Thread by @EmilyTav

From '13-'17 there was a wave of Human-Centered Design work at the @DeptVetAffairs to reorient the agency toward the ppl they serve: veterans + their families. The outputs are scattered + hard to find.

I pulled them into an open Google folder.

Thread 1/
medium.com/@EmilyTav/desi…

While this work was originally done to improve service-delivery at the VA, the work could be valuable to anyone (1) trying to better serve our nation’s veterans and their families, or (2) people aiming to bring a more human-centered approach to their organization(s). 2/

This work was done by several teams at VA, most notably: the VA Center for Innovation (VACI), the Veteran’s Experience Office (VEO), and the U.S. Digital Service (@USDS)

Some of it continues.

3/

The folder includes resources + reports with insights from field work w/veterans across the country.

For ex:

Toward a Veteran-Centered VA: A high-level look at the *actual* experience Veterans have interacting with the VA. This was the pilot of the #HCD methodology at VA. 4/

Veteran Access to Mental Health Services: A deep dive into the experience Veterans have interacting with VA mental health services, and opportunities to improve access and care. 5/

#mentalhealth

Veteran Appeals Experience: A deep dive into the experience Veterans have when making an appeal about disability claims. 6/

A Toolkit for Human-Centered Design: A resource for (originally designed for VA employees, but applicable beyond the VA) teams serving veterans to adopt a Human-Centered approach to delivering services and care. 7/

Human-Centered Design Discovery Stage Field Guide: A teaching tool and reference guide offering step-by-step guidance on how researchers can conduct HCD discovery and synthesis. 8/

There are few things that have shaped me--as a person + a professional--as much as the Human-Centered Design research we did with veterans at the @DeptVetAffairs. I know the same is true for everyone who touched this work. 9/

Today I think of all of the people we spoke with--the people whose lives were forever changed by their experience serving. I think of how we are failing them. I think of how much more they deserve. I think about how distant their experiences are from all of our daily lives. 10/

Recap: I've pulled the outputs of the #HCD work done at the VA into an open folder in case it's useful to people and orgs seeking to better understand the lived experiences of veterans. 12/

drive.google.com/drive/folders/…

Please note: I was only directly involved in 2 of these reports. The bulk of this work was done by @slyning, @mollieruskin, @sarahbbrooks, @publicpolicylab + their teams.

I simply wanted to pull everything into one place. 13/

I hope these work products serve as an actionable reminder of the insight we gain by speaking directly to the people we serve. Not surveys. Not focus groups. Real conversations w/real people.

&may we serve them even a fraction as well as they have served us.

end/

#VeteransDay

Direct link to the #HCD at VA work: drive.google.com/drive/mobile/f…