On-site-worker-centered design for work improvements
Authors: Ihara Masayuki , Tokunaga Hiroko , Murakami Hiroki , Saruwatari Shinpei , Takeshita Kazuki , Koga Akihiko , Yukihira Takashi , Hisano Shinya , Motoe Masashige 
Published: July 2023

This paper introduces a case study of work improvement conducted with
care workers on site as well as discussions on their motivation of the
improvement. For a sustainable service based on work improvements, not only
user-centered but also service-provider-centered design is important.
However, a co-creation project with on-site workers has a difficulty in
designing a successful work improvement due to both their busy daily care
work and their psychological burden to accept and launch the designed
improvement. Thus, workshop designers should effectively motivate them so
that they could join the design project and make a decision to launch the
improvement. As for motivation in service design, Bisset introduced
differing levels of motivation of a service user[1]. Bisset's framework is
useful to understand and analyze each level of motivation though a target of
the framework is mainly a service user, not a service provider. For
motivating on-site workers, a study with a viewpoint of a service provider
is necessary. We conducted 17 co-creation workshops for a year in order to
design a work improvement which would be served as a sustainable service.
The workshops were designed based on design thinking and focused on solving
an environmental problem of their nursing facility. A manager at the
facility expected the workers to think and act on their own initiative to
improve their work autonomously. Though the workers tried to design a
solution for safe and comfortable aisles where a wheelchair does not hit
tables or chairs, the trial resulted in failure to launch the solution. A
review workshop, which was conducted to analyze the reason why the workshops
failed, revealed that they are too cautious to step forward although they
learned the importance of understanding users, paying more attention to
users and information sharing among workers. They were concerned about
disadvantages by the solution such as complaints from users about table
layout changes. They were also concerned about the lack of preparation to
implement the solution. The review result suggests a design of intrinsic
motivation for putting ideas into actions based on what they have learned.
We think the intrinsic motivation could be enhanced by both a design of work
improvement workshops and a design of their work style changes. As for the
former, we included in the workshop design functions for extracting assumed
problems during solution operation and devising ideas for problem solving,
but the effects were insufficient. As Lockton mentioned[2], the latter
depends on both behavior change of the workers and a design of the work
environment. Future work will include a better workshop design that raises
the motivation level of the workers step by step and exploring effective
motivation of the workers to change their work style and workplace.[1]
Bisset, F. et al: Designing motivation or motivating design? Exploring
Service Design, motivation and behavioural change, Touchpoint: The Journal
of Service Design, Vol.2, No.1, pp.15-21, 2010[2] Lockton, D. et al:
Modelling the User: How design for sustainable behaviour can reveal
different stakeholder perspectives on human nature, Brunel University
Research Archive, 2010