Let’s face it – designers are brilliant – but any designer will agree that when coming up with a departure from a current design, a spark is needed. Some sort of excitement that gets the creative juices flowing. This is where qualitative research can help, and in many cases, can provide inspiration to many different options for designers to consider. New design can be so much more than just changing the position of a button (and maybe even more than changing the color of that button too!) Meena Kothandaraman of twig+fish research practice will discuss how qualitative research, when credibly applied, can truly inspire design teams by rallying around the human story. Qualitative research is uniquely positioned to focus on the ambiguous nature of humans, and embrace the abstract that represents all thing humans. By bringing stories to light, and revealing gaps that can exist in human realities, Meena will share a few case studies that used research output and stories as an anchor to get designers excited, and eventually, have them excel with design options.

1. meena kothandaraman
@meena_ko
supporting design:
using research to inspire
designers

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thank you to our veterans

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why become a designer?

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discover define differ

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High skillLow skill
High passion
Low passion
where do you fall?

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how can we
support designers?
Low
motivation
Hard to do
High
motivation
Easy to do
Triggers/prompts
fail here
Triggers/prompts
succeed here
BJ FOGG BEHAVIOR MODEL

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behavior =
TYPICALLY POSITIVE!
MOTIVATION APTITUDE TRIGGER/PROMPT
(passion) (skill) (?)
BJ FOGG BEHAVIOR MODEL - APPLICATION

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what are examples
of negative triggers?

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designing with no resources
templatizing design
making design changes gratuitous
basing design on “weak” knowledge

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negative triggers
make design feel like a mandate

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what are examples of
positive triggers?

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focusing on human emotion and stories
learning from analogous experience
clarifying scope and definition
unpacking assumptions

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(hint: not a pub)

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(good) research practices
promote positive triggers

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real studies with positive triggers

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product design
HUMAN STORY

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at your tables brainstorm products
for a nursery…
some of you have a
story.
some of you don’t

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let’s try this a different
way
Alana and Arif just welcomed their newborn
baby Aria. She was eating and sleeping for
4 hours at a time the hospital – the first few
weeks of having a baby couldn’t be that bad,
right?
They took Aria home – but she needed to
be fed much more often. Four hours
reduced to hourly feeds. Alana was
exhausted, and had no idea how much the
baby was taking in by nursing. The doctor
asked for updates on Aria’s intake, but
Alana couldn’t tell, and Arif was increasingly
worried that the baby was not getting
enough food.
They switched to a bottle, to make intake
measurements easier, but at that point –
both parents were exhausted, and always
forgot to record how much Aria was
drinking. They wished for an easier way to
document how much their baby girl was
eating. They just wanted the confidence
beyond the weekly weigh-ins that she was
growing.

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which approach was easier?

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research exposed human emotion

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urban design
MEANINGFUL SCOPE

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let’s try this a different
way
some of the populations shared
different rationale for choosing their
homes:
ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE:
“I’m here because it is temporary and its
convenient.”
BELONGING AND BALANCE:
“I feel welcome and a part of the fabric
of the neighborhood.”
FAMILIARITY AND AUTHENTICITY:
“I’ll always be here – this is my home. It
is a part of me.”
POTENTIAL AND PURPOSE:
“I seized an opportunity that was right
for me.”

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anna’s story
“I’m here because it is
temporary and it is
convenient.”
Anna worked furiously to find the housing
she needed closest to her residency
placement at Massachusetts General
Hospital in the heart of Boston. She had
found so many other places that friends
recommended to her, with a view of the
Charles River, with a gym nearby, and so
much more. Truly - it wasn’t about the
beauty of the home. It was all about her
being able to go to and from the hospital at
all odd hours of the day and night. This was
the differentiating factor, and nothing else
mattered more.
Her home needed to reflect these details
inside and out – she was not interested in
the traditional – she needed function. It was
not about entertaining, it was about having
a place to study. It was not about relaxing, it
was about ensuring that food and drink
were nearby her studying area.
It was all about access and convenience.

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research created boundaries

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research anchors designs
in human stories

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so why is research so easily
omitted from organizational processes?

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qualitative research is considered
ambiguous and intangible

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promote the right
mindset and mechanics
for research inclusion

29. demand human
data to recount
real stories

30. participate in structured
research approaches
align plan gather analyze apply

31. apply
frameworks to
clarify your ask Discovery
Research
Exploratory
Research
Definition
Research
Validation
Research
Incorporate
Inspire Inform
Introspect

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designers are human
research relates story and relationship
designers need a spark
research stirs excitement and tension, leading to ideas
designers want to satiate a need
research gives human purpose

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use research to support designers

34. thank you!
meena@twigandfish.com | @meena_ko | #keepithuman
www.twigandfish.com