What are some effective practices for design research and analysis?
由人工智能和领英社区提供技术支持
此文章中的业界达人
由社区从 6 条内容中精选。了解更多
There are many different methods and tools for design research and analysis depending on your goals and resources. Some of the most common ones are interviews, surveys, observations, usability testing, journey maps, affinity diagrams, and scenarios. Choose the methods that suit your project scope, timeline, budget, and data quality. For example, interviews are great for gaining deep insights into user motivations and emotions, but they can be time-consuming and require skilled facilitators. Surveys are good for collecting quantitative data from a large sample, but they can be biased. Consider using a mix of methods to triangulate your findings and get a holistic view of your users and their situations.
-
For design research I start with secondary research. Research done by another party. Then move on to primary research. Also finding thesis papers on the subject can add a lot of value.
Before starting your design research and analysis, develop a clear plan. This includes defining your research objectives, questions, and hypotheses. Define your target users, sample size, and recruitment criteria too. Prepare your research materials and test them beforehand. These materials include scripts, guides, consent forms, and recording devices. Schedule your research sessions, inform your participants, and obtain their consent and permission. Preparing beforehand will help you avoid common pitfalls. You can mitigate the possibility and impact of vague questions, leading questions, confirmation bias, and ethical issues.
-
Once an idea has been articulated, I Support my clients to run an idea analysis with the aim to question and understand sets of requirements and constraints specific to their project, using a set a pre-defined areas about the project: Usability (full life cycle), identity and branding (touch and feel), technology (including production process), regulations (laws, standards), IP (freedom to operate, or potential protection), political and cultural contexts (must have if they plan to internationalise), sustainability (to reduce environmental impacts), potential route to market...and other areas specific to the project. Once these are investigated, it allows a more focused approach to research,and helps to plan accordingly.
When conducting your design research and analysis, follow your plan, but also be adaptable to unexpected situations. Document your research process and data as much as possible, using notes, photos, videos, audio recordings, transcripts, and other formats. You can use codes, tags, categories, and themes to organize and label your data. This will make it easier to analyze and share later. Documenting your design research and analysis will preserve valuable information and provide support for your design decisions.
After conducting your design research and analysis, analyze and synthesize your data to identify patterns, insights, and opportunities. Utilize both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze your data. Consider employing methods like thematic analysis, statistical analysis, or content analysis. You should also use visual and collaborative methods to synthesize your data, such as affinity diagrams, journey maps, personas, scenarios, or storyboards. In addition to sorting your data, these methods create user-centered representations that can inform and inspire your design solutions.
You can now communicate and validate your findings and insights with your stakeholders. Use clear and engaging methods to communicate your findings and insights, such as reports, presentations, posters, or videos. Take advantage of feedback and evaluation methods to validate your findings and insights. Some methods include surveys, reviews, or usability testing. They can share and disseminate your design research and analysis results while refining your design solutions based on user needs and expectations.
-
Communication is key. I cannot stress this enough: we often think that we are communicating in terms of understanding each other, when in fact we don’t understand each other at all. From the initial briefing to the final presentation, make sure everybody gets the point, the same point that is: communication is not what the sender intends to say but what the recipient actually understands. Luckily, especially when considering communication at the end of a project, there is a way to solve this challenge: people want to be convinced by emotions, not by ration. Presentations focusing on emotions, i. e. through images, videos, and music in particular, are much more likely to convince even the customer that is most difficult to communicate with.
Design research and analysis are not one-time activities, but rather ongoing processes that can improve your design solutions throughout the project lifecycle. Reflect on your design research and analysis methods, processes, and outcomes, and identify strengths and areas of improvement. Monitor and measure the impact and performance of your design solutions, and collect feedback and data from your users and stakeholders. Make sure to update and revise your design research and analysis findings based on changes. Doing so will let you create more effective and satisfying design solutions for your users and stakeholders.
-
What I find most important in any design project is, to take a step—or maybe three—back, after the initial briefing: make sure that everybody is on the same page about the goal, then, looking for inspiration, diverge from the original goal as much as possible. Ideas are fragile and shy, the more stubbornly you try to find and catch them while focusing all your energy on the actual matter, the less likely you are going to find a truly genius way of mastering this challenge. That is why I am very hesitant at using classic mood boards for collecting different approaches and existing designs. I rather try and come up with original ideas as a result of a very broad research that goes far beyond the actual project.
更多相关阅读内容
-
ResearchWhat are the most important design research considerations for government agencies?
-
ResearchHow can you use design research to make your government services more accessible?
-
ArchitectureWhat are the most effective ways to conduct design research on a tight budget?
-
User Experience DesignHow can design research help you create a positive impact on the world?