We like to think of what we produce as products, even if they are one-offs
from events
Headshift will be attending the Reboot #10 conference in Copenhagen this June.
from presentations
Challenges and Opportunities for Mainstream Enterprise Social Computing
how we work
We start from the point of view that people are smarter than computers, which means our role is to exploit the value of human cognitive processing, rather than build conveyor belt processes that seek to automate people's activity.
Each project begins with a mini business plan that identifies objectives, success measures and sets out a plan that brings together strategy, technology, design, user engagement and other stakeholders.
Next, we identify and define the use cases, scenarios and workflows that our project can improve for people who will use the eventual product. We like to think of what we produce as products, even if they are one-offs, because this helps us focus on user experience as a primary aim. This might involve working alongside users to understand how they work currently, or it might be that we do a wider macro-level analysis of email usage, for example, or perhaps some social network analysis to provide a picture of the current situation. Often, simply applying a networked approach to existing practice can deliver benefits very quickly.
Typically, we will use this knowledge to put together a rapid prototype that can give us a glimpse of how the product might look, feel and behave. Then, when we know what we want the technology to do, we can put together implementation options that might include selecting and using existing products, integrating external services such as cloud computing or SaaS, or perhaps building custom software or extending existing internal systems. Whatever works best.
Finally, and most importantly, we need to think about how to engage users and how to help them change their behaviour if necessary to get the most out of the project. Ideally, we try to help users do what they already do, but in a better way, rather than expecting them to change overnight. We find that building a bridge between existing practice and new ways of working can provide a gradual transition that has a good chance of become sustainable.
This engagement work is where we generate the wonderful Headshift moments we love so much - seeing people discover that technology can be useful, fun, even liberating, and watching the resulting explosion of networked productivity and creativity.
Each project begins with a mini business plan that identifies objectives, success measures and sets out a plan that brings together strategy, technology, design, user engagement and other stakeholders.
Next, we identify and define the use cases, scenarios and workflows that our project can improve for people who will use the eventual product. We like to think of what we produce as products, even if they are one-offs, because this helps us focus on user experience as a primary aim. This might involve working alongside users to understand how they work currently, or it might be that we do a wider macro-level analysis of email usage, for example, or perhaps some social network analysis to provide a picture of the current situation. Often, simply applying a networked approach to existing practice can deliver benefits very quickly.
Typically, we will use this knowledge to put together a rapid prototype that can give us a glimpse of how the product might look, feel and behave. Then, when we know what we want the technology to do, we can put together implementation options that might include selecting and using existing products, integrating external services such as cloud computing or SaaS, or perhaps building custom software or extending existing internal systems. Whatever works best.
Finally, and most importantly, we need to think about how to engage users and how to help them change their behaviour if necessary to get the most out of the project. Ideally, we try to help users do what they already do, but in a better way, rather than expecting them to change overnight. We find that building a bridge between existing practice and new ways of working can provide a gradual transition that has a good chance of become sustainable.
This engagement work is where we generate the wonderful Headshift moments we love so much - seeing people discover that technology can be useful, fun, even liberating, and watching the resulting explosion of networked productivity and creativity.