In Transformation Design our designers apply design in new contexts. Far from the traditional “design of things”, transformation designers use the core skills of communication, product, user experience and industrial design to transform the way in which people interact with systems, services, organizations and policies—this is design for what’s next.

The Transformation Design Process

Transformation Design applies the principles of design to the challenge of behaviour and system change. To better understand and solve complex problems, we break the large-scale change down into series of small steps and involve people at each stage of the process. 

1. Establish a Focus—What is the general direction for the work? Once the focus is decided, we can begin to identify stakeholders and gather relevant background.
2. Define the Problem—Within the focus area, what is the data-informed problem we are trying to solve? What do we believe the underlying causes to be and what evidence do we have that supports our understanding?
3. Set a Goal—What change are we trying to achieve? Are we applying band-aid solutions to symptoms, or undertaking systems change to address rood causes? This determines the scope of our work and our solutions.
4. Determine Objectives—Generating objectives starts with imagining high-level solutions that will help achieve the goal. We then reframe those solutions into measurable objectives, and finish with a prioritization.
5. Map Stakeholders, Barriers and Enablers—What can we learn about the context surrounding each of our objectives? We map relevant stakeholders, existing attitudes and beliefs, and factors that will help or hinder the achievement of the objective.
6. Create Intermediate Outcomes—What are the key milestones along the path to our objectives? These outcomes can range from increased awareness of an issue to sustained behaviour change.
7. Develop a Transformation Framework—How do intermediate outcomes fit together to achieve the objectives and the goal? This creates a timeline of steps to achieve the desired transformation.
8. Take Action—What will we do to achieve intermediate outcomes? We outlines specific tactics for reaching the first set of outcomes, and identify who from the team is most accountable, and take action.
9. Monitor and Evaluate—As we implement, are things progressing as expected or do we need to update our approach? As new information emerges, we revise tactics and evolve the Transformation Framework.