Inspiring Design: Teams at CCRMC drawing inspiration from IDEO Method Cards

Motivated by a recent visit to Denver Health who prominently display their improvement data on the wall with a red/yellow/green-light system, I have asked the Improvement Academy participants to design a proposal to create a place, space, or mechanism that increases the visibility of our performance and improvement data here at CCRMC. We must "lower the water level" in order to see what lies beneath in our system. If we can't see it, we can't measure it. If we can't measure it, we can't improve it.

I'm anxious to see what the teams come up with at the upcoming CCRMC Improvement Academy this Thursday. Using the IDEO Method Cards for inspiration, teams divided into four categories:

• Learn: Analyze the information- look for patterns/insights
• Look: Observe, discover what people do rather than what they say they do
• Ask: Get input of others
• Try: Simulate and test to empathize with users and evaluate your design proposal

Image source: IDEO.com
The cards are meant to prompt thinking and encourage a "go to" or as we might say at CCRMC, "go and see" or "go and test" approach. I love the IDEO Method Cards. Elegant in their design, they are simple yet powerful.

We have two decks at CCRMC. One deck is in my office and the other is in the Innovation Office located in the medical center administration. Cards are available to teams and are borrowed on an honor system. Currently, my deck is with teams around the medical center who may be coming to you to enlist your participation as they design and test proposals for a visibility room (or space, or web presence etc) to display our performance data. You can find the iPhone or iPad application here. I think they're also available for purchase on Amazon but haven't checked myself. Additionally, you can find directions on how to purchase a deck from William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco. I will warn you, William Stout has an old classic bookstore feel to it with amazing books. If you go there you may be like me and never want to leave!

Join us at the CCRMC Improvement Academy as teams report back and present proposals this coming Thursday July 22 at 9:00 AM at CCRMC, Building One, Conference Room One. All are welcome.

More soon

Anna