With our key services and resources for Anchor now developed, the next stage focused on testing how effective they were in practice. This allowed us to present our designs and service ideas to our project mentor, Ruth, and gain valuable feedback on how they were perceived and understood. By reviewing these resources with her, we were able to see whether they created the intended impact and supported the overall purpose of our service. This feedback helped us identify what worked well, what could be improved, and whether these ideas should move forward into the final design stage of the project.
With our key services and resources for Anchor now developed, the next stage focused on testing how effective they were in practice. This allowed us to present our designs and service ideas to our project mentor, Ruth, and gain valuable feedback on how they were perceived and understood. By reviewing these resources with her, we were able to see whether they created the intended impact and supported the overall purpose of our service. This feedback helped us identify what worked well, what could be improved, and whether these ideas should move forward into the final design stage of the project.
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Testing our initial resources with our mentor allowed us to gain valuable feedback and understand how effectively Anchor’s designs support our intended users.
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Our meeting with Ruth went smoothly as a group and was quicker than we had anticipated, while still providing valuable feedback on our project and resource designs. It gave us a clear opportunity to discuss our ideas and understand how they were being perceived from an outside perspective. To make sure none of the feedback was missed, I decided to record and transcribe the meeting so I could reflect on it afterwards in more detail. As shown below, having a full transcript of the conversation helped me better understand her key points, suggestions, and overall feedback, making it easier to apply these improvements moving forward.
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Hi, I'm Abi, nice to meet you.
Hi Abi, sorry I'm late, my computer locked up there.
You're okay, don't worry about it. I'm with Jacob and Brady beside me here. Bye guys. Good to see you again. So I have a script I'm going off of beside me just in case I'm looking between yous. But just wanted to say thanks so much for taking the time to do this today. Today's really just about getting your honest thoughts on what we've designed. It'd be really helpful if you could act as a proxy for a user.
So, just someone going through the experience for the first time. And try to respond as if you're in their position rather than a professional. There really are no right or wrong answers here, so we're just testing the design and not you, so don't worry if you feel like you're saying the wrong thing. Okay. Did you get a chance to look at and read through the content beforehand?
A brief look, and I was trying to open it again. It was from Eve, wasn't it? Yeah. So you keep talking, and I'll get it open again, okay?
Perfect. So, just initially, was there anything that stood out to you whenever you opened it up for the first time? Sorry, I'm going to have to get it open before I slide out. No, you're okay.
Oh! What's his surname? Because it's not coming up on my search terms. I'm sorry, guys. I'm talking to the wrong number. Are you okay?
Okay. Okay. So it'd just be great whenever you get it open if you could just talk me through exactly what you're seeing and say your thoughts out loud.
So what I'm seeing is the personas that you've created. That's the one you want me to open first? Yep. Yeah, so... That's interesting. You've got three personas. Okay. Who's 30 year old, 32-year-old, 30's child? As well. And... Okay, and now I understand it's the family. So it's the family of Marcus. Okay, so I think it's... Without reading all the details as we're here on the call, I think what you're trying to do is an overview of their circumstances, their ambition and what complexity there is in their lives to reach that.
Yeah. Both from the perspective of the mom and the dad. And then also I'm trying to understand it from the perspective of a young person whose father's in prison. Do you want me to go into the details or what else do you want from me? Sorry.
No, no. If you just like to briefly, so the user personas, the blueprint and the storyboard, I'm pretty sure they are all just to give you some context behind it. So the real tasks of today will be looking at the actual activity sheets and worksheets. So you should be able to have a copy of them. So just to get context, just to make yourself aware of the journey and the actual user that we'll be giving it to.
Yeah, okay, and then I've got the activity sheets open here.
Okay, perfect. So, can you walk me through what you're seeing with the activity sheets?
Okay, so firstly, it's pretty clear that there's a one and a two. And that, most importantly, it's about me as the user. And that's really important. And it looks to me like it's going to be conversational. Because the questions are, it looks like they're going to be prompted by that conversation with the person who's with Marcus or me. And trying to distil down to what my interests are. How am I going to engage, and what are the barriers?
Okay, here are your mentor’s notes. Okay. And then the workshop activity about the child. OK, so this is obviously this one's a biggie. Actually, if I was if I had to do this. It would probably take quite a lot of thinking, talking and conversations to prepare myself. to maybe write something, especially writing. I'm going to say writing because I'm not really good at writing, and I don't normally write as a message like that would be quite.
Probably haven't done that since school. So I'm feeling a wee bit out of my depth here. Yeah. It's quite an emotional thing, your prompts. Quiet, and one thing I want to say sorry for. But you're also given that option to keep it private. from the mentor or not, which is good, although there are mentor notes that are down there, so then I'm wondering, will the mentor see it anyway? So it feels like, so... I think it's really, I think you've focused on what matters to me in the first, in section one.
Section two is going to need a lot of support for me to step into that. I don't know if this is helpful to you guys, but just because it's that vulnerability and emotional connection, that probably... To open a lot of trauma and regret personally. But also trying to understand that from the viewpoint of my kids, which maybe I've done before, or maybe I really haven't. and then being able to articulate that, and words?
might be a jump, so it might be easier for me to do some sort of visual thing instead of that, possibly? But that also might not suit me or someone else, you know what I mean? Instead of just the Thought of penning something. Now, maybe that just cuts through all the crap, and you're delighted to get a chance to be honest and open. Um... So I think it's gonna work. For some people, it's not going to work for others.
And it's going to work for some people some of the time, depending on where your head is. Mm-hmm.
Yep, that's great. So I'm going to move on to the scenarios and the tasks. Just so you have a brief context of it, I'm going to move on to that. So the first task is the first worksheet. It should be... The first one you opened, I'll tell you the scenario first, and then you can tell me if it matches the worksheet. So, can you imagine that you have just left prison, you've gone to the bus, and you have now arrived at the community centre. You are just in the reception, and you have met all the reception staff.
Thank you. They have given you this document to fill out in your own spare time. Could you walk through, as if you were that person, how you think you would complete it?
Okay, so that's what I was just talking about, wasn't it? Or have I got mixed up here?
Yeah, so I think the one that you were talking about was the ladder.
It was the getting started, help us understand your goals in the workshop activity.
Yes, let me just... Yeah, was there another one? Sorry. It should be... it's a blue... yeah, no, the blue one. So about you, I've got it up here on that screen so I can see what you're looking at. Yeah, so about you, so whenever you enter the centre and you meet our reception staff, they give you this here sheet to fill out so that they... well, I'll not explain it, but I'll let you tell us what you think. Okay.
So.
So it's kind of going to go so we got, for me, I like it. I like that it's about what matters to me. I like it's trying to help me focus about what do I want to get out of my time here. I like that question a lot. And you're also trying to work out for me what's the best way I can do something that I'm interested in. So I really like that. Um... About the... If it's just handed to me, I'm not sure I can fill that in because It's overwhelming around my literacy levels, you know what I mean?
So that might put me off. And it might be better for me if someone, if we had that as a conversation. And someone made the notes. Is that all right for other people that fill it out easily? And for others, but for others, there's also the question of what they want to get out of my time. Why am I here? Have I come because I want to be here? Is it being voluntary? Have I found that this is my next step?
Am I being made to come? Is this a tick for probation? You know, so I might be coming in here full of here's an opportunity for this, you know, to reconnect with my kid or whatever. Or I might be here under duress. So So then how I approach that first question might be radically different.
Okay. So within it, was there anything that you felt is unclear, difficult or unnecessary or missing?
Okay, soI do like the questions you've asked. I guess if I just walked in through the door, when you're saying what kind of workshops are you interested in, I guess you guys need to have explained to me we're having workshops and what is there. I know you've got your family communication, wellbeing skills. What are skills? What's wellbeing? Do you know something, whether it's a video, it's a pyramid or someone in the mix that has given me a bit of an insight and maybe, sorry, I've missed this in your other slide, so forgive me if I have, but something that prepares me to answer that.
I'll be going, what are you talking about? But I like that you're then asking me, what is it? Why am I here? How do I want to interact? Is it better? You know, and you're going to very quickly. Like, I no more want to be in a group. stratifying me out, which is really good. Anything else you'd be unsure or worried about, I think is a good question. It'd be really interesting to see how people respond to it.
The one, is there anything else you'd like us to know? I guess I'm... I've come out of prison and I am very, very... There's a paranoid other system. hasn't really been very kind or done very well. So my question there is, why do you want to know that? That's a loaded question to me. Why would I like you to know something else? Or, you know, it's a wee bit. I think you guys are being open. but I'm reading it like what's going on here.
So... The wording of that or the purpose of why is that there? Sorry, this is not me being Marcus. This is just me being me. Why have you asked that? What are you hoping to get from that yourselves? Is it just a chance for... for someone to be open about something or... Is it more purpose driven than that?
Is that an actual question you want me to answer, yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry.
No, you're okay. So the reason we wanted to do that is to understand what they actually want to get at the centre. I'm sure you're aware of the actual community centre that we're building. To be able to give them the actual support that they need and make it more personal. But...
I get that and I think your questions are really good for that. It's question five. Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
Struggling with accommodation and they haven't told anybody yet. Something like that is kind of just like an additional. I suppose I probably could take that out. I just thought it would be useful. But what do you think?
I'm reading it and go, why do you want to know? What is it that you want me to tell you and why do you want to know?
Because it's too vague for me.
And if it's about... disclosing something that no one else knows. I'm not likely going to tell you guys on your first visit on paper, you know what I mean? It would make me more go, what are you going to do with that information? I'm in the mind of someone who's come out of prison and doesn't trust yet, doesn't trust the centre. to the point where they want to know why you want to know.
I'm probably being cantankerous here but I'm...
Well then would there be another question that you would say instead if that would work better?
And I think about it. I don't know. I know the purpose of what you're trying to do there. I think it might be more At this point of entry, it might be more conversational with the mentor that they might... disclose something so maybe you want it you know this this the way that mentors notes like who keeps this who keeps this document is it me or is it you guysThe actual document I've sent across?
Yeah.
When I fill it in, is it mine or is it kept in the center? Who owns this information?
Well you could get a copy of it and then it'd go back to the centre. It'd go between the counsellor, so they have a, I'm not sure if you looked at the user journey and the blueprint, but they have a counsellor, a mentor and then a social worker if needed. So I think this would be a conversation that we need to have more backstage of this is what needs to be focused for this individual and these are the areas that you should target the most.
From what I'm gathering from you, it may be easier for the person, the individual to actually fill it in with the mentor and get an explanation of why this is being filled in and with their literacy being able to fill it in with them might work a bit better.
Yeah, and that last question, I think...
I think you should be as explicit as that.
you know because you've already asked is there anything you feel unsure or worried about so there's my opportunity to say I don't want to meet my family yet if I want to say it I'd probably take that out but if the mentors if something comes up additional then between the mentor and the person firstly is it is it noted is it written down and if it is it could be in the mentor's notes or something to be then for a therapeutic conversation or something i i don't know yeah i'm only like if you gave me that i can say that's fine on another day i'd say it's not fine that's how your mind works whenever you're under pressure and you're not trusted really, really important in these scenarios because in a prison setting, You don't really feel trust for the authority on the whole.
So then to disclose things to the next iteration of where you're going next is going to take a wee bit of time, I think, to be vulnerable.
Yeah, 100%. Do you want to move on to the next worksheet there, the workshop activity? And I'll give you the scenario. So you have now settled into the community centre. You have understood there's a list of workshops you can attend. You have sat down with your mentor and you have said, this is the one I want to go to. You understand that it is going to be an emotional one, it's one for building on your relationship and so whenever you get to the workshop you're being told that you have to write a short message to your child and you're given this worksheet to complete either in the workshop or you can also take it out and go around the centre and fill it in by yourself and bring it back.
Yeah, so that's what I was talking about earlier. I think for some people, this would be a real invitation for connection and for others, it's way too big a step to either be able to articulate and then the writing thing I was saying about visualising, it may not be writing for people as well, but... Um... It just depends on your story and how disconnected you are and how much trauma there is in that story.
and how connected you are to your own emotion. There are millions of things in that, but if you're doing that... activity within the confines of your therapeutic Try out of people. That activity will come at the right time. Do you know what I mean? It definitely wouldn't be for me to fill in tomorrow unless you guys have built up to it.
As a concept, it's pretty sweet. But it would only be for the right person at the right time. But I'm hoping that you guys have built in your program.
the knowledge to support someone to be at the right place before you give them that yeah Would you have anything then that you feel like could be changed within it just to be more specific or what other advice would you give?
Okay, so definitely that ragging. Someone might want to write a message, someone else can't.
And so how are they going to communicate? So is it drawing? Is it something else? Is there another way to do this that isn't using words? Is it important or even the structure of that? I'm looking at that and if I sort of dropped out of school at 11 or 12, even a paragraph.
Even though for you and me, we can just, you know, sure, we can describe something, but that might be really off-putting for some people, not for everybody. So maybe that there's... There's a few. different models at the same workshop where you can You know, write one line.
Or you can stick in, you can pick a thing from a magazine that the kid might like, that you might like, like a car, stick it in, something that's, or draw, music, whatever, but...
So I think that's important. The prompts.
I don't know. I think it's useful to have prompts if those prompts are sensitive.
to people who've gone through trauma or if they're inflammatory for people who have gone through trauma.
I don't know. I don't know, you know, so I guess, I guess these are, you know, this is all you guys developing. And maybe you've had a conversation with someone who's, you know, a therapeutic practitioner. But I would be wanting a lens of that. And I'd also do it with co-designing it with people as well and go, you know, if we have a problem, one thing I want to say sorry for. That might be like liberation or that might actually be really, really detrimental to their own mental health, you know, to to be put in that place.
I'm not an expert in that at all, so I don't know. So I would be definitely spending more time Exterior news prompts both way. therapeutic practitioners and with people coming out of prison to see what they think. Yeah, definitely. But it's nice because You know, if I haven't. If I've been disconnected from someone and they have been growing up for six months or six years, Where do you start? So in a way you're trying to create something that might be useful for some people and I guess all of these things have to be really really optional.
for the people that use mine that's right for them to use. Definitely.
Do you want to move on to the final prompt then of the next worksheet? It's the purple and it's named Reflection and Progress Review.
Right now I'm seeing If I have that.
I don't think I have that. What I have is The anchor material, which was the persona...
the sort of picture diary of going leaving prison. Oh, hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Sorry.
Maybe there's another one here. Sorry, forget that. I do have it, but it's just off the page. Sorry. Okay. There we are.
Yes, so just the same questions of walk me through out loud whenever you're looking at it for the first time, your opinions. Okay. Thoughts?
Okay, so the one to five. I think that's quite evolved. critique. So if you're in a session, I think you have to have the emotional intelligence and be able to articulate what you're feeling to be able to answer those things. So, Probably if you're in programs and you're doing it all the time, you will actually learn how to do that. But initially, that's going to be... Quite tricky to do so. It might be that. Within the session.
You have to walk people through. How do you start to answer those questions? Um... And I guess it's the same. So after today, the pink one and then the green one, your progress so far. Yeah, so it's the same. I think you have to, you have to, be quite involved in how you Are therapeutically going through a program to be able to answer this stuff? But I think to be able to answer it is really helpful.
So, um... Probably again, Those are quite, that's quite a lot, you know, that's five. That's 10 quite meaty questions. So it's quite a lot of feedback. So that to me isn't like a...
That's a sitting down almost, maybe you planned it like this where you're doing an hour's reflection or something, do you know what I mean?
It's not like you would just be filling this out as an afterthought. And there's quite a lot in that with very little place to write if I really want to pour out what I've learnt. Do you know what I mean? But I like, I really, really like them. So as part of part of someone's journey of trying to work out what's working and what's not and what they need to focus on and how does they... The interaction, the team support them, I think they're really helpful.
They're good questions. And how proud you are is something I think that's brilliant because I thinkEats.
And all of this work is a step at a time, so if there's anything... that you can, you know, recognise as a bonus or something. To name it, to see it, to cling to it is really important.
I think you're doing a really good job. Um... But some of it would be, like sometimes it's the lens. So I could fill that in, but then I facilitate workshops night and day and change and da-da-da-da and the Amelia Masters and blah-de-da-dee and all that stuff. I think some of that is tricky, probably for the level of emotional connection people have had and education.
and vulnerability to maybe be able to navigate that but programs do help people like I was when I was in San Quentin and with people you know San Quentin because in San Francisco people who are you know locked up for 30 years and all they could speak this language because they had all been on different programs and they had evolved in their emotional sense you know they could I could have conversations with people that I couldn't dream of having conversations here not in a prison setting I mean in normal society so maybe the anchor centerEnable people.
to evolve to answer those questions in a meaningful way.
And that could be part of your ambition. I don't know. I hope this has been useful. Sorry that it took me a while to warm up. Sorry, I do apologise as I was on the move.
No, it's been really useful. The last thing that I want to do is just to walk you through the actual centre and see if there's anything else you think that would add. There are no visuals to this; it's just me explaining it, really. So there is a blueprint, it's very detailed. You have the option to follow along if you want, but I will be explaining it. So the user is told in prison by their prison mentor about the community centre This is like a support for them. They are told by the mentor as well about the bus that would pick them up outside of prison and take them directly to the centre.
Once at the centre, they meet the reception and they get a tour, and this particular user needs immediate accommodation. So Anchor provides that for people who are in that kind of need. They settle in, and they meet their own mentor then. ...horses themselves within anchor are past people who have been convicted and have now gone through the whole process, so it feels like they have that relatability towards them.
They have counselling sessions, there are lots of different activity workshops within Anchor, and it's really a place for them to connect and be able to rehabilitate with their family. The mentor themselves create with them a reintegration plan so it's completely personal towards them, and they have to explain their own goals, and it's on their own timeline. Facing it off with him after a month in the centre, can meet his daughter under conditions of being martyred, and he's then able to progress after six weeks, he's able to, I think, six months he's able to go home to back into living with his family. He still has to come back to the centre, particularly for visits, just to make sure he's still on the same timeline, but it's a lot less.
It's all based on his wife as well. She is also allowed to have counselling sessions within Anchor as well as with our family. And then for six months afterwards, he can come back, and he gets trained to be a peer mentor as well. So that's his timeline. Just from hearing that, it's very, very brief. But would there be anything else you would suggest to change, or any opinions or thoughts on that?
Okay, I think it's super. I think it's really... Holistic. I love that the family is involved and that there's family therapy as well because it's wild, the disconnect. Obviously, you know, I'm a big, big proponent of peer mentor work, and so that brings real value to it.
And the centre has a one-stop accommodation element for that. For those early stages, bring it to you. Like, obviously, how do you then move people?
You know, like, it's a tricky thing now, but the ambition is brilliant. On first hearing, I think it is brilliant, and it is something that will be really, really useful for us to start to explore. I mean, as a region, when we talk about transition, I think you guys have captured lots of it. Obviously, is it tomorrow we're meeting? Tomorrow? So obviously tomorrow, you know, let me think, and we'll hear more, and I will be really interested in keeping your blueprint and using that as part of how we explore what's possible.
I think you've done really, really well. Thank you so much. Welcome. Okay. Is there anything else you need?
No, I was just going to say the next steps first, just so you're aware, what we'll put all of this here into the key insights, and we'll put three main insights together, which will directly inform how we refine the service. So we'll present that then tomorrow as part of our final presentation. And thank you again for this. It's been really, really valuable. I really appreciate your time.
Well, thank you. Sorry that I was late and you're on the hoof, but I think you guys have captured the humanity and the complexity and how you can start to knit the things that really matter into a centre, but with a programme. And with outcomes around people being connected with their families, getting to go home and then the feedback of the peer mentors back in, you know, that opportunity so well done, honestly, it's really, really good. Thank you so much. Okay, so I will see you tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Can't wait to see how it all plays out. Me too. Okay, see you later.
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