Can digital transformation make us happier? (spoiler…contains job news)

I described digital as my favourite subject this week…but why is it? And what do I mean by that?

Starting with what I don’t mean…I don’t mean that I’m mad about technology and I don’t mean that I love building websites.

What I love about digital, or digital transformation is the potential it has to improve people’s lives.

I think most of us working in this area have long been signed up to the definition of digital transformation as ‘responding to people’s raised expectations of the internet era’ (Tom Loosemore), and I think this definition leaves room for us to think broadly about what the ‘internet era’ means. Technology is a huge part of that, connectivity too, but I think equally important is how people expect to be treated and how we expect decisions to be made in the era we are in and with the future in mind.

Organisations that are committed to become more people and planet centred, to provide better experiences to their users through great service design, also need to take a 360 look around their policies, processes, cultures and ways of working. Transformation is as much about an approach to transparency as it is about technology, and as much about inclusivity as it is about the internet of things. I believe that through this holistic approach organisations can truly tackle digital transformation, root and branch.

I also believe that this approach to digital transformation is what will have a hugely positive impact on our health and happiness.

Stress is a problem in the UK, with some reporting figures as high as 74% of the population feeling overwhelmed. Imagine if more organisations committed to reducing our stress levels…what could that look like, and what outcomes could that lead to?

We all need organisations every day. As consumers, as service users and as employees, suppliers, clients or beneficiaries…we likely lose count of how many interactions we each have with organisations and therefore how reliant we are on ‘them’ providing a good experience. This good experience is important for getting stuff done, but it’s also really important for how we feel, for how well our days go and how well we sleep at night. If we face blockers, or have to spend our precious time telling our story over and over again, or are at the sharp end of policies that weren’t designed with us in mind, it takes its toll on our wellbeing and it steals time away from the things we’d rather be doing, the things that make us happy.

This is what motivates me. I said I didn’t love building websites…but I do love designing experiences that will work towards a happier us…and with many of us spending a huge chunk of our waking hours online, the majority of those experiences are web products or services, and I’m here for that. I am driven by the outcome of the human experience, not by the medium through which that experience is delivered.

It’s this passion that has led me to TPXimpact, an organisation that is driven by people-powered transformation, putting people, places and the planet at the heart of their purpose. So I am delighted to be joining the TPXimpact family as a Design Lead super soon! TPXimpact supports hundreds of organisations to tackle transformation using the holistic approach that I’ve been outlining as a multiplier, and that really excites me. It feels like I could play a small part in the solution that I am so passionate about.

So yes, I really do believe that if we join together in this holistic definition of transformation, with people at the forefront, digital transformation can make us happier and I for one am keen to give it a go!