 10 Australian adults (i.e. almost 12 million adults) are either sedentary or have low Dr Melody Ding, Senior Research Fellow from the University of Sydney School of Public Health
World Health Organisation http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs385/en/
So what is the solution?
Well activity of course. A more active world
And you might argue we are active, us Aussies and Kiwi’s have a sporting nation.
And the stats support that. To some extent. There is always a but…
Although 64% of us are active in physical activity each year, relatively few of us are active enough (according to WHO and Chief Medical Officer guidelines), the 30 mins 5 times a week (or similar) you may have heard of
So how how do we get a more active world?
More active events, programs and campaigns. More active sport.
Changing behaviours – active lifestyles beyond sports
Communities, the enviornments we spend our time in, active workplaces, schools, and transport solutions
So in our work at Limelight we talk about Service Design or Experience design thinking
For me, a definition of Experience Design is, a collaborative, human centered approach
focused on empathy for the ‘experiencer’ and an understanding of the world around them.
And we start looking at the journey, the life of a target audience, starting with personas.
What are they doing in life, thinking, feeling, walking in their shoes we call it.
We then look at how we can play a role in their lives, what interactions we might have that would be of value in influencing their behaviour.
In comms, across various channels, whether online of physical touchpoints.
And this directs our actions, what plans we create.
Is it making for a better expereience, a desireable, feasible and viable campaign?
And importantly we run these actions thru the lens of whether or not that will provide value in changing attitude and behaviour.
Whether we are understanding their pains and the gains they have, in life, and toward a more active life.
The barriers and hurdles, the drivers and motivators.
Those functional decisions, emotional, social and life factors that all play up in our decision making journeys.
So we came up with 12 typical moments on a campaign journey which have significant impact, in which we should focus on to optimsie our influence
And we know that every persons journey will be different, and wont neccesarily be linear, or predictable, but, we have observed patterns which can help us shape our campaigns and our actions
And within these phases are the first 6 moments of impact, which I will explain more in a moment
The trigger – the consider – the ‘deal’ breaker – the reconsider – the commit – then the prep moments
And then we have our phases of the actual experience, thru to reflection
And within these phases are the later 6 moment of impact,
The eve – the journey to the event – the start – the action / activity itself – the finish – then the reflection
And our actions reflect where our audience are on their respective journeys, and how we need to communicate with them, and what we provide.
1. ’the trigger’
The moment of inspiration, the trigger that ignites the interest in someone’s mind to explore this experience further. It most often comes from ‘word of mouth’, and will always involve some influence from others.
Knowing what creates this word of mouth, and the channels that ignite that communication is critical, and is something we understand deeply at Limelight.
Being able to create this moment of impact is where the journey begins.
2. ‘the consider’
Being able to influence in these moments is even more critical. Where that emotional trigger is met with some rationale decision making.
The potential barriers and the pains in life, that functional evaluation. We aim to minimize these impacts, and enhance the drivers, the gains that will meet your needs and desires.
3. ‘the deal breaker’
As a typical storyline goes, the ‘hero’ sets out on a journey, but always encounters conflict as they go. And we all experience this - the many reasons NOT do do it. Events are somewhat distinct to other products or services, in that they require ACTIVE investment of self, of commitment and energy, which in turn is what sets them apart, and makes them so engaging.
4. ‘the reconsider’
If we are doing our jobs well, the functional, emotional and social criteria will swing in our favor. Our hero continues on their journey with us. We offer ‘spurs’ which enhance the motivation, or combat the challenges, whether in ability, accessibility, or information.
5. ‘the commit’
Moving from the awareness to registration phase the event concepts moment of truth. For the participant / experiencer, and for the event creator. The more we can create positive touch points, eliminate pains and unnecessary touch points at this phase is crucial.
Registering formalizes the commitment to the event experience. It needs to be as seamless and inspiring, as much as it is functional.
6. ‘the prep’
We see this as a crucial part of the journey with us.
An opportunity to engage across a period of time much greater than the event itself, and often the most rewarding phase of a journey. The training, learning, and growth is at the core of any experience.
7. ‘the eve’
Often the most heightened part of an experience, the event eve is one of the most influential in a participant’s experience of the event itself. The final functional preparation, the emotional anticipation.
8. ‘the journey & arrival’
Just like the eve of an event, there are many physical and online opportunities to connect and influence on event day outside of the actual on site experience.
‘First impressions’ is critical in this phase. The interactions must be impactful, to set the tone and influence that all important ‘vibe’, that intangible we evaluate all our experiences on.
9. ‘the start’
Quite often THE ONLY MOMENT of impact that can be truly experienced and shared EN MASSE. All of our participants are focused in this moment together, and is one that need to be brilliantly maximized.
10. ‘doing it – the challenge – the effort’
This is the experiential moment of truth. For the experiencer, and for the event promoter.
The active engagement at this time should be at is highest. Enjoyment is the ultimate goal, but ideally it involves some element of challenge or growth, so that the end result is something truly rewarding.
11. ‘the finish’
This should not be an end point. It should be a celebration, and an opportunity to reflect, and share the participants experience.
This is the start of the next journey, and capturing this moment in real life and online, with, and for, participants is a golden moment of opportunity.
12. ‘reflecting & sharing’
There is a finite window of opportunity as the moment subsides, and with all these phases, creating impact in these moments is critical. The experience will be forgotten if you don’t leverage this window.
And conversely when the results, the comments, the images, are shared back immediately, in a format in which they can be shared again, amplifies these moments and makes them even more powerful.