It’s easy to get lost when working toward your new product, service or experience. Especially when you’re trying to make something that’s usable, valuable, meaningful and ethical.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
You just need a better map.
(And trusted guides to help you get there)
A complex product or service is a little like an unknown geography, full of both rewards and dangers.
If you’re setting out to improve or remake your product or service, and you don’t quite know where you’re going, then it’s easy to get lost.
But surely you’d never set out on a journey without understanding the territory?
That’s when you need a great map of what your experience should look like, and a trusted guide to help you get there.
But wait… what’s an Experience Map exactly?
map | noun
‘A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, etc. • a two-dimensional representation of the positions of stars or other astronomical objects • a diagram or collection of data showing the spatial arrangement or distribution of something over an area • a representation of the sequence of genes on a chromosome or genome, or of bases in a DNA or RNA molecule.’
Interlude: We all know what a map is, but have you ever thought about what a map does?
Maps map out the territory, contours of the land, points of interest, mires and bogs. That’s exactly what our Experience Maps do – not for geography, but for products, services and experiences.
Fed by all the insights our of direct user research, they show who’s involved, what people need and how things should work. They outline the details of how people, process, technology and business models work together to create better products, services or experiences.
Our maps take many forms: posters, storyboards, animations, concepts, rough n’ ready prototypes or wall-spanning journeys. But they all get everyone in an organisation, our outside it, on the same page about how things should work.
By providing a vision of what good looks like, they’re the crucial lead-in to detailed design, providing guide-rails to what you build.
What do the research, we make the maps, we tell the story
Our product, service and experience maps take many forms, or come in many sizes, but they’re all all built from on-the-ground research. We’re mapmakers that explore the territory ourselves, without relying on second-hand information. We talk directly to the customers, users, employees, patients or citizens that your organisation serves. We learn about their capabilities and constraints, understanding what they really need. And we draw out their stories and requirements into compelling, clear and engaging maps that guide you to the treasure – products and services that work.
Human Centred Experience Design, done visually, comes loaded with benefits…
Can cover all types of roles; users, customers, employees, citizens, patients and more.
Visual outputs are accessible to all stakeholders, getting distributed teams on the same page.
Because we’re working before you’ve committed massive resources to your build, we’re free to explore the present and future with inexpensive assets. It saves you time and money and avoids expensive mistakes.
We help you see how to build things that are more usable, desirable, valuable, ethical and safe.
Maps drive the creation of technologies that are easier to build and maintain because they’ve been built against rational, experience-driven requirements.
Maps tie experiences to underpinning business models, ensuring there is value in your product or service.
They act like architectural site-plans, showing everyone involved in planning and construction the outline of the space and where things will go.
They break down the barriers between business, technology, people, process and policy by bringing everything into a series of visual views for everyone to see.
Maps can use layers, breakaways, storyboards and prototypes to help unify both big picture and detail.
Maps untangle complexity and lift up crucial insights, so you don’t miss what matters.
“You two are the king and queen of design research. It’s not just about your insights, it’s how you lift them up and bring them into the business. You never fail to astound me.” - Chief Design Officer, Global Consulting Company
Meet co-founders Christopher & Anna–veterans in strategy, research and design
Christopher, an expert user researcher, service designer and UX specialist with 18 years experience. He focuses on people, their behaviour and context. With a Masters in Psychology, Graduate Certificate in Human Factors , he initially learned his craft over seven years consulting with some of Australia’s first user experience design companies.
Anna, a business analyst and information visualiser with 18 years experience. She specialises in business and technology. With a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws (business law), Master of Laws (Honours) (technology law) and Certifications in Business Analysis and Financial Analysis, Anna worked as a business analyst and service designer for one of Australia’s most prestigious banks.
We’re cross-domain: We’ve worked across dozens of domains. Including: engineering, infrastructure, logistics, transport, healthcare, finance, banking, media, telecommunications, government and more. With a strong grasp of the fundamentals of psychology, we’ve found the patterns of both behaviour and design that reappear again and again across domain.
We’re excellent presenters: We present to individuals, teams and groups. From everyday people, employees at the workface, to executives and investors. We know how to adjust our messaging for the needs of each audience.
We’re experienced: We’ve conducted 100’s of interviews, observations, analysis, service and experience design interventions, across a wide gamut of systems. Including: mobile apps, enterprise systems, appliances, websites, transactional interfaces, services, healthcare devices, phone services and chat interfaces. It means we’ve got the tools and techniques to peer under the skin any anything you might need help with.
We’ve been providing research and experience maps for brand names across Australia
Since 2012, we’ve completed hundreds of projects in Australia and beyond, working with clients that offer products and services in every part of life. Work we’ve contributed to has changed lives, won awards and improved the services and value of organisations across Oceania.
Carried out research that helped inform Aurecon’s new employee campaign ‘Where Opportunity Meets You,’ winning the IBAC Quill (International Association of Business Communicators) award.
Supported AMP Design & Innovation team to win a Good Design award for its innovative new financial services offering; AMP Goals 360
