Win big with the transformation trifecta!

The term transformation is used a lot in relation to information technology these days. More than a buzzword, it has become the mantra for business resilience. Yes, we all want to reduce risk, lower costs and ensure employee buy- in, all at the same time. But it’s tricky, so where to start?
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We have written before about using a social technology – human centred design (HCD) – as a methodology to underpin how we think about innovation and transformation. From this we learnt that change (transformation) does not begin or end with a new business process, digital solution, or technology – rather it begins and ends with people, with humans.
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With a view to guiding you further on your HCD journey, we’d like to introduce you to the transformation trifecta - innovation, experience design (XD) and change management.

1 - Innovation-driven
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Innovation starts with:

1. outlining the vision and collective ambition of the people involved
2. a maturity assessment of the current state
3. the implementation of an innovation approach and
4. how to move from now to wow!

2 - Experience-led
XD strengthens the strategic approach, unlocking the path to better employee experiences and adds value by giving businesses and teams the opportunity to apply practical ideas, test how they actually work, and then make adjustments.

3 - Change supported
Change professionals expand on the XD work by fleshing out the strategy, structures, processes and work-flows. By working with those impacted by the change, to minimise any negative effects on business as usual (BAU), while at the same time up-skilling all stakeholders in preparation for

Combining change & XD
The key principle of change management is focusing on the people who are affected. Whereas XD emphasises how change empowers people, engages, trains them, and increases adoption to realise this change vision.
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XD is about designing a solution or product with the user in mind. The key principle is that the people who face the problems, or use the product, are the ones who can provide the most relevant insights and solutions.

Applying the XD lens sharpens our focus to the human side of change practice, taking us back to the very heart of helping people adopt the change. With this view, XD becomes a valuable part of the toolkit when developing change plans, and a capability needed to build.
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The methodology of XD is often applied for developing empathy, personas and experience maps. The same thinking can be used to plan and introduce change. Consider impacted employees as internal customers who can provide deep insights.

Applying an experience design lens to change looks at three elements before and after the implementation - what do we want our people to do, think and feel?
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How you win big‍

• Increased adoption - Employees are being asked what they want to see take place before implementation to support adoption, so a collaborative approach starts early in the change planning.
• Empowering people - Asking employees to play a meaningful role in imagining a successful future state.
• Measurable results - We can measure after the change is implemented, through the lens of the same three human elements of doing, thinking and feeling.
• Future forming - Change practitioners gain insights into what a desired future state looks like from a user’s perspective.

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Three capabilities for the price of one!
Experience designers are innovators - they have a powerful mindset and framework at their fingertips to guide people through successful innovation programs. Change professionals understand that successful adoption of new ways of thinking and working takes place one person at a time. Experience design and innovation are part of their emerging toolkit to support transformation. They are out there - go and get yourself one! Sign up for the Transformation Trifecta - you‘ll win big!