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Hello, I'm Greg Holderfield.
In the next videos my colleague Martha Cotton and
I are going to focus on how we use design research to uncover insights.
And how these insights lead us to better explore a wider range of ideas.
We will delve into how to visualize ideas so others can understand and
interact with them and equip you to bring your ideas to life.
So let's dig into design research, and how we do it.
You've already learned about the importance of going into context and
doing design research in the field.
Instead of in front of your computer to understand real people in
the context of their everyday lives.
Now you may be asking is designer research different then market research?
Design research relies on small sample sizes that contextualize the human
experience, often bringing to light unarticulated needs.
It's qualitative, not quantitative.
Market research on the other hand often relies on big data aiming to isolate
behavior, validate and or prove through statistical means.
Due to the mounting pressures on industry to innovate,
design research has gained momentum as a way of uncovering richer insights
which lead to more meaningful products, services, and systems.
Please understand we are not asserting that design research is better
than market research.
They both serve different purposes.
And, in the end, work together to inform decision making.
In the previous videos, you were exposed to the idea of research as an inspiration.
A jumping off point for uncovering opportunities.
It's important to remember that the aim of design research is understanding.
It's a process of learning, not of proving or justifying.
Design innovators are intent on understanding real human experience and
open to learning about people and their lives.
Learning and innovation go hand in hand.
By enrolling in this course you are embracing this leadership characteristic.
Examples of two of the techniques we use for
design research are immersive observation and structured interviews.
Immersive observation, which is research conducted in context where products or
services are actually experienced,
can be used to both identify opportunities and explore ideas.
Context offers rich clues far beyond what can be seen in a more anonymous setting.
Structured interviews are guided conversations that help
build our understanding of a user and his or her needs.
To do this, we need to make the user feel comfortable.
Empowering him or her to tell their stories.
It is through these methods that unmet and unarticulated needs are revealed.
Giving the design innovator an empathic perspective
that informs the decision-making process
while helping to illuminate a future state of what could be possible.
Design research teaches us never to assume that we already
know what people's experiences are like before we see them for ourselves.
The process of doing design research is opening yourself up to learn and
to be surprised.
Even if they work you're doing is about something as seemingly mundane and
ordinary as studying how people purchase food.
So you might be wondering, what sort of outcomes result from design research?
What does the capture design research look like?
Here's an example of what a design team capture by conducting design research.
The project was exploring the consumer experience of ordering and
pick up at a quick serve restaurant.
Through immersive observation and structured interviews the team discovered
variety of pain points that were both articulated and
unarticulated that revealed a number of opportunities for innovation.
