HELLO
(If you have arrived here expecting to see my blog, Playpen, it’s still there, it’s just the homepage here that has changed.)
My name is Andy Polaine, an experience designer focussing on playful interactions and service design research.
Since 1994 I have worked on projects ranging from promoting Levi’s jeans to helping people with terminal cancer express how they feel, from re-thinking green transport solutions to re-designing the higher education experience.
WHAT I DO
I am an independent consultant, which means I have fewer overheads than larger agencies and clients have direct contact with me.
The majority of my work is interactive concept development, but I know how to code and I know how to design and still do both on smaller projects. This makes it a lot easier for me to work with other developers and designers in a team because I understand their concerns.
I am quick to take-in complex situations and find the connections, patterns and relationships underlying a project. I combine my background in interaction design and research to make the user experience pleasurable, engaging and playful.
HOW I WORK
Research
I gather as much background information as possible, keeping an eye out for problems and patterns. This takes the form of desk-based and client research right through to field research, interviews and observations of end users.
Insights
The research leads to the discovery of patterns and insights. I map these to the project goals, which sometimes need to be changed based on fresh insights. Everything is up for grabs at this stage and it is a collaborative process. We might use Post-It notes and whiteboards, role-playing, presentations or blogs containing photographs and stories – whatever is appropriate. I’ll then present these insights in a succinct form that everyone can understand and use.
Design, Ideas & Implementation
Working from these insights, I create design concepts. These are usually delivered as presentations, concept documents, blueprints, wireframes, prototypes, persona and user journeys. These are the guides that clients, stakeholders, programmers and designers can all agree upon and work from.
Evolution & Measurement
My concept work is then passed to graphic designers, programmers and project managers and I am always available to advise and evolve the design throughout the project. This is important to maintain the integrity of the user experience design. Small changes to details here and there can be the difference between delight and frustration for the end user.
After launch, the measurement of the results – whether that is how people’s lives are improved or how well the service or product sells – is an important part of the process that I like to be involved with.
Experimentation
Regardless of whether I’m working on a commercial project or not, I am always keen to play with and explore emerging media and technologies. Playing with these new forms is the best way to discover its hidden gems.
WHO I WORK WITH
I work directly with clients who need help innovating their user and service experience. Depending on the scale of the project I can take on the entire work myself or work with other people whose expertise lies outside my own.
I also work with agencies who need my specific experience and approach that they cannot supply in-house. I am able to hit the ground running and fit into an existing project’s team. For longer projects I am happy to put together and lead a team myself.
Over the years I have worked for many clients and brands, either directly or with other agencies. Here are a few: BBC Worldwide, the ABC (Australia), The Science Museum, NatWest, Razorfish, the University of New South Wales, The Omnium Research Group, magneticNorth, Massive Interactive, Animal Logic, Poke, Alex Proyas, AstraZeneca, Norton Healthcare, Live|Work, RiverSimple and Levi Strauss & Co. (for which we won a D&AD Silver Pencil). For more, visit the portfolio selection.
WRITING & ACADEMIA
Throughout my career I have found teaching to be the best way to learn and writing a powerful path to creative thinking. I am currently a Research Fellow and Lecturer in Service Design in the Design & Art school of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland. For more information on my academic life, writing and publications, take a look at the About Me section.