The valuing and jerk project

Let's be valuing!

I joined the volunteer team at the University of Maryland and worked closely with Karen Holtzblatt throughout the research and ideation phases of the project. During the research phase I helped collect and interpret data from our 26 field interviews. We then built an affinity diagram where we were able to identify 15 key valuing behaviors and 15 key jerk behaviors. Using that data we then spent the design phase coming up with solutions and interventions. We held brainstorming sessions where we ideated and then picked a few ideas to prototype and iterate at a low-fidelity. Something that we always kept in mind was how easy it would be to provide a certain intervention. We wanted to keep resource costs on the low end and easily obtainable. After multiple iterations of interventions I was able to practice pitching the concepts I worked on with my team to Karen.

One concept I was involved with was on a team process intervention that we named, The Batman Jar. This idea came about from taking a more fun and anonymous approach to the contextual design practice of a process check. It allows a team to openly discuss what is working well and raise awareness of issues. The jar should be used to encourage continuous improvement as the team learns and grows together. Initially this is something we tested in-person but due to COVID-19 we then had to transition this process into a remote environment. Initially a physical jar you could drop notes into, we then transitioned the idea into a virtual jar on Miro.

Another intervention I worked closely on was The Valuing and Jerk Posters. Based on the key behaviors that we found in our data, we then had the idea to create characters out them. The thought behind that was that we could use them in games or other interventions down the road, currently we created character posters that promote behavior awareness. I helped with the initial ideation and formation of the characters, as well as the early stages of poster concepts. One of the earliest concepts I created was super hero vs. villain themed. In the end we chose to go with animals since they provide a more gender-neutral representation and are not personally identifying. The final visual design of the posters was done by Peter Verastegui.

This is only a brief overview of my experience and the work done by WITops. If you are curious I strongly suggest you learn more about The Valuing and Jerk Project and other related resources.