Design Research and Strategy
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In a previous post, I talked about what designers need to know about economic class. How did we learn that economic class can be “seen” in designs? How did we learn that “refined” taste is “upper” class?
In general, use qualitative research at the beginning of a design process to uncover innovations. Use quantitative research at [...]
Categories: Research Methods · qualitative research · quantitative research
Designers are already discourse analysts, they just don’t know it. These designers can produce more innovative ideas by adopting a more systematic approach to their intuitive discourse analysis.
Discourse analysis the practice of deciphering the meaning of “texts.” Anything can be a “text.” Television commercials, Us Weekly, a trial transcript — these are all “texts.” Famous [...]
Categories: Research Methods · discourse analysis · product design · qualitative research
Many designers are self-taught, intuitive consumers of research who can translate insights into great designs. But few are trained in the arcane art of research itself. For that reason, many designers don’t know the finer differences between qual and quant research and end up using their respective results inappropriately.
Quantitative research is based on the assumption [...]
Categories: Popular · qualitative research · quantitative research · sample size
Ethnography is bandied about frequently in business and design circles these days. And sadly, like many buzz words, its true meaning has been lost in its popularity. Let me start by saying ethnography is hot today because it provides you insight you can’t get from being far away from your target users.
Ethnographic research evolved out [...]
Categories: Research Methods · ethnography · methods
I often have people ask me how to go about a design research project. Here’s a handy step-by-step guide..
The Research Question: this isn’t the same as a research topic. Research questions are answerable in a finite amount of time and yield specific, actionable answers. Some good examples:
“What do senior citizens find frustrating about taking [...]
Categories: Research Methods · qualitative research · quantitative research