The Directory App project was proposed by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), and accepted by the Digital Health Institute (DHI) as an Experience Lab, which took place in December 2014.

The Experience Lab aimed to explore and develop a basic prototype of a Directory App to support initial small-scale testing. The design-led approach aimed to deliver a set of requirements that were firmly user driven. The Lab provided a safe and realistic environment through which the Lab Team helped users explore the concept and share their ideas to design and prototype the Directory App.

A series of activities including mapping, role-play, prototyping, and evaluating current proposed solutions were designed to iteratively develop ideas for the Directory App. The outputs from the Lab included audio, photos, videos and field notes which were analysed for emerging themes.

The findings of the Lab provide validation and extension of the concept to include contact information, local referral criteria and national clinical guidelines. Service and pathway information should be collated locally and held nationally, and effective implementation will rely on consistent and accurate information that is maintained and updated regularly.

Four functional prototypes were created and tested, which generated a set of requirements and design ideas for the development of the Directory App.