April 2023- 4 myki cards & design thinking mindset

I have now discovered I own a further 4 myki cards, so total is actually 8.

Myki?

Myki is (being polite here) a reloadable card(s) to enable users to travel on Melbourne's public transport system by train, bus or tram. Myki is Melbourne's version of the Opal card (if you are from Sydney), or Oyster (if you are from London). Myki is not without its flaws and as a result, it's how someone like me can end up with 8 cards.

When I run a workshop or training session, it's great to bring theory to life with practical examples people can relate to and apply to their day to day work life.

Design thinking.

For Design thinking, taking an example such as Myki is a great way to embed the design thinking mindset and help people develop and apply empathy for the user, simply because there's quite a lot wrong with it. An important aspect of design thinking is being able to keep the user at the centre and get yourself into the mind of the user. Something to think about- why was this designed this way?

Noticing about how things are designed and observe how people use them is a really great way to help get people into the design thinking mindset, building a connection with the practice so that people can apply back to their own organisation and work.

Back to Myki

So here I am with my 8 cards. How did this happen? I have on numerous occasions, failed to bring my myki card with me to the train station. This behaviour peaked post Melbourne lockdowns, as I was out of the habit of semi-regular train travel. Since there is no way for a user to (legally) travel without a myki card this meant a purchase of a new card was the only option. If another option existed to travel perhaps paying by a credit or debit card, smartphone or another option, I would have less plastic.
This would also have a significant reduction in the cost of managing, creating and maintaining cards in the Myki system for the organisation running it.

So many options.

You can apply this approach to anything you come into contact with as a user- from your own kitchen to waiting and boarding a plane.

Using real life examples is a great way to help people apply theory and connect it back to their day to day work

This post was inspired by Alex Stokes's mini hack podcast episode from 2019 https://www.rebootco.com.au/podcast/2019/3/29/the-weekly-reboot-mini-hack-6-design-think-your-trip-to-work