thinking through digital: top tips for designing projects and working with technologists

Thinking through digital:Top tips for designing projects

and working with technologists

Pat Hadley - Developer at Cogapp

@PatHadley

@Cogapp

What technology is out there?

Smartphones - 2016 Data

81%

54%31%

52%20www.deloitte.co.uk/mobileuk

How do people use technology?

“People ask me:

What is your biggest competition? Is it

MoMA? Guggenheim?

Our competition is Netflix. Candy

Crush. It’s life in 2016.”

How do people use technology?

“People ask me:

What is your biggest competition? Is it

MoMA? Guggenheim?

Our competition is Netflix. Candy

Crush. It’s life in 2016.”

- Sree Sreenivasan (former) Chief Digital Officer

Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York

How do people use technology?

How do people use technology?

YOU ARE

NOT THE

AUDIENCE

How do people use technology?

… unless you are …

Do you need a digital plumber?

How do people organisations use technology?

How to think through digital?

‘STUFF’

How to think through digital?

‘STUFF’

How to think through digital?

‘STUFF’

How to think through digital?

‘STUFF’

‘STUFF’How to think through digital?

‘PEOPLE’

How to think through digital?

Writing briefs

We need you to make a touch-screen

terminal in the gallery that displays the

evolution of the horse.

We want animated skeletons and text that

explains how hooves developed from toed

feet.

How to think through digital?

Writing briefs

We need you to make a touch-screen

terminal in the gallery that displays the

evolution of the horse.

We want animated skeletons and text that

explains how hooves developed from toed

feet.

How to think through digital?

Writing briefs

We want to help our visitors understand

evolution.

We think our collection of fossil horse

bones would make a great case study.

Do you think there are good ways to

enhance the experience with digital

technology?

How to think through digital?

Writing briefs

We want to help our visitors understand

evolution.

We think our collection of fossil horse

bones would make a great case study.

Do you think there are good ways to

enhance the experience with digital

technology?

How to think through digital?

How to think through digital?

MAKE THE LIFT FASTER!

● New motor

● Better control

● New lift!

How to think through digital?

MAKE THE LIFT FASTER!

● New motor

● Better control

● New lift!

THE LIFT IS TOO SLOW

How to think through digital?

MAKE THE LIFT FASTER!

● New motor

● Better control

● New lift!

THE LIFT IS TOO SLOW

WAITING IS

ANNOYING

How to think through digital?

MAKE THE LIFT FASTER!

● New motor

● Better control

● New lift!

THE LIFT IS TOO SLOW

WAITING IS

ANNOYING

CHEER UP WAITING!

● Music

● Mirrors

● Hand sanitizer

How to think through digital?

At the start of any project…

… you know the least about the end point.

Don’t demand a and then

realise you need a

“People ask me:

What is your biggest competition? Is it

MoMA? Guggenheim?

Our competition is Netflix. Candy

Crush. It’s life in 2016.”

- One of the trustee’s nephews. He’s ‘a bit of a whizz with computers’.

Who you gonna call?

“Making museum collections and heritage

sites engaging, accessible and useful for

today’s audiences.

This set of problems is one of the most

exciting and challenging areas to apply

digital technology.”

Who you gonna call?

“Making museum collections and heritage

sites engaging, accessible and useful for

today’s audiences.

This set of problems is one of the most

exciting and challenging areas to apply

digital technology.”

- Me.

Who you gonna call?

Where now?

Run experiments.

Does doing X help achieve Y?

Does Y add to our basic mission?

Get perspective.

What can we uniquely do?

What problems can be escaped?

think big

start small

move fast

Where now?