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How to get ideas on applications

Former Member

It is all very well going off and putting some great piece of technology together.  But it is really important that this will meet the needs of users.

I work at Designability and we spend a lot of time understanding user needs before we jump in and start designing or building things.

Here are some interesting resources when you can find out some unmet needs.

 

There is this IfOnly (it worked) website with problems submitted by users that we ran a few years ago.  https://www.youtube.com/user/IfOnlyApp/videos

Bespoken run a similar forum for people with disabilities http://www.bespoken.me/forum

There is also Enabled by Design http://enabledbydesign.org/

In the USA RESNA have a good list of resources here  http://www.resna.org/knowledge-center/peer-organizations

 

Does any one else have ideas or contacts ?

 

In my experience, wheelchair users are often pleased to be able to talk about some of the day to day accessibility challenges that they face.  If you really want to submit a great application, why not see if you could form a team with some wheelchair users ?

People who have survived a stroke can also have some problems getting around and may be pleased to talk.

When ever you approach someone to talk, please remember to do this sensitively and not make assumptions about what they may or may not feel.

If you cannot do this, design students will often simulate a physical limitation.  Go borrow a wheelchair, or get some crutches and see how you get on around home and town!

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    Hi Nigel,

     

    Interesting topic : )

     

    One situation I hit (often) is that when seeking requirements from people, they often have pre-conceived notions of how they wish to see things done (for example, I may well want to see shopping aisles content to not change from week to week at the supermarket, but my real requirement might actually be to free up time.

     

    Another person may say no, they love spending time in a supermarket, but they are really not happy that the food in their supermarket is not healthy enough. They might think their requirement is that the supermarket stock more healthier stuff.

     

    The point being that maybe there are other solutions that I as a customer might not realize. For example a guidance system to direct me to exactly which aisle I need to be in, or a more efficient food delivery service could be a couple of options that meet my needs. But, a system that tells me no, I actually am in the right aisle for every food group and that I just need to purchase and cook different things from that aisle - i.e. some expert system that diagnoses me and my family and tells me what to eat may meet my needs sufficiently and the needs of someone who thinks the supermarket only stocks unhealthy things, so both users satisfied in one fell swoop. Saving costs by implementing only one thing.

     

    Customers don't always know what technology is around the corner. And some things radically change quickly! so firms need to innovate rapidly too. Another example would be vehicles - I could sketch what my ideal sports car would look like, but driverless cars might get there before I can '3D print' a car (just an example!) - and then we have no idea what a vehicle should look like any more - does it need a glass windshield and wipers?

     

    In summary sometimes many customers's perceived requirements, though different, may be solvable in one way with unexpected technology, and that way may be more efficient/beneficial to more users. So as well as needs, there is also the requirement within teams to know what is occurring in the world of technology as best as possible, e.g. product team members to keep abreast of tech, make friends and talk to people!, engineers to attend webinars/seminars, and so on. Luckily there are lots of opportunities on Element14 to do a lot of that!

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  • 0

    Hi Nigel,

     

    Interesting topic : )

     

    One situation I hit (often) is that when seeking requirements from people, they often have pre-conceived notions of how they wish to see things done (for example, I may well want to see shopping aisles content to not change from week to week at the supermarket, but my real requirement might actually be to free up time.

     

    Another person may say no, they love spending time in a supermarket, but they are really not happy that the food in their supermarket is not healthy enough. They might think their requirement is that the supermarket stock more healthier stuff.

     

    The point being that maybe there are other solutions that I as a customer might not realize. For example a guidance system to direct me to exactly which aisle I need to be in, or a more efficient food delivery service could be a couple of options that meet my needs. But, a system that tells me no, I actually am in the right aisle for every food group and that I just need to purchase and cook different things from that aisle - i.e. some expert system that diagnoses me and my family and tells me what to eat may meet my needs sufficiently and the needs of someone who thinks the supermarket only stocks unhealthy things, so both users satisfied in one fell swoop. Saving costs by implementing only one thing.

     

    Customers don't always know what technology is around the corner. And some things radically change quickly! so firms need to innovate rapidly too. Another example would be vehicles - I could sketch what my ideal sports car would look like, but driverless cars might get there before I can '3D print' a car (just an example!) - and then we have no idea what a vehicle should look like any more - does it need a glass windshield and wipers?

     

    In summary sometimes many customers's perceived requirements, though different, may be solvable in one way with unexpected technology, and that way may be more efficient/beneficial to more users. So as well as needs, there is also the requirement within teams to know what is occurring in the world of technology as best as possible, e.g. product team members to keep abreast of tech, make friends and talk to people!, engineers to attend webinars/seminars, and so on. Luckily there are lots of opportunities on Element14 to do a lot of that!

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