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University of the Arts Masters of Industrial Design + Liberty Resources, Inc.

Published by

211 South Broad Street, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102

Copyright © 2012

Kelly Babcock

Tian Cai

Ben Farahmand

Lonnie Petersheim

Alaina Pineda

Liberty Resources, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 by Kelly Babcock, Tian Cai, Ben Farahmand, Lonnie Petersheim, and Alaina Pineda

Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Kelly Babcock, Tian Cai, Ben Farahmand, Lonnie Petersheim, and Alaina Pineda

Photography credits:All photography created by © 2012 Kelly Babcock, Tian Cai, Ben Farahmand, Lonnie Petersheim, and Alaina Pineda unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced–mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying–without written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Kelly Babcock, Tian Cai, Ben Farahmand, Lonnie Petersheim, and Alaina Pineda

Book design by Kelly Babcock, Tian Cai, Ben Farahmand, Lonnie Petersheim, and Alaina Pineda

Masters of Industrial Design at The University of the Arts212 South Broad Street, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102

First printing April 2012

07 Chapter 1 | Introduction

15 Chapter 2 | Research + Synthesis

41 Chapter 3 | Point of Entry

65 Chapter 4 | Prototype + Test

95 Chapter 5 | Final Presentation + Feedback

Appendices

A Key Terms

B References

Table of Contents

08 Section 1 | Our Client Contacts at Liberty Resources

09 Section 2 | Our Role As Designers

10 Section 3 | The Design Process

11 Section 4 | Key Design Tools We Used

12 Section 5 | Project Timeline

Introduction

01

8 | Introduction

Our Client Contacts at Liberty Resources

norma roBertson-daBrowskIDirector, Specialized Transitioning Services

nancy salandraDirector of Independent Living

Introduction | 9

kelly BaBcockCincinnati, OHGraphic Design + Marketing

lonnIe PetersheImGreencastle, PAInterdisciplinary Arts

Our role as designers is not a top-down

approach, where we stay in our studio

and think of the best possible solution

for our client, but instead come to that

through on the ground exploration. Our

multidisciplinary teams bring together

different ways of thinking and allow us to

come up with much more creative and

innovative approaches. We work through

the process of synthesis, or sense-making

to identify unique opportunities for design

intervention. We always make our prototypes

and proposed solutions tangible. This does

not necessarily mean that it’s a product, but

what it does mean is that it’s visual. This

makes the information more accessible and

understandable while also providing a way to

get feedback. Lastly, to further communicate

our recommendations, we formulate

narratives and scenarios to further model

our ideas.

Our Role As Designers

tIan caIShanghi, ChinaIntegrated Design

Ben farahmandLos Angeles, CAAerospace Engineer + Philosophy

alaIna PInedaBirmingham, ALArt History

10 | Introduction

The Design Process

research

Gathering qualitative data with a human centered approach by considering ethnography and outliers.

synthesIs

Making sense of the qualitative research gathering through abductive thinking, visualizing information, and sorting data. This process allows for producing generative thinking.

PrototyPe

Develop a concept that was informed from synthesized research into a model or system that is able to be tested and observed.

test

In this step we observe the successes and failures of the prototype in a real situation that may reveal that more research or synthesis is needed.

Iterate

Take observations from testing and develop new versions of the prototype.

Introduction | 11

Key Design Tools We Used

GuIded tours

contextual IntervIew

secondary research

flow dIaGrammInG

actIvIty analysIs

shadowInG

storytellInG

concePt maP scenarIos

tIme-laPsed vIdeo

co-creatIonstakeholder maP

exPerIence PrototyPe

Iterate

12 | Introduction

Project Timeline

Introduction | 13

16 Section 1 | Getting to know Liberty Resources, Inc.

21 Section 2 | Previous Project Work

22 Section 3 | Kick-Off Meeting with Our Client

26 Section 4 | Key Interview with Glenda

28 Section 5 | Reference Research

34 Section 6 | Internal Observations: The Advocate Meeting

38 Section 7 | External Observations: Nursing Facility Visits

Research + Synthesis

02

16 | research + synthesis

The tour was our groups initial chance to see the Liberty Resources office and network with

Liberty Resources employees. We began by simply observing the building from the outside

while waiting. We observed many people in chairs using public transportation and we had

a chance to walk through the Liberty Resources’ store. When we first were introduced we

became a little uncomfortable. This would be our first experience being around people with

disabilities. Continuing on the tour we noticed that many of the offices were empty and the

building felt more like a doctors office. Liberty Resources has a “sterile like” feeling inside.

During the tour we had a chance to meet the Director of National Advocacy & Policy. We

learned that 43% of Liberty Resources’ staff was recently cut because the state and federal

budget for CIL’s was cut drastically. Also, in this interview we observed a particular language

that the employees use.

All the employees have to Advocate for people with disabilities. People with disabilities feel like

an oppressed group and are willing to fight to get what they need. Therefore, they decide to use

a common language that is aggressive and often defensive.

After the tour of Liberty Resources, our group came back to the studio and brain dumped what

we observed. Mapping out our observations on a whiteboard allowed us to be on the same

page. As well as make sense of our assumptions. The mind mapping tool also lead us in our

next direction. We needed to do more reference research on Liberty Resources to get a better

understanding of legislation and policy.

Getting to Know Liberty Resources

Liberty Resources uses a distinct type of language that our team framed as “fighter language.”

Our team observed Liberty Resources’ environment and interviewed Theresa about the history of the organization.

GuIded tours

research + synthesis | 17




Liberty Wheels Retreads

Information And Referral Peer SupportAdvocacy

Independent Living Skills

Training

Community Services Program for People with

Physical Disabilities

Attendant Care Program

Living in a Nursing Home

Fiscal Management

Services

Medical Support Unit

Environmental Modifications

Living and Receiving Services In The

Community

Additional Services Available Once Transitioned

Additional Services Available at ALL times

Major Service Options

Multiple options based on specific needs or choice

Major Goals

Where You Are

Academy

My MapSpecialized Services

Living and Receiving Services In The Nursing Home

My Services My Steps

The Road to IndependenceTools for Understanding & Planning Choices

My Progress Map

Transitioning Services

Housing Advocacy

HousingFound

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

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CONCEPT 2.0 respond synthesis



Service Details & The Steps for Reaching Your Goals


Our research continued by looking at the work that past teams have done. It was very helpful

having tangible designed objects to reference and look at. It was useful observing Liberty

Resource’s branding and identity. We interviewed several of the students on these past teams.

They explained to us about the Independent Living Services Department and how people go

through the process. The problems they run into are not understanding where at in they are and

what they need to do next. Therefore, the past MiD’s project was to visualize and simplify this

process with a book and map. It is a step by step process that is very simple and accessible

for people with disabilities.

To get a better understanding of the work that had been done with Liberty Resources in the past, we interviewed students that had collaborated with them previously.


Liberty Wheels Retreads

Information And Referral Peer SupportAdvocacy

Independent Living Skills

Training

Community Services Program for People with

Physical Disabilities

Attendant Care Program


Fiscal Management

Services

Medical Support Unit

Environmental Modifications

Living and Receiving Services In The

Community

Additional Services Available Once Transitioned

Additional Services Available at ALL times



Major Goals

Where You Are

Academy

My MapSpecialized Services

Living and Receiving Services In The Nursing Home

My Services My Steps


My Progress Map


Housing Advocacy

HousingFound

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

Days

Time to Complete

Days

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Days

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Previous Project Work


Our next step of research was our first meeting with our clients. It was a round table discussion

consisting of our professor, Michael McCallister, our clients, and the MiD team. Our clients gave

us very beneficial insights early in the conversation. A quote from one of our clients became a

statement that we would hold on to for the rest of the project.

This quote conveyed much about Liberty Resources and their relationship with the community.

We observed many times throughout the semester that people are not willing to listen to stories

of people with disabilities. People seem to overlook people with disabilities and it is always an

uncomfortable subject. Liberty Resources also has problems at getting the medias attention

and when they do the main issue is often over looked.

The meeting continued and our clients brought up the current cut of Liberty Resources

employees. Due to the recent cuts Norma and Nancy no longer have staff to help transition

people from nursing homes. They now rely on part-time employees who can only work 8

hours a month. We also learned that 51% Liberty Resources’ staff and board members have a

disability. They strive to employ people with disabilities and to have people with disabilities work

for people with disabilities.

Kickoff Meeting with Our Client

“America is not ready to see disabled people fight for their rights.”

The state passed a 16% cut on the Medicaid budget for community-based services (CBS). This cut eventually lead to a 43% staff cut of Liberty Resources’ employees.

Since our team had little understanding of Liberty Resources, we relied on an interview with our client contact, Nancy, to get a broad overview of the issues they deal with.





At the end of the meeting we noticed a wall of framed papers with pictures of individuals

with disabilities. We asked client what the significance of the wall was. They explained that

each was a story about someone who transitioned from a nursing facility recently. Here was a

wall of meaningful stories of people who managed to transition from a nursing home to living

independently. Ultimately, becoming an active member of their community and giving back

instead of feeding off government funds. Only to be contained within Liberty Resources and

not for the public to see.

After the kick-off meeting the MiD team came back to the studio and began to mind map what

we observed and learned to synthesize the data. We soon realized that everyone was feeling

overwhelmed with the wealth of information we gathered. Each piece of data holds a significant

value and opportunity to design. It became very tough to choose what direction we wanted to

continue. Furthermore, after a collaborative mind-mapping session we realized there was more

research to be done. We each separated the work tasks and did some reference research to

better test our assumptions and understand the complex problems.

After hearing about the many complex issues facing Liberty Resources, we used secondary research to expand our understanding.

secondary research

Kickoff Meeting with our Client (Continued)


Our interview with Glenda was our first chance to hear first hand about the stories of people

living in nursing facilities. She opened up about the living conditions of the nursing facility where

she lived for sixteen months. She explained that the nursing home takes all your money that

you receive from medicaid as well as other sources. Most facilities only give you a thirty to forty

dollar allowance monthly. She also told us that the nursing home opens your mail.

They do not have legal permission to open you mail, however, they require you to sign over

your incomes. Therefore, they will open your mail to take your money. She lead us into a

new direction as well and spoke about the roadblocks with finding attendant care while living

independently. Moving out of the nursing facility is tough enough let alone finding someone

to help you with living on your own. We continued after the interview by mind mapping, as a

group, the information gathered from the interview. After mapping out the interview and having

a collaborative discussion we did some more reference research to better understand pensions

and medicaid.

Key Interview with Glenda

Most of the nursing facilities in Philadelphia open the mail without the permission of their Consumers.

Interviews with Liberty Resources Consumers were a vital part in our design process.




The tour, interview, and kickoff meeting lead us in the direction of doing reference research.

Reading articles, books, and news publications became vital in our process to better understand

the problems that we were facing. The problems that Liberty Resource’s and people with

disabilities face are very complex and hard to understand. We looked further into Medicaid

by trying to understand its significance of legislation and flow of money. The money begins at

the Federal Government level then flows to the State level. It is up to the State to decide how

it will be distributed locally. Currently they have been trying to consolidate the State’s services.

This creates many problems like significantly slowing down the States services. Maximus is a

consolidated state service company that hands out housing vouchers to people moving out of

nursing facilities. The current process takes more than a year. By visualizing the process we

realized why it takes time and how Maximus is like a human factory.

We also did research about Pennsylvania’s institutions comparing them with living independently.

Pennsylvania, compared to all other States, currently has the highest ratio of people living in

nursing facilities versus living independently. The price for someone living independently is

much less than living in a nursing facility. In addition, Philadelphia has a population of 150,00

people with disabilities which is twice as much as the next highest population. This means that

Philadelphia has a significant role on people with disabilities rights.

Reference Research

The company, Maximus, slows down the process significantly for people to live independently.

Additional secondary research became necessary as we worked deeper and deeper into the complex systems.

To better visualize how the company, Maximus, operates, we created a flow diagram (seen on page 30).

secondary research

flow dIaGrammInG


2

Follow the Money: Financing Home and Community-BasedServices

Joshua M. Wiener, PhD Wayne L. Anderson, PhD

Pennsylvania Medicaid Policy Center University of Pittsburgh

2009

2

Follow the Money: Financing Home and Community-BasedServices

Joshua M. Wiener, PhD Wayne L. Anderson, PhD

Pennsylvania Medicaid Policy Center University of Pittsburgh

2009


Public Housing Authority

$

Eligibility paperworkMaximus

Find housingFind housing Find housing


Maximus ProcessMaximus was implemented by the state to consolidate the housing

process. Its intention was to maximize the flow of individuals, however

it did the complete opposite and has slowed the process down

significantly. Individuals have to wait up to a year, if not longer, just to

be accepted and find housing.

$Nursing Homes

Shareholders

$


Medicaid ExpendituresThis visual allowed us to compare Pennsylvania with all fifty states.

It shows that Pennsylvania puts most of its medicaid dollars into

nursing facilities. Why does Pennsylvania have so many more people

living in nursing facilities compared to the other most

populated states.


People with Disabilities on MedicaidIn comparing the graph to the left with the one above. You will notice

that the largest amount of people with disabilities in Pennsylvania

live in Philadelphia. Meaning, Philadelphia has a significant role on

people with disabilities living in nursing facilities instead of living

independently.

Crawford Warren

Crawford

McKean

Mercer

Venango

Forest

Elk

PotterTioga

BradfordSusquehana

Wayne

Lackawanna

Wyoming

Pike

Monroe

Sullivan

Columbia

Luzerne

Carbon

Northhampton

Lehigh

Berks

Northumberland

Union

Clinton

Cameron

CalrionJefferson

Clearfield

Centre

BucksMontgomery

PhiladelphiaChester

Delaware

Lancaster

Lebanon

Snyder

YorkAdams

Cumberland

Perry

JuniataMifflin

Franklin

Huntington

BlairCambria

Indiana

Armstrong

Butler

Bedford

SomersetFayette

Westmoreland

Alleghany

Beaver

Washington

Greene

1 - 5000

5001 - 15,000

15,001 - 50,000

50,000 +Erie

Lycoming

Lawrence

Dauphin

Fulton

Montour

Shuylkill

120,591


The Advocate system at Liberty Resources was implemented to help Consumers move out of

nursing facilities. The Advocates are given four Consumers, a month, to help transition and can

only work a maximum of eight hours in that month. The Advocates role is to keep track of the

Consumers process. The Advocate meetings are very loose and unstructured. Which makes

everything very confusion. The individual Advocates are required to gather the necessary

materials from the Consumers. For example, every Consumer requires a state identification.

The Advocate has to take the Consumer to a local location to attain a state identification. We

observed that the individual Advocates lack the material to document. Several individuals forgot

what they needed to do and much information had to be retained from their visits to the nursing

facilities. In addition, we observed that each Advocate is very different. Some Advocates can

handle more work than others and some have trouble concentrating on the work task.

The Advocate meeting allowed us to do initial networking. It gave us a chance to meet

individuals who have already moved from nursing facilities and have experienced it first hand.

Each Advocate has a inspiring story about moving out of the nursing facility. They all are very

passionate about Liberty Resources and value their services greatly. We began to realize how

important Liberty Resources is for people with disabilities to survive.

Internal Observations: The Advocate Meeting

We observed the actions, process, and system of the Advocates in the Independent Living Services Department.

actIvIty analysIs





After the Advocate meeting we set up visits to shadow Advocates at the nursing facilities.

We shadowed Advocates at the Inglis House, Care Pavilion, Philadelphia Nursing Home, and

Cheltenham Nursing Facility. Our visits informed many of our design decisions. We had a

chance first hand to observe Consumers who are transitioning out of a nursing facility. The

Advocates run into problems dealing with the employees and social workers of the facilities.

They nursing facilities are not willing to work with them. Also, we learned that each Consumer

has different needs. Someone may have a physical disability and another may have a mental

disability. These disabilities became very problematic in our process and we were forced to

think about the Consumers needs.

Our main concern for our clients were for us to look at the transition process. Therefore, we

concentrated more on the process when researching. The Consumers also have no way of

tracking where they are in the process and what they need to do. This is all in the hands of the

Advocate to educate and inform the Consumer.

External Observations: Nursing Facility Visits

Shadowing Advocates as they visited Consumers in nursing facilities helped us to better understand how the nursing home transition process was being communicated.

shadowInG


50 Section 1 | Identifying Design Opportunity in Key Interactions

56 Section 2 | Understanding Our Point of Entry

58 Section 3 | Point of Entry Client Presentation

60 Section 4 | Storytelling as Tools for Change

61 Section 5 | Prototypes and Levels of Development

62 Section 6 | Initial Prototype Client Presentation

Point of Entry

03

Tian sharing Marsha’s story:“In terms of Marsha, the most impressive thing is her addressing how her life changed because of the Liberty Resources picnic, by seeing those people with even more limitation living an energetic life in community, she uttered “How stupid of me. Being that pessimistic and upset with my disability in the past.”

Ben sharing Michael’s story:“Michael Bencrowsky, when I fi rst met him, he told me that it costs three times as much for tax payers to support people with disabilities living in nursing homes as opposed to supporting them to live in the community. He told me about the protests he went to, and how he Advocates for proper policy at the governmental level.”

Alaina sharing Sue’s story:“To be reunited with her children she lost when she fi rst acquired her disability, Sue has re-entered a nursing facility across the country to be closer to them. It is the only way to receive the services she needs without being placed on a two year wait list for what she needs to live independently..”

Lonnie sharing Vincent’s story:“If the Mayor were to move into a nursing home, he would understand what it was like to live in one. His view is that he mayor/public does not understand what it is like to live in a nursing facility.”

Kelly sharing Glenda’s story:“Glenda told us about how nursing facilities unjustly take a resident’s money. She talked about a couple who was ‘tricked’ into moving in to the nursing facility. When the wife got sick, the husband missed her so much that the facility convinced him that he should move in as well.”

We believe...

By leveraging Liberty Resource’s powerful stories as tools, and sharing them with the right audiences, we can affect positive change for people with disabilities.

50 | Point of entry

ConSumERConSumER

LIbERTy RESouRCES GovERnmEnT

LIbERTy RESouRCES GEnERaL PubLIC

ConSumERadvoCaTE

LIbERTy RESouRCESConSumER

In making sense of our collected research, we noted five key

interactions among the project’s stakeholders. Each relationship

contains an unmet need, and an opportunity for design to intervene.

The following pages will highlight some of our key research findings

and how they relate to these interactions.

Identifying Design Opportunity in Key Interactions

Point of entry | 51

ConSumERConSumER

After interviewing many of Liberty Resources’ Consumers and Staff, we noted that many

lacked a solid support network of friends and family and relied on each other for friendship,

motivation and hope.

Consumers at an ADAPT event

Key Research Finding: Lack of support network

52 | Point of entry

While shadowing Liberty Resources Advocates, we identified a significant opportunity for

design among their interaction with the Consumer. There was reoccurring confusion about

the nursing home transition process, and a desire to know more.

Sue with a Consumer at the Philadelphia Nursing Facility

Key Research Finding: Confusion about the transition process

ConSumERadvoCaTE

Point of entry | 53

As we observed Liberty Resources’ internal processes, we noted an opportunity to improve

how the Consumers’ “success stories” were collected, presented and later archived.

Currently, they were not being utilized to their full potential.

Norma showing our group the wall of Consumers’ stories

Key Research Finding: Documentation of the Consumer’s transition process


54 | Point of entry

When considering the greater systemic view of Liberty Resources, we identified an area of

need among their activism and advocacy efforts. A lack of political response from recent

actions revealed opportunities for improvement.

Michael in front of the White House

Key Research Finding: Lack of political response


Point of entry | 55

As we were interviewing our client, we captured this revealing quote about a nuance in

American culture that inhibits Liberty Resources’ messaging from penetrating and affecting

change among the general public–this exposed an area of possible design intervention.

Nancy explaining the relationship between Liberty Resources and the general public

Key Research Finding: “Americans are not ready to see people with disabilities fight for their rights.” Nancy Salandra, 2011


56 | Point of entry

By extracting our key research findings from our interviews,

shadowing, paper research, etc., we were able to map the many

stakeholder interactions and corresponding needs. Through this

sense-making, we discovered how storytelling could be used as a

tool to help prototype solutions for the different design opportunities.

Understanding Our Point of Entry

To help our team identify the stakeholder interactions and understand how storytelling could be used as a tool we used a flow chart to show relationships.

flow dIaGrammInG

Point of entry | 57StorytellingThe “Story” and Power of Storytelling

MiD@UArts | GRID 603/703 Studio | Liberty Resources | October 10, 2011

The Power of Storytelling| 10.03.11

SYNTHESIS

Documentationof Individuals/

Successful Transitions

UnderstandingNursing Homes

The 5th Coreof the CIL

Infographics

Tools for Activistsand Advocates

PhiladelphiaInquirer

SupportNetworks

Mayor Nutter

Re-humanizing

The media doesn’t “get it.”

“Americans aren’tready to see people

with disabilities fight for their rights.”

The Mayor doesn’tunderstand theproblem with Philadelphia

Nursing Home.

LRI tries todocument but it isan afterthought/too busy in the

moment.

How do you tellthe story of what it’s

like living out inthe community?

What isn’t being told that needs

to be told?

People living in anursing home mightnot have family totake care of them.Why wouldn’t

someone want toleave the nursing

home?

Why is a nursing home the

entitlement?Corruption?

Glenda tries to getoutside everyday-rain, shine, snow.

12

4

5

6

7

3

8

9

10

The

Power

of Storytelling

3. 7. 8.

5. 8. 10.

5.

5. 6.

5. 8.

2. 9.

1. 4. 7. 8.

This is the tool that we used to visualize the possible uses of storytelling that could address several areas brought up in our research and conversations at Liberty Resources.

The gray circles are the main problems and opportunities that we believe can be addressed through the process of storytelling.

The blue squares are references from our synthesis that helped us arrive at storytelling as a possible project point of entry. They are based on conversations with Norma and Nancy, interviews with Michael and Glenda, research on nursing homes, and our individual observations.

58 | Point of entry

At this point in the semester, our team was ready to present the emerging insights from our

research and propose a point of entry for our project with the client. We synthesized the

data we had collected and identified key stakeholders that interact with Liberty Resources’

various divisions at different points in the nursing home transition process. The unmet needs

among these interactions exposed opportunity for design to intervene and for our project’s

focus we felt that one key design method could be applied to address each–storytelling. To

demonstrate storytelling as a point of entry for our project, we structured the presentation

around the idea of “show don’t tell.” We re-created our hand-drawn concept map that we

had used to synthesize our research on large sheets of paper and pre-wrote on post-it notes

the various audiences and key insights from our research. During the presentation, team

members narrated our process while others filled in the map. We used this presentation style

to demonstrate not only our process of synthesis, but also to model how an experience could

be designed through storytelling. Reflecting on our presentation, we did not consider that the

design process we were acting out would appear very foreign without more context around

how we conducted research and extracted the main findings to arrive at the components in

the map. We also observed that the combination of narration, demonstration and distribution

of additional support in the form of infographics provided for too overwhelming of an

experience. It prevented the client from feeling our excitement and the impact of our research

findings and new insights.

Point of Entry Client Presentation

Jon Kolko, in ‘Exposing the Magic of Design,’ comments that storytelling is the process of knowledge transfer and the rapid immersion in the experience.

To present our point of entry, we decided to use the key design tool we were proposing–storytelling, to communicate our idea.

The visual appearance of the concept map we used in our presentation helped viewers to better understand and identify connections as we described them.

storytellInG

concePt maP

Point of entry | 59

60 | Point of entry

ConSumERConSumER



ConSumERadvoCaTE


With our point of entry approved by the client, we began designing

prototypes for how storytelling may be used to fulfill the unmet needs

in the identified interactions. Each prototype uniquely considers the

project constraints of limited time and resources, as well as, the

limited physical abilities of our end users. Prototypes 3–5 are more

conceptual in their development, while 1 and 2 are further developed,

tested, and refined.

Storytelling as Tools for Change

5

25

34

13

3

Point of entry | 61

Prototypes and Levels of Development

ConceptualFurther Developed

Community Storybook4

A book of stories to be passed

between Consumers that builds

community and allows stories

of hope to continue to be told.

Fundraising Cards2

A card with an inspirational

story to encourage individuals

to donate to Liberty

Resources and support a

Consumer transition to living

independently.

Liberty Cards1

A simple booklet of the

step-by-step process for a

Consumer to transition out of a

nursing facility.

iPad Application3

An accessible tool used for

Advocates to use when visiting

a Consumer. It includes a map

of the process and stories of

hope to share with Consumers.

Come. Listen. Respond.5

A tool to test the general

public’s responses to stories,

as a way to prototype different

stories to eventually be told to

WHYY.

62 | Point of entry

To manifest our proposal to design storytelling as a tool for change, we developed five

different prototypes to address the variety of interactions between Liberty Resources and

the internal and external stakeholders. The prototypes were: the community storybook, the

Come. Listen. Respond. stand, iPad application, Liberty Cards and Fundraiser Cards. We

rapidly mocked-up the products with simple materials and created scenarios to demonstrate

the proposed services to allow our client to mentally model how they may be implemented. At

the meeting, we allowed the client to experience the prototype as we explained the research

applied, the interactions it addressed and the production and distribution methods we

envisioned. In the construction of these prototypes, we considered many design constraints

that focused on the various needs of people with disabilities, the limited resources of money,

time and support staff, and the realistic production and distribution channels available.

Additionally, to further communicate one of our more conceptual prototypes–the Come.

Listen. Respond. stand–we played a time-lapsed video to show how we tested the prototype

among the user group. Reflecting on our presentation, we could have better facilitated the

feedback we were receiving from the client. This would have allowed for more informed “next

steps.”

Initial Prototype Client Presentation

“Reflecting on our presentation, we could have better facilitated the feedback we were receiving from the client. This would have allowed for more informed ‘next steps.’”

By allowing our client to experience the prototypes we had constructed, we were able to observe and reveal some unanticipated issues.

To help the clients imagine how the prototypes or services we were proposing could be feasible, we talked through possible scenarios of use.

In order to communicate one of our more conceptual ideas, we created a time-lapsed video of the prototype being tested with real people, in a real environment.

scenarIos

tIme-laPsed vIdeo


Point of entry | 63

67 Section 1 | Further Developed Prototype: Liberty Cards

77 Section 2 | Further Developed Prototype: Fundraising Card

83 Section 3 | Conceptual Prototype: iPad Application

89 Section 4 | Conceptual Prototype: Community Storybook

93 Section 5 | Conceptual Prototype: Come. Listen. Respond.

Prototype + Test

04

This simple booklet shares the step-by-step process and assists the Consumer to transition

out of a nursing facility and live independently in the community.

Further Developed Prototype: Liberty Cards1

ConSumERadvoCaTE

68 | Prototype + test

While focusing on the nursing home transition process at Liberty Resources, we quickly

realized the complexity and extent of the steps needed to complete the transition. To create

a better understanding and test some of the assumptions we had been making, we decided

to facilitate a participatory design experience with our clients, Norma and Nancy. To make

sense of this complex process, we used the physical design method of card sorting to show

chronology and causality. Making this process visual and external encouraged us to zoom in

and out to see the big picture as well as begin to distinguish smaller phases and categories

that encompassed certain sets of steps. The result of our exercise took the form of a flow

diagram that modeled how the most common Consumer would step through the transition

process. This information was then transferred to our Liberty Cards prototype where it took

the form of “what you need to complete this step,” and “how to complete this step.” This

instructional writing would not have been accessible from an information perspective if we

had not simplified it to the point we did. Reflecting on our participatory design experience, it

was very successful. Additional opportunities for inclusion of the client in the process were

not fully utilized, and now, we are able to see the benefit in interactions of that nature.

Liberty Card Content Co-creation with Client

“The transition process is an ill-structured problem for Liberty Resources, and to make sense of it we used the method of card sorting to simplify the complexity.”

By engaging in a participatory design experience with our client, we were able to co-create an artifact for us to reference when prototyping.

Visually representing the complex nursing home transition process allowed us to see the flow of the Consumer and the information through the many steps.

co-creatIon

flow dIaGrammInG

Prototype + test | 69


Based on the research we had, we found that the Consumers in nursing facilities easily got

lost in the complex transition process, and many of them didn’t have family support, which

eliminated their hopes of moving out.

Group brainstorm about the construction of Liberty Cards.

Liberty Cards: Design Opportunity1


In order to meet the immediate needs of speeding up the transition process at Liberty

Resources, we designed the Liberty Cards as a tangible tool, which can provide the

Consumers in nursing facilities with the first six steps of identities gathering which they would

go through in the transition process. It seems that the Liberty Cards are the most feasible

prototype that Liberty Resources can produce at a low cost and distribute to the Consumers

effectively and quickly.

Liberty Cards: Concept1


Design versions for Consumers with different limitations.

Considering the physical limitations of the audience, we tried out different structures of our

prototypes, for instance:

∞ Lamination–Recycled in production, lower cost

∞ Binding ring–Maybe more feasible to the Consumers with hand disabilities

Liberty Cards: Development1


Construction Process of the laminated version of Liberty Cards.

After we identified the budget issue at Liberty Resources, the Liberty Cards were designed

half the size of normal print paper, allowing the staff at Liberty Resources to easily print and

cut. Meanwhile, we made all the content in black and white so as to minimize the cost of

production.

We came up with the idea of setting up a phone line so that Consumers could respond with

their feedback on the prototype we built.

Liberty Cards: Production + Distribution1


Group testing out the Liberty Cards with Advocates in an Advocate meeting at Liberty Resources.

Observing and interviewing the users while they experienced the prototypes provided valuable feedback for us to use as we refined the designs.



From our observation in the advocacy meeting, we found and concluded the pros and cons

of the different construction forms of the Liberty Cards. For instance, in some version, cards

easily fell to the floor. In other versions, it was difficult to turn the pages, and bound pages

were too loose to control.

Liberty Cards: User Feedback1

By repeating the process of rapid prototyping and testing we were able to reach a version of the Liberty Cards that best fit the users’ needs.

Iterate


A card with an inspirational story to encourage individuals to donate to Liberty Resources and

support a Consumer transition to living independently.

Further Developed Prototype: Fundraising Cards2


The QR code version of Fundraising Cards prototype and the packaging for the audio player version.

We found there was an opportunity to make the use of the powerful stories told by Advocates

and Consumers so as to raise fund for our client, Liberty Resources. However, the previous

fundraising effort was based on sending out a letter or book containing a paragraph of text

about what Liberty Resources was doing or how they were addressing the issues they were

dealing with, which didn’t seem to affect much influence on the general public.

Fundraising Cards: Design Opportunity2


The idea of the Fundraising Card is to collect more funding for Liberty Resources by

distributing the stories of someone who has gone through the process. For instance,

someone who has conquered the process and managed to escape a nursing facility, or

someone who is still in the middle of the process, working towards becoming independent.

Their stories about how they have overcome the entire transition process is a means to give

their voice some weight in terms of showing the struggles they encountered. It is a way to

engage someone who has disposable income and can intervene in aiding Liberty Resources,

fighting for the rights of the individuals to live independently in the community.

Fundraising Cards: Concept2

Testing the Fundraising Cards at MiD Studio.


The audio player electronics.

Fundraising Cards: Development2

Based on the target audience of the Fundraising Cards prototype, the general public, we

designed two versions of the cards, which include an electronic recorder as well as a QR

code card so that they can meet the various needs of different audiences.

Conceptual Prototype: iPad Application

The iPad Application is an accessible tool for Advocates to use when visiting Consumers.

It includes a map of the process and stories of hope to share with Consumers.

3

ConSumERConSumER

ConSumERadvoCaTE



Sketching the wireframe of iPad Application.

iPad Application: Design Opportunity3

The problems that we found in the current Advocacy System can be addressed in two

aspects; On one hand, all Advocates in the system possess different levels of physical or

mental limitations. That said, based on various disabilities, each individual developed his or

her own habit of documentation for the Consumers.

On the other hand, in terms of communication and coordination, the current system at Liberty

Resources seems really outdated, very much paper based, and unsystematic. For example,

a large quantity of the paperwork often gets piled and easily missed by the coordinator;

The director of the transition process assigns the new Consumers based on only a piece

of paper, which prevented Consumers from being consistent with their own documentation

tools(notebooks, cell phones, etc.)


Building layout on Consumer’s data in transition process at MiD Studio.

iPad Application: Concept3

The content and function of the application would contain the solid steps of transition for the

Advocates to keep track of the Consumers’ current situation in the transition map. What’s

more, it offers a way of interaction between the Advocates and the Consumers, as well as

the Advocates and the other members in the Advocacy System, allowing the Advocates to

exchange complete information for all Consumers at Liberty Resources. Also, it provides

a progressive context in the interaction that enables the Advocates to share and pass on

hopeful stories to the Consumers who may be stuck in the middle of a certain step in the

transition process.


Based on the target audience of the project, the Advocates at Liberty Resources, we

designed the layout of an iPad Application, which can allow the Advocates to efficiently

organize their Consumer documents, as well as digitize and share the database of current

Consumers.

Layout design of the iPad Application and Group discussion on iPad Application idea.

The Road to Independence

Consumers You Are Helping With

Other Consumers

HOPES LOG OUT ?

Consumers in Community

Consumers in Transition Specialized Services


Social worker calls LRI about

a potential consumer

Display interest in moving out

and name added to MDS

MDS list sent to LRI


Pre-service Process


Major Goals

Map Key


Individual calls LRI about

friend or family member

Community advocate to

nursing home

Name placed on wait list

because litttle staff

Want nothing to do with LRI

Non-LRI Services and Agencies

HousingFound

Already have housing

Philadelphia Housing Authority

Housing AdvocacyThe Starting Point

MDS list sent to Individual calls LRI about

friend or family

Next Time to Meet Sim:2011.11.13 Monday

The Road to Independence

Consumers You Are Helping With

Other Consumers

HOPES LOG OUT ?

Consumers in Community

Consumers in Transition Specialized Services


Social worker calls LRI about

a potential consumer

Display interest in moving out

and name added to MDS

MDS list sent to LRI


Pre-service Process


Major Goals

Map Key




Community advocate to

nursing home

Want nothing to do with LRI

Non-LRI Services and Agencies

HousingFound

Already have housing

Philadelphia Housing Authority

Housing AdvocacyThe Starting Point

Name placed on wait list

because little staff

05:08 07:32



Ken Robinson

Gloria Kolata

Tim Arango

Frank Johnson

Sue Smith

iPad Application: Development3

The Community Storybook is a book of stories to be passed between Consumers that builds

community and allows stories of hope to continue to be told.

Conceptual Prototype: Community Storybook4

ConSumERConSumER


Electronic items in the Community Storybook.

Realizing that a lot of Consumers are by themselves throughout the process in nursing

facilities, we found that the Consumers had a lot of confusion about what was going on

in the transition process. Additionally, most Consumers were hesitant and lacked hope of

moving out because of their long experience living in nursing facilities. They don’t know

what the outside world looks like as well as not knowing what to hang on to continue the

complicated long process.

Community Storybook: Design Opportunity4


Testing out the prototype at MiD Studio.

The idea behind the Community Storybook is about providing people with the opportunity to

hear the stories of what happened with the individuals. The storybook enables Consumers

stories to be shared when one-on-one engagement is not possible, creating a sense of

community around the object, transporting previous Consumer’s struggles and experiences

in the transition process to the new Consumer. The Community Storybook is able to carry

someone’s story to someone else who might be going through exactly the same process,

conveying hope and encouragement to the new Consumers.

The Community Storybook empowers the individuals to recognize that there are other people

who have been through this terrible process, and have been successful. On the other hand,

the new Consumer is able to record the his or her own story which can encourage the other

Consumers afterwards. The ability to record new success stories creates the value of the

individual’s story, documents what the Consumer has been through, and encourages others

to do the same.

Community Storybook: Concept4

Come. Listen. Respond. is a tool to test the general public’s responses to stories, as a way to

choose and edit stories to eventually be told to WHYY.

Conceptual Prototype: Come. Listen. Respond.



5


A man in a wheelchair couldn’t reach our stand prototype.

After interviewing several Consumers and collecting many stories, the Group felt that we had

so much raw data that we didn’t know how to test our assumptions about how the public

would respond to one of the stories we had recorded. Hence, we used simple shop materials

and electronics to construct the stand for the Come. Listen. Respond. prototype and went

out into the real world and test it out in the Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. While in the

process, we encountered a humbling moment: a man in a wheelchair came by the stand and

was not able to reach the headphones.

Come. Listen. Respond.: Design Opportunity5


The goal of this rapid prototype is to test the stories to see what story content would elicit a

response from the general public. It’s a process of observation about how an audience in one

of our identified interactions would react to storytelling and content in the story.

Our record contains an edited interview from one of the Consumers who had horrible

experience with her physical disabilities and tried her best to move on and begin to live

a positive life. We packaged the story based on our consideration of how to inform what

resonates with our audience, the government and general public.

Preparation and construction of prototype stand.

“Reflecting on our the prototype of Come. Listen. Respond., we could have better constructed our prototype, which did not even accommodate people with disabilities. We were still unaware of our clients.”

Come. Listen. Respond.: Concept5

96 Section 1 | Final Client Presentation to Key Executives

Final Presentation + Feedback

05

98 | final Presentation + feedback

As our semester came to a close, we presented our final findings, prototypes and

recommendations to the key executives at Liberty Resources. The majority of the audience

had not been exposed to our collaboration prior to the meeting and the presentation

required a holistic, research to recommendation structure that clearly communicated our

role as Designers. By including both methods and processes with actual findings and

recommendations, we were able to expose our unique process to demonstrate how the

design methods and tools led us to our innovative concepts. Although this explanation of our

process was effective in communicating how we worked over the semester, it could have

been better employed as “transformative design” over the course of the semester. With more

emphasis placed on co-creating with our clients, we could have provided them with the skills

and tool kit necessary to employ design methods in their internal processes. Some of the

main tools we used in the final presentation to convey our ideas were: stakeholder mapping,

scenario building, and storytelling. All three of these tactics aided our communication by

helping the audience members to mentally model the ways in which our proposed prototypes

and recommendations could provide value and fulfill the unmet needs we had identified.

Following the presentation, there was a positive and excited response from the key executives.

This energy from the audience ignited a brainstorming of additional innovative ideas, and

extracted varying perspectives and feedback from the different internal departments present

at the meeting.

Final Client Presentation to Key Executives

Our research findings and prototypes excited a brainstorming session of innovation following our presentation–we had created a space for creativity.

By communicating the various stakeholder interactions in the form of a stakeholder map, we were able to create understanding more quickly.

To illustrate our prototypes and how they could be used in the future, we created scenarios featuring the different stakeholder interactions.

scenarIos

To model how storytelling can be used as a tool for change, we used our own storytelling in the presentation.

storytellInG

stakeholder maP

final Presentation + feedback | 99

“It would be great to extend this educational material and fundraising into the social media world–like on Facebook and Twitter.”

“What about a virtual advocacy kiosk? We could incorporate our social media as well as the ability to send a letter to your congressman, right then and there.”

“I would love to have the fundraising card to hand out at conferences. If there is something I can play with on my desk, I am much more likely to pick it up, look at it and do something with it.”

“This is all great. I would love to see the community storybook developed–it is so simple and easy to use.”

106 Appendix A | Design Toolkit

109 Appendix B | Key Terms

110 Appendix C | References

appendices

a

106 | appendices

Research Tools

Activity Analysis

Studying in detail all tasks, actions, objects,

performers and interactions involved in a

process.

Cognitive Task Analysis

List and summarize all of a user’s sensory

inputs, decision points and actions to identify

potential bottlenecks where errors may occur.

Contextual Interview

Conducted in the environment, or context, in

which the service process occurs allowing

interviewer to both observe and probe the

behavior they are interested in.

Cultural Probes

Information gathering packages based

around the principle of user participation via

self-documentation that reveal perceptions

and behaviors within or across cultures.

Draw the experience

Asking participants to visualize an experience

through drawing and diagramming which can

debunk assumptions and reveal how people

conceive of and order their experiences or

activities.

Empathy Tools

Create tools that alter your experience to

understand the abilities of different users.

Ethnography

A form of qualitative research that requires

immersion in the natural contexts upon which

work, play or culture are experienced.

Extreme User Interview

Identify individuals who are extremely familiar

or completely unfamiliar with the product

or system and ask them to evaluate their

experience with it.

Guided Tours

Asking participants to lead a guided tour of

the project-relevant spaces and activities

they experience to help them recall their

intentions and values.

Personal Inventory

Document the things that people identify as

important to them to catalog evidence of their

lifestyles.

Secondary Research

Supportive information including published

articles, papers and other pertinent

documents to develop an informed point of

view on design issues.

Shadowing

Involves researchers immersing themselves

in the lives of people in order to observe day-

to-day routines, interactions and contexts.

appendices | 107

Research Tools (Cont.)

Time Lapsed Video

Recording movements in a space over an

extended period of time to be later viewed

at an increased speed. This provides an

objective, longitudinal view of activity within a

context.

Unfocus Group

Assemble a diverse group of individuals to

encourage rich, creative, and divergent.

Synthesis Tools

Affinity Diagram

A method of data organization intended

to define categories based on likeness of

information.

Card Sort

Asking people to organize cards spatially, in

ways that make sense to them, revealing

expectations and priorities about intended

functions.

Concept Map

Graphical method for organizing and

representing knowledge supporting

meaningful learning through associative and

hierarchical connection forming.

Customer Journey Map

A structured visualization of a users

experience with a system.

Flow Diagramming

Visually representing the flow of information

or activity through all phases of a system or

process.

Mental model

A cognitive representation and simplification

of a complex system.

Personas

Fictional profiles developed as a way of

representing a particular group based on

their shared interests.

Social Network Mapping

Discovering different kinds of social

relationships within a user group and map

the network of their interactions.

Stakeholder Map

A visual or physical representation of the

various groups involved with a particular

service.

Zoom Out

A method for understanding and visualizing

the larger system of people, products,

services and environments within which a

particular design exists.

108 | appendices

Prototype + Test Tools

Co-creation

Engaging people with different backgrounds

and roles to work corroboratively as part

of the same team, in order to examine and

innovate a given experience.

Experience Prototype

Simulation of the experience using the

product revealing unanticipated issues or

needs.

Role Playing

Identify the stakeholders involved in the

design problem and assign those roles to

members of the team for them to enact

activities within a real or imagined context.

Scenarios

Illustrate a story line describing the context of

use for a product or service.

Storyboarding

A series of drawing or pictures that visualize

a particular sequence of events.

Storytelling

A method for sharing insights and new

concepts through the use of compelling

narratives.

appendices | 109

Advocate

Person with disabilities living in the community, who provides services and mentally supports

to the Consumers with their transition process.

Consumer

Person with disabilities in the transition process from the nursing facility to the community.

Key Terms

110 | appendices

“Accessible, Affordable, Integrated Housing.” ADAPT: ADAPT’S Platform. Web. 24 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.adapt.org/housing/platform>.

“ADA Bathroom Design Guidelines.” Wheel Chair and Mobility Resource Guide... Live More

Independently. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. <http://www.mobility-advisor.com/ada-bathroom.html>.

“ADA Home Page - Ada.gov - Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with

Disabilities Act.” ADA Home Page. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://www.ada.gov/>.

“Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 19 Sept.

2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990>.

“Benefits.gov - Pennsylvania Medicaid Program.” Benefits.gov. Web.

11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1148>.

“Disability Resources.” U.S. Department of Labor. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://www.dol.gov/

dol/topic/disability/ada.htm>.

“Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST.” Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST. Web. 24 Sept. 2011.

<http://www.fairhousingfirst.org/>.

“Home.” Home. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/>.

References

appendices | 111

“Houston Handicap Wheelchair Accessible Home Construction, Handicapped Home

Modifications and Remodeling in Houston, Texas Can Make Life Easier for the Elderly and

People with Disabilities.” Home Changes. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. <http://www.adaptiveaccess.

com/home_changes.php>.

Kane, R. L., and B. Friedman. “State Variations in Medicare

Expenditures.” American Journal of Public Health 87.10 (1997):

1611-619. Print.

“National Council on Disability.” National Council on Disability. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://

www.ncd.gov/>.

“Philadelphia’s Accessibility Compliance Office - Welcome.” Document Moved. Web. 24 Sept.

2011. <http://www.phila.gov/mcpd/>.

Documents

MID LRI Collaboration