Day 2: Meeting our friends from Kasese online

This morning we had an online meeting with some people in Kasese:
Peter – in charge of KADUPEDI
Phestus – Youth coordinator at KADUPEDI
Robert – a friend of Navin
Kio – builds tricycles

Using Skype, we all crammed ourselves into the webcam’s view. “We” consisted of:
The students: Andrew, Alyssa, Ruby, Carmen
The guests: Noel, Aaron
The SID: Bjarki
The READ Institute: Dean, Dale
CanUgan: Navin

This was our first official meeting with them so we were all very excited. We did a short debriefing of who the meeting should generally pan out. Within minutes we were connected and having hello at one another. We introduced ourselves and got to ask them questions relevant to our project focus. I didn’t really prepare properly because I assumed we were sticking to the questions we had emailed them earlier so I had difficulty asking the right questions when it was my turn. I was concerned about trying to ask open ended questions yet still addressing important information that would be relevant to my project rather than asking for validation of a project or an idea. (ie. Should I design this for you, do you / would you like… ) How do you design WITH someone if you just offer them things from a vague idea of something you're not even entirely clear about? All of that was going through my head while trying to think on my feet asking questions at the same time. Finally someone was like, "Just tell them your idea" so I started again and with an understandable example they could give me real feedback I told them about power exchange and tools with the trike in a brief manner and they said they know about it and had wanted to put it into practise, but has never done it (yet). That's a green light! (and wasn't so hard was it)

What I need to learn:

• How to frame questions properly
• Use easy examples
• Speaking using non-technical terms (is drivetrain a technical term?)
• Asking to repeat if you can't hear clearly
• How to talk to people who aren't in science or design
• To remember that it's neither we nor them, but us

One thing that was interesting to note, however, was a comment from Kio, the manufacturer, who asked us what was wrong with the current tricycle, because in fact, it's 85% improved. We don't want to go there and tell him that his parts are wrong and that we can do better because we know better and therefore he should make our designs instead. That also isn't our goal at all. So there is some rethinking to do to close the gap of miscommunication between us.

At the end of the call, Aaron and Noel gave feedback at the end of the call. I think that's a good habit to pick up. (end of event summary/review) Or perhaps it is easier to provide suggestions as an observer rather than a participant.

Items noted:

• Should keep building the relationship between students and Kadupedi/Kio - make a call schedule
• Mail things over now - create a physical exchange and see how long it takes to arrive
• It's really important to create a good relationship, this allows for the ease of either party to speak freely and to understand each other's nuances
• Include tricycle riders in the design process and not just the manufacturer
• Consider compensation for expertise

In the afternoon we attended a TSES lecture by Aaron Wieler from Whirlwind Wheelchairs about the journey of design and fabrication in the world of wheelchairs (in/for developing countries) while his buddy Noel doodled his way through the lecture on-screen, live.

Thumbs up for class.

 

In the lecture, Aaron shared anecdotes of his previous work and process. In this field, his design framework consists of appropriate technologies, co-creation, participating development, and creative capacity building. One of the key things was to always ask questions and listen. 

"Even when you're feeling hot and sweaty and you just want them to tell you they like the wheelchair, you need to ask questions about their mobility needs/solutions vs "Hey, do you like this?". Also, don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Crowdsource! There are lots of answers that can come through that may be really helpful." 

His second takeaway point was to always keep your assumptions in check. Don't let your assumptions keep you from asking for real feedback, and lay them out so you can address them without having them secretly dictate your user research and design without knowing.

In the evening, we attended the Peeter Kruus Memorial lecture held by Noel Wilson, from Catapult Design. The topic was 'The Joys and Challenges of Designing with Social Intent'.

Here, Noel took us through his work at Catapult, a "socially motivated" design firm. That means (without being too idealistic) that they try to help people at the bottom of the pyramid thrive through design and at the same time help clients bring their products to market. He gave us a list of tips for overcoming the challenges of designing with social intent. I don't have the complete list, but here's most of it.

1. Roleplay - wigs help
2. Storify - make good stories
3. Break your prototypes - For heaven's sake, it's a prototype!
4. Iterate - become intimate with your product
5. Co-create - you may not always have an answer but maybe the result is just the relationship
6. Iterate.
7. Manufacture - know your capacity and limits
8. Iterate.
9. Pilot - Take it out and give it a run

And that's a wrap! Long day innit?
My team and I have been busy being happy sponges, absorbing as much as we can as quickly as we can. Usually our brains are gone by the end of the day so I can imagine our two new friends from San Francisco must be equally tired if not more. Goodnight!