Nissan : Transitioning from design-led  to user centred design

Nissan has a comprehensive product suite of OEM sites and apps spanning 200+ markets, globally, and are currently developing their apps for the new generation of connected EVs. Pre-2019 no digital concepts, components or designs were user tested with ‘real’ consumers, meaning all design decisions were based on design principles and assumptions of what the consumer would want. 

Camino was hired in Jan 2019 as part of the Global Customer Experience Transformation Team, with the goal of devising and implementing a user testing strategy. Camino put in place a full toolkit of resources to draw from, to ensure all approaches are fit for purpose and all future designs are grounded in real consumer insight.

UX Designers are now able to move forward with greater confidence - understanding more of the context, preferences, market differences and user journeys. With teams no longer working in silos, they are able to function more efficiently, in turn creating a more fluid experience going forward. User research is now an integral part of Nissan’s design process.

Location Independent (#MyLifeAsADigitalNomad) : Immersive study of an emerging lifestyle

In 2017 Camino’s Founder, Deborah took to the road, travelling through 14 different countries in 13 months; living and working as a Digital Nomad. Throughout her journey Deborah conducted an immersive, ethnographic study to better understand the lives of this emerging segment, with a view to generating fresh insight for those serving and interacting with this community.

The outputs sit within a framework of Digital Nomad Typologies and Workstates which, when viewed in combination, can be used to identify a unique set of life and workspace needs for the sub-segments.

The insights generated naturally cluster around four key areas:

1. Helping employers to truly understand this community, with a view to facilitating mutually successful future remote worker / employer relationships

2. Providing new and fresh user insight for the proprietors of coworking spaces

3. Providing new and fresh user insight for the proprietors of coliving spaces

4. Aiding the design of niche products, apps and services for Digital Nomads

Deborah was invited to present some of her findings at the Workplace Trends Research Summit in London, March 2019. She is now consulting on workspace and coliving design, as well as all things Digital Nomad!

The Battleship building : Bringing a sense of calm and wellbeing to the second most polluted spot in London

The Battleship building in London’s newly regenerated Paddington basin is a Grade II listed building, built to a modernist design. Recently refurbished, in March 2019 it became home to the Nissan digital design team. 

Camino was delighted to be invited to be part of a select team tasked with making the space a more creative and inspiring environment. According to leading workplace consultants, Emcor, the CO2 levels in many workplaces are so high that they have a limiting effect on employee health and productivity. Their recent study (conducted between March 2017 and September 2018), shows participants scored 12% higher on proof reading and numerical tests when CO2 levels were below 1000ppm (vs 1400), and completed numerical tests 38% quicker.

Open source data from the London Air Quality Network shows this to be one of the most polluted areas in London - and with the Westway and connecting flyovers surrounding the building (making it unfeasible to open windows), it is imperative that the indoor environment is health enhancing.