ALS Canada
Service Design
Responsibilities: Design & Research Lead
Project completed while at Pivot Design Group
ALS is a fatal and debilitating disease. Approximately 1,000 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year and most people live for just 2-5 years after that. Its non-linear symptom progression is very difficult to map so proactively determining patient needs (medical, mental/emotional, logistical, as well as physical) in a timely fashion is often near impossible. ALS Canada needed a service design approach to better understand what information people might need and when.
Research Approach
One-on-one User Interviews with:
People living with ALS
Caregivers
ALS Canada Regional Navigators
User Personas to synthesize the research themes and key findings from the interviews
Service Design Blueprint
Visualize multiple patient journeys in a single map
Chart the services available as well as the unmet needs along the journey
Design Solution
User Personas allowed ALS Canada to better understand the unique situations their clients and their families were living in not only at the time of diagnosis but also during the progression and at the end of life. Taking this information and plotting it on a service blueprint also allowed the project team to see the individual stories mapped out at a system level to better understand how the system currently supported the journey. The visualization shone light on areas of immediate action as well as areas where long-term planning was needed. Ultimately, a storytelling visualization was created to map out a "“Blue sky” scenario with an AI solution to help people living with ALS to get the information that then need exactly when they need it.
(Scroll down for video presentation.)
Presenting the process to a worldwide audience
In 2020, at the height of COVID, I was asked to present our unique service design approach to the project on a global stage at the ALS/MND International Alliance forum. Below is the presentation in full where the project team presents the research approach and findings virtually.