{"id":41579,"date":"2017-10-05T00:23:54","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T07:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/how-one-school-is-saving-the-world-with-design-thinking\/"},"modified":"2017-10-05T00:23:54","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T07:23:54","slug":"how-one-school-is-saving-the-world-with-design-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/how-one-school-is-saving-the-world-with-design-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"How one school is saving the world with design thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sleeping Manatees<\/strong> developed an app so kids with arthritis can easily track pain and sleep\u00a0quality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you were asked to solve any problem in the world, how would you approach\u00a0it?<\/p>\n

In the University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) department, students are tasked with exactly this. By applying design thinking principles like user research, ideation, and rapid prototyping, the program arms them with the problem-solving skills to address practically any issue, from the seemingly-trivial to some of the world\u2019s greatest challenges. Regardless of initial unfamiliarity, by the end students are subject matter experts with real-world solutions.<\/p>\n

The UW\u2019s multidisciplinary HCDE department is a mash-up between computer science, engineering, human-computer interaction, user-experience, and material design. They describe themselves as \u201cadvancing the research and design of technologies by using innovative techniques to study human activity and develop meaningful information and sociotechnical systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to parse exactly what this means, but in March 2017 I observed the department in action at the 2017 Master\u2019s Capstone presentations. In a warm and bustling room at the on-campus Husky Union Building, diverse student teams proudly gathered to present 10 weeks\u2019 work of incredibly challenging projects. Their presentations revealed that tech isn\u2019t just about esoteric coding problems, and that design isn\u2019t always \u201cblue sky\u201d idealism. Combine tech, design, empathy, and real world problems, and you can tangibly tackle some incredibly compelling issues.<\/p>\n

Re-envisioning reality<\/h3>\n
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Traditional wand-style VR controllers aren\u2019t like hands. But\u2026 do more <\/em>hand-like controllers improve VR immersion? Team Grasping in Virtual Reality<\/strong> tested\u00a0this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

VR and AR experiences were cornerstones throughout the evening, and teams covered everything from mental health to video games and space exploration.<\/p>\n

Meditation is a common stress and anxiety treatment, but what happens if you combine this with virtual reality? <\/strong>Team CalmCats<\/strong> <\/em>envisioned an immersive anxiety solution. User testing led them to a VR meditation treatment with a responsive, biofeedback-based virtual world. Users can also gently move controllers like the HTC Wands if they\u2019re feeling especially anxious.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/b569271887de4f90c7b4a5a9645c7848\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

Serenity<\/strong> tackled PTSD by partnering with the National Center for Telehealth Technology (T2), a Department of Defense organization. Armed with the knowledge that over 8% of combat veterans don\u2019t receive adequate PTSD treatment, they applied user research and iterative testing to make \u201cVirtual Hope Box\u201d (VHD), T2\u2019s award-winning PTSD-treatment software, more user-friendly. Then they added new features like Apple Watch biofeedback, which alerts users about imminent anxiety attacks, and fully-immersive VR meditation. User-testing their latest version reveals that treating PTSD and anxiety with virtual reality isn\u2019t just feasible, but it actually\u00a0works<\/em>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/92429c04c9c022728b336a8492217dad\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

Another project addressed the issue of making virtual reality feel, well, real. <\/em>Grasping in Virtual Reality<\/strong> collaborated with Valve Studios on the new Knuckles controllers. One challenge with today\u2019s VR controllers is their difference from human hands. To counteract this, the \u201cKnuckles\u201d controllers mimic hands by providing a grippable, fist-like surface. In theory, this increases VR immersion, but the team wanted to test their hypothesis.<\/p>\n

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Source: Knuckles HCDE Capstone\u00a0Project<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, they pitted the Knuckles against the HTC Vive Wands by developing a virtual reality environment with many interactive objects. Users could grip, swing, and throw anything from swords to magic fireballs. Unsurprisingly, the Knuckles controllers won against traditional wand controllers, but they weren\u2019t perfect. For example, if an object\u2019s size implied significant weight, the Knuckles couldn\u2019t provide sufficient weight feedback?\u2014?this negatively impacted immersion.<\/p>\n

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Many projects were collaborations between NASA, Hololens, and the HCDE department. Red Rover <\/strong>uses <\/strong>AR to improve Mars research techniques.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were far more VR and AR projects than can be detailed here, including several in collaboration with NASA and Microsoft Hololens<\/a>. But, most impressively, none of the teams were initially subject matter experts. Only by applying design thinking and HCDE principles did groups progress from asking questions to functional prototypes.<\/p>\n

Seeking safety<\/h3>\n

Whether ensuring personal well-being or handling disaster situations, there are many ways software-hardware hybrids can make people safer. While many tech companies balk because of liability fears, grad student projects thankfully don\u2019t have these limitations.<\/p>\n

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Team Scout<\/strong> provided personal safety drones dispatched through a subscription service + phone\u00a0app.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Scout<\/strong> explored a drone personal safety system where subscribers gain access to a mobile app-based service. With the tap of a button, a drone is dispatched from a central location. In unsafe situations, this personal protection drone can capture video, play loud sounds, provide illumination, call law enforcement, or provide an escort home. Unsurprisingly, the idea tested especially well with women and people of color. In user research, these groups regularly reported situations where they felt unsafe or threatened and a personal safety drone could help. In the future, the Scout<\/strong> team even envisioned adding facial recognition technology to enhance drone functionality.<\/p>\n

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Left: The Dropgrid<\/strong> iPhone prototype; Right: 3D-printed model of what a \u201cdrop\u201d could look\u00a0like.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, Dropgrid<\/strong> explored disaster preparedness and safety through a mesh network of \u201cDrops\u201d?\u2014?teardrop-shaped devices which connect to each other instead of Wi-Fi or cell phone\/radio towers. Because these devices communicate independently, they\u2019re especially useful in emergencies when other communication methods become overloaded. Users could connect to their Drop with Bluetooth to tell friends and family they\u2019re safe during natural disasters or send an emergency request to rescue teams, police, and firefighters. In the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey where emergency systems are overloaded and social media becomes the main method of dispatching help or checking in with loved ones, it becomes especially clear why this technology is so compelling.<\/p>\n

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Source: Dropgrid HCDE Capstone\u00a0Project<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Solving problems both big and\u00a0small<\/h3>\n

Some problems may seem minor and personal, even if the underlying problems and systems are complex: calling a taxi, home food delivery, or booking flights. But some issues impact millions or even billions of people worldwide. These issues may seem impossible to solve, particularly for a small student group with few resources. But by asking the right kinds of questions and gaining context through design thinking, it\u2019s actually possible to begin tackling even the most difficult challenges.<\/p>\n

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The Pump It Up<\/strong> team explains their\u00a0project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pump It Up<\/strong> found themselves in this exact situation when one of their team members pitched an idea. Setumadhava Kathawate told peers how millions of Indian households are negatively impacted by household \u201csump\u201d tanks. These water systems require pumping from an underground water supply to a rooftop tank. Today, Indian homeowners must flip the water pump switch any time they plan to use water, even if it\u2019s just to take a shower. But it\u2019s a complete guessing game: there\u2019s no way to know how much water is in the tank. If guests are visiting for a wedding, it\u2019s difficult to know how much water has been consumed and far too easy to over- or under-fill a\u00a0tank.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/c3ce63a9450815f6dce1692f46291256\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

While Kathawate was initially the only one with context on this issue, the rest of the team quickly learned more through video interviews and chat sessions with Indian families. After their research, they settled upon a solution combining a water sensor with an Android phone app. Their proposal lets sump tank owners automatically control them from their phones, including shutting off the water pump when the tank is full?\u2014?no more overfilling. It also lets homeowners see the water level, eliminating the guessing game of how much water is actually in the tank. Thanks to design thinking, the team engineered a solution which may receive funding and improve millions of\u00a0lives.<\/p>\n

Design-thinking is the\u00a0future<\/h3>\n

A common thread uniting these teams and projects is that few had prior context. Only by combining creative and technical skills did they engineer solutions to extremely complex problems, from anxiety and PTSD treatments, to personal safety and disaster preparedness, to water supply\u00a0issues.<\/p>\n

These groups also revealed how diverse teams and life experiences yield diverse solutions. The all-woman Scout <\/strong>team had group members from many different backgrounds, and user testing revealed their project was incredibly compelling to women and people of color. On Pump It Up<\/strong>, Kathawate\u2019s life experiences introduced the sump tank problem to his\u00a0team.<\/p>\n

Throughout the process, teams were also constantly learning, improving, and iterating until they had a user research-validated prototype. For this reason, design thinking is as much design <\/em>as it is scientific method<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tech often gets a bad rap for being too low-level; tech companies, for under-delivering on grandiose promises to change the world; and design, for being too \u201cblue sky\u201d and idealistic. But these projects had the perfect mix of optimism and practicality. They provide hope that the right application of tech, design, and empathy can someday save the world?\u2014?one project, app, and startup at a\u00a0time.<\/p>\n

See all the UW HCDE 2017 Master of Science Capstone<\/em> Projects\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kimberly is a writer, photographer, and former technologist. She\u2019s taken HCDE classes and regularly uses design thinking. These days, you\u2019ll often find her <\/em>traveling or\u00a0eating<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tip the author ?<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>FB<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a> |\u00a0<\/strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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How one school is saving the world with design thinking<\/a> was originally published in Code Like A Girl<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>\n

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Sleeping Manatees developed an app so kids with arthritis can easily track pain and sleep\u00a0quality. If you were asked to solve any problem in the world, how would you approach\u00a0it? In the University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE) department, students are tasked with exactly this. By applying design thinking principles like user… Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":41580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-info"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t