26 Nov 2024 – A future that moves
Last year, I worked with FF Studio on a new fund for Sport England. They have written a great case study about the work, you should start with that.
This post expands on some of the things I really liked about the project.
Nothing about them without them
Reducing inequality is core to Sport England’s 10 year strategy, and we wanted to make sure the pilot fund took tangible steps towards that goal. We designed the assessment criteria and form questions to prioritise equity, including questions about about accessibility, long-term engagement and the community’s needs.
The assessment criteria were weighted towards projects from people with lived experience in the community, who had considered accessibility and ongoing support.
“Nothing about us without us” is a phrase popularised by disability justice activists but used widely to communicate that marginalised and oppressed people know best what they and their communities need.
Every issue is a climate issue
One of the principles of designing good forms is to only include questions you actually need answers forBeing data greedy is uncool and uncouth.. We made an exception to that rule for a climate question, which was the only question that didn’t have a ranking.
We included the question for two reasons: So Sport England could gather data about what’s already happening and better support organisations they work with to increase climate action, and to signal to applicants that climate change is important and is something they should be thinking about.
Equity or scale?
We tested audio and video responses in the pilot fund, because Sport England had a hypothesis that it would be useful for people who may not be as confident in written English, busy organisers and volunteers who don’t spend a lot of time at a computer, or people with access needs.
We went for a hybrid approach, because some questions need written answers (eg addresses), but we provided an option for audio/video responses for the main, open questions.
It required a few creative hacks to work around Typeform’s constraints, but we managed to get a flow that worked for both types of applications.
Out of the 36 orgs that submitted applications, only 4 of them used the audio/video option. But all of them were for organisations that wanted to reach disabled communities.
By common metrics of uptake or demand, prioritising audio and video submissions doesn’t make sense. But when you are designing for equity, the majority approach just doesn’t cut it.
This is something Clara and I talk about in our training course. In tech and product development, often the north star metric is quantity: the greatest number of users or the highest volume journeys. It is past time to start rethinking our the way we prioritise work.
Teamwork makes the dream work
The best thing about this project was – as the best work always is – the people. Rod and I were making a new prototype every couple days at the start, alongside the team at Sport England (big up Cassie and Sian).
The ability to think and design and iterate together with another person, to where you don’t know where your work ends and theirs begins, is so great. Rod was a collaborator extraordinaire, so thoughtful and smart. Also the wordsmith behind the greatest report title of all time.
Eliot and Anna ran the project with finesse, providing the wider vision and they had our backs so we could make something to be proud of. Kim kept us on track.
It is rare to work on projects that properly prioritise equity, to do so with such a stellar team was a privilege. Doing good work, together. That’s the dream!
Other places to read about this work
FF Studio case study, in which the pilot fund is only one part.
Rod says let it rip.
Eliot’s stream of consciousness, where he calls me a generalist.Jury’s out on this one.
For the very detailed, our project weeknotes.