Field research.
Within the context of inquiry

index
• Preliminary questions
yq
• Methods and tools for data gathering
• Analyze and organize data findings
• Service schema visualisation
• tips
• Conclusion

Preliminary questions
• What is field research?
• Why we have to do it?
• What we are looking for?

Methods and tools
• Desk research + planning
• Visual
• Verbal

Visual
• Videotaping
p g
• Photography
• Passive observation
• Participant observation
• Interviews with the participants
(individual or group)
• Catch the environment (video/photo)

Verbal
• Verbal interviews (handwritten or taped)
• Stories collected from participants
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Verbal description of environment if visual
is not available (intangibles, immaterials,
virtual..)
i t l )

Now
that we have the data
data,
what we should do with it?
h t h ld d ith

O
Organize it!
i
That means:
explain it in understandable way
in order to
make it useful for the next step:
design initiative.

How to do this?
• Use only the relevant data
• Use a consistent structure

How to fi d
H find
the right structure?
• Title
• Keywords
• C
Case ddescription
i ti
• Moodboard
• Service schema

Title
• Short and fun
• Use just significant words/phrases

Keywords
… are you sure that you really need
that many?

Case description
• What (identify the need)
• Why (service motivation)
• Who (actors and stakeholder)
• Where (local context)
• When (time and duration of actions)
• How (present solution)
• Finally: What misses?

Moodboard
From words to images:
• Location,,
• Participants,
• Tools in action
action,
• Time of actions
Use good quality images!

The matrix
You are here!
Mobile social network
e
Where are you moving?
Collaborative services

Service schema

• Strumenti
• Piattaforma tecnologica
• Supporto
Provincia di Milano -
Assessorato alla cultura
Comune di S.Giuliano
• Fiducia
• Fedeltà nell’azienda
• Fondi
• Strumenti
Nuovo
servizio
Utenti Centro Donna
• Coinvolgimento
• Partecipazione

Now
we have the organized data.
So we
have got the knowledge
and we b
d became aware
about the context…

Ready to brainstorm?

Ti f fi ld research
Tips for field h
• Plan the questions in advance
• Negotiation is always important
• Respect (privacy, rules, different
sensibilities)
)
• Ask questions, don’t imply answers
• Ask true/relevant questions
• Pay close attention to the given answers
• Filter and choose relevant data
• Be able to re-tell the story using the
gathered data

In conclusion
Field
Fi ld research i
h is
• Interesting
• Necessary
• The first step in the design process
Why
enables you to take design decisions.

Now
you are really ready
ll d
to brainstorm for your concepts!
Thanks!!
Irina&Franz