Exploring the two sides of a moment of use approach to design

The article delves into the empathic design research conducted by a team of instructional designers, exploring how designers can empathize with their audience and use that empathy to create meaningful design deliverables. The study focuses on a moment of use approach, where designers act on specific moments to address the needs of their audience. The research was conducted with graduate students designing an online training course for direct care workers, emphasizing communication skills during shift changes. The team's design process involved introspection, interaction, and intention, with a focus on creating a meaningful design deliverable that met the specific needs of the direct care workers. The article also discusses the evaluation of the design deliverable using the NEW framework, which measures the novelty, effectiveness, and wholeness of creative artifacts. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the dynamic nature of context and the need for designers to stay ahead of a dynamic moment of use. The article concludes by emphasizing the collaborative nature of iterative design and the role of the designer's professional identity in creating meaningful design deliverables.