1. Design Research
Creating valuable design concepts based on real insights and evidence
Marco van Hout

2. Today
On design.
Design research. What. When. How.
Your research.

3. Design.

4. Why do we design?
We love to design and redesign
Photo credits: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/brittahaal

5. “Our current age sees everything as an object of manufacture,
as something which can be got hold of and improved, or
altered, to produce better or more effective outcomes.”
(Laurence Paul Hemming)
Photo credits: Brankopopvicblog

6. To meet a need (in a new way, in a better way)
To achieve a goal
To make a statement.
Purpose
We don’t design for the sake of designing, we design for a purpose
Photo credits: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/jeinny

7. To achieve a goal
To meet a need (in a new way, in a better way)
To make a statement.
Purpose
We don’t design for the sake of designing, we design for a purpose
Photo credits: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/jeinny

8. Sensitivity to context, relationships and
to consequences are key aspects to the
transition from mindless development to
design mindfulness.”
(John Thackara)

9. It starts with
questioning

10. Deep Ecology
Learn from other disciplines
Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emonxie/

11. Deep ecology seeks to develop ecological wisdom by
focusing on deep experience, deep questioning and
deep commitment.
Arne Naess (1973)
Photo credits: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/guitargoa

12. Design.Questions

13. Questions! Design

14. Research! Design

15. We used to know ‘mass markets’

16. We used to know ‘mass markets’

17. We used to know ‘mass markets’
People used to
Act in similar ways
Buy similar things
Etc.

18. We used to know ‘mass markets’
If you knew and understood a small group of people, your
product could be relevant for millions of others

19. We used to know ‘mass markets’
Obviously, this still accounts in some way...

20. However...
There has never been more diversity...

21. People
What. Form
Process
> Design Research by Brenda Laurel (2003)

22. People
Understanding
Form
people. Process

23. Concerns
People.

24. Which two of these gentlemen princes have more in common?

25. Conflicting concerns...

26. Concerns
People. Behaviour

28. People behave differently than you would often expect

29. People behave differently than you would often expect

30. People behave differently than you would often expect

31. People behave differently than you would often expect

32. People behave differently than you would often expect

33. Concerns
People. Behaviour
Emotions

34. Emotions guide our:
Perceptions
Feelings/thoughts
Memories
Behaviors

35. Emotions
are vital to the user experience and need to be understood by designers

36. People
Design (as)
Form
Research. Process

37. Design not as end goal, but also as research tool, for example exploratory design

38. People
Research that
Form
feeds the process. Process

39. The Fuzzy Front-End in the production process
Research Concept/Prototype Design

40. BreakOut #1

41. Identify:
Improve the Your needs
airplane Your concerns
Your emotions
experience

42. When.

43. Design research is used
to encourage disruptive
innovation BEFORE you
design a new product

44. However, it can be used in
any phase of the design
process where there is a
gap in knowledge.

45. When you need a foundational
1. understanding of things.

46. When you need to generate
2. inspiration and ideas for
design.

47. When you need to evaluate and
3. inform design solutions.

48. BreakOut #2

49. What does this
mean for our
airplane case?

50. Be critical
How. Use tools
Get outa here!

51. Be critical
How. Use tools
Get outa here!

52. Be critical
It is not about the tools, it is about the thinking process that led to these tools.
Stephen P Anderson.

53. H. Ford
If I would have asked users what they wanted, they would have said ‘a faster horse’.

54. The end goal is not
always the end goal
It’s something between you and the user.

55. Design a vase.

56. Design a vase.
OR: Design a better way for people to enjoy flowers.

57. provokes me to start
sketching right away
provokes me to
research and analyse!
Design a vase.
OR: Design a better way for people to enjoy flowers.

58. BreakOut #3

59. How would you
formulate a question for
our airplane case that
encourages research?

60. Which hypotheses/
expectations of outcomes
do you have?

61. Be critical
How. Use tools
Get outa here!

62. Quantitative - Qualitative

63. What, where and when
Quantitative - Qualitative

64. What, where and when
Quantitative - Qualitative
Why and how

65. What, where and when
Quantitative - Qualitative
Why and how
Problem identification

66. What, where and when
Quantitative - Qualitative
Solution varification Why and how
Problem identification

67. What, where and when Insights!
Quantitative - Qualitative
Solution varification Why and how
Problem identification

68. Background
Exploratory
Concept
Evaluation

69. Background

70. Literature review
Background

71. Literature review
Books
Background

72. Literature review
Books
Papers
Background

73. Literature review
Books
Papers
Articles
Background

74. Literature review
Books
Papers
Articles
Background Conference proceedings

75. Literature review
Books
Papers
Articles
Background Conference proceedings
Workshop reports

76. Literature review
Books
Papers
Articles
Background Conference proceedings
Workshop reports
Competitive analysis

77. Literature review
Books
Papers
Articles
Background Conference proceedings
Workshop reports
Competitive analysis
Demographics

78. Exploratory
> Early

79. Expert interviews
Exploratory
> Early

80. Expert interviews
Exploratory Wake-up interviews (initial conversations
and interviews with potential users)
> Early

81. Expert interviews
Exploratory Wake-up interviews (initial conversations
and interviews with potential users)
> Early Self etnography

82. Exploratory
> Mid

83. Interviews
Exploratory
> Mid

84. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Exploratory
> Mid

85. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Field etnography (observation in context)
Exploratory
> Mid

86. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Field etnography (observation in context)
Digital etnography (observation done
Exploratory digitally, cameras, microphones, etc.)
> Mid

87. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Field etnography (observation in context)
Digital etnography (observation done
Exploratory digitally, cameras, microphones, etc.)
Photo etnography (cameras for
participants to record life)
> Mid

88. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Field etnography (observation in context)
Digital etnography (observation done
Exploratory digitally, cameras, microphones, etc.)
Photo etnography (cameras for
participants to record life)
> Mid
Shadow studies (live in with
families or groups)

89. Interviews
Personas (based on real people data)
Field etnography (observation in context)
Digital etnography (observation done
Exploratory digitally, cameras, microphones, etc.)
Photo etnography (cameras for
participants to record life)
> Mid
Shadow studies (live in with
families or groups)
Focus groups

90. Exploratory
> Late

91. Experience clips (give users objects and
ask to film with cameraphones)
Exploratory
> Late

92. Experience clips (give users objects and
ask to film with cameraphones)
Exploratory Longitudinal interviews (continue follow
up contextual interviews)
> Late

93. Experience clips (give users objects and
ask to film with cameraphones)
Exploratory Longitudinal interviews (continue follow
up contextual interviews)
> Late Bodystorming (physical brainstorming
with acting and artefacts)

94. Concept

95. Brainstorming
Concept

96. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Concept

97. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Concept

98. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept

99. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept Cognitive walkthroughs

100. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept Cognitive walkthroughs
Storyboards/ scnearios

101. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept Cognitive walkthroughs
Storyboards/ scnearios
Task analysis

102. Brainstorming
Performance and improvisation
Prototyping
Paper prototyping
Concept Cognitive walkthroughs
Storyboards/ scnearios
Task analysis
Cultural probes/ Technology probes

103. Evaluation

104. Heuristic analysis
Evaluation

105. Heuristic analysis
Usability testing
Evaluation

106. Heuristic analysis
Usability testing
Evaluation Emotion measurement

107. Heuristic analysis
Usability testing
Evaluation Emotion measurement
Prototype trials

108. BreakOut #4

109. Choose from
Let’s apply some Personas
to our airplane Bodystorming
case. Storyboards

110. Be critical
How. Use tools
Get outa here!

111. Take your project:
Your research question
You. Your hypotheses
Research plan:
who,when, what how

112. Take your project:
Create 3 personas
Them. Enrich them (handout)
Think about a feature
of a possible concept
(handout)

113. thanks
m.van.hout@hva.nl / @demadera