[Sigia-l] Doctors as Designers

[Listera]

...the approach with the kiosk--rolling out unfinished ideas to patients--is
something new. Last summer, Mayo opened SPARC, a clinical innovation lab
that operates like a design shop and that specializes in the "patient
experience." Doctors, nurses, and other staffers do what designers do: They
interview, shadow, and observe customers (in this case, patients) to uncover
their needs, brainstorm with abandon, and engage in rapid
prototyping--hence, the paper kiosk.

Despite its status as one of the best known and most respected medical
facilities in the world, Mayo is wrestling with the same issues that
designers routinely tackle: In an increasingly competitive field, how do you
differentiate yourself? How do you generate fresh ideas and implement them
in a timely fashion? And how do you make sure those ideas actually benefit
customers?

<http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/104/sparc.html>

It's gratifying to see the notion of Design elevated to a strategic level in
a non-visual context, which is often the only plane where it will connect
with those who drive the business. I wonder, though, how Mayo does their
card sorts. :-)

----
Ziya

Usability >  Simplify the Solution
Design >  Simplify the Problem