WHAT

IS DESIGN RESEARCH?
UDAY DANDAVATE Co-Founder and CEO SonicRim Ltd. www.sonicrim.com Prepared for: California College of the Arts

DESIGN IS CHANGING.

One of designs most fundamental tasks is to help people deal with change.
Designers stand between revoluNons and everyday life. When the internet happened, they created interfaces with buQons and hyperlinks that enabled us all to use it. Designers make disrupNve innovaNons manageable and approachable so that they can be embraced and assimilated into life, and they never forget funcNonality and elegance. In 25 years designers will be at the nexus of things. They will not be divvied up according to their reducNve specialty (graphic, product, furniture, so 20th-century!). On the contrary, like physics, design will be loosely separated between theoreNcal and applied. TheoreNcal designers will be exquisite generalistsa bit like French philosophers, but ready to roll up their sleeves. Applied designers will visualize complex infrastructures and systems so that scienNsts, policymakers, and the general public can manage and inuence them; they will bring economy and common sense to the producNon of consumer goods.
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AN EVOLVING MAP OF DESIGN PRACTICE AND DESIGN RESEARCH.

WHERE DO YOUR ASPIRATIONS FIT IN?

Design-led

Design-led with expert mindset

Design-led with parNcipatory mindset

Expert Mindset

ParNcipatory Mindset
Users seen as partners (acNve co-creators)

Users seen as subjects (research informers)

Research-led with expert mindset

Research-led with parNcipatory mindset

Research-led
Source: Dr. Liz Sanders In An Evolving Map of Design Prac5ce and Design Research WriQen for Interac5on Magazine
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Design-led

Expert Mindset

ParNcipatory Mindset
Users seen as partners (acNve co-creators)

Users seen as subjects (research informers)

Research-led
Source: Dr. Liz Sanders In An Evolving Map of Design Prac5ce and Design Research WriQen for Interac5on Magazine
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Design-led

Expert Mindset

Users seen as subjects (research informers)

Dialogic Design

ParNcipatory Mindset
Users seen as partners (acNve co-creators)

Research-led
Source: Dr. Liz Sanders In An Evolving Map of Design Prac5ce and Design Research WriQen for Interac5on Magazine
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Design Dialogues imagines the possibili5es of design as a transforma5ve re-visioning of systems that maBer. We require new tools of design thinking and social engagement to energize the wisdom of par5cipants. Dialogue is between perspec5ves around a mul5-perspec5ve design canvas of products, systems, organiza5ons, and socie5es. In a world of complex, wicked problems, design has many cultural instruments of dialogue, arts, research, and ac5on. [7] Peter Jones, Dialogic Design InternaNonal
Source: Dr. Liz Sanders QuoNng Peter Jones in An Evolving Map of Design Prac5ce and Design Research WriQen for Interac5on Magazine
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Design-led

Expert Mindset

I WORK HERE

ParNcipatory Mindset
Users seen as partners (acNve co-creators)

Users seen as subjects (research informers)

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO WORK?

Research-led
Source: Dr. Liz Sanders In An Evolving Map of Design Prac5ce and Design Research WriQen for Interac5on Magazine
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WORKING AS A DESIGN RESEARCHER.

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Who is our target audience? What do they want? What do they need? How are they dierent? Why are they doing this? What do they like? How do they live? How is their life changing? What do they use? What are their frustraNons? Who do they listen to? How do they nd and learn from informaNon?

Our clients start with a quesNon.

Will they like my idea? Why am I losing ground? How do I need to change? How can I make more money? What is my value proposiNon? What do I innovate? How do they make decisions? What do they want to know? What will delight them? What should I make? What do I stand for?

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? ?

Growth Share DierenNaNon RetenNon Expansion Survival RevitalizaNon AdaptaNon GlobalizaNon Partnership The quesNon turns into a project when it is Ned to an opportunity, DiversicaNon OpNmizaNon Alignment RetenNon RelaNonship Loyalty Visibility Relevance MoNvaNon Vision

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? ?

and creates ripples of curiosity within the client organizaNon for whats possible.

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As key stakeholders join the pursuit of the possible,

? ?
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the design research process needs to adapt to the ripple eect,

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by conNnually serving the creaNve curiosity of a growing group of stakeholders.

Dierent stakeholders will join the process at dierent stages. Each stakeholders pre-conceived noNons need to be addressed with respect and paNence. Stakeholders are used to working within their expert domain and need communicaNon in a language they can understand. Design research is not about delivering a report; it involves a process of aligning people of dierent perspecNves, and ulNmately developing a shared vision of an opportunity.

This parNcipatory process of discovering an opportunity is called Co-creaNon.

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Co-creaNon requires a shiq in mindset . . .

especially for those who are used to prescripNve models of consulNng.

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Co-creaNon requires:
A commitment to generaNng ideas through a dialogue with dierent stakeholders. CulNvaNon of empathy and containment of ego. Respect for the ideas of people who are not trained in creaNve professions. Ability to shiq focus back and forth between observaNons and interpretaNons, insights and ideas. Ability to accommodate mulNple interpretaNons of an observaNon. Genuine curiosity for everyday peoples lives, opinions, and dreams. An eye for simple things that make a big dierence to people. Tolerance for ambiguity. PaNence for paQerns to emerge during analysis, and not force conclusions too quickly. Ability to tell stories.
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Explore

Discover

Act

Only Nme passes in a linear fashion in a co-creaNon process; everything else has a ripple eect.

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Explore

Discover

Explore

Discover

Act

Discover

While following a sequenNal process of exploraNon, discovery, and acNon, a co-creator must be prepared to generate insights, interpretaNons, and acNons through mulNple engagements with stakeholders.
Explore

Discover Act

Act
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A GLIMPSE INTO THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN RESEARCH.

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? ?

Design research begins by quesNoning the quesNon.

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? ?

Examples Original QuesNon

What is the future of instrument panels in the car? What will future refrigerators and cooktops look like? What is the future of whiteboards? What will my consumers pay for?

Redened QuesNon What is the future of informaNon in the car? What does the food journey look like, and what are the opportuniNes to serve the needs of people at the refrigerator and cooktop? What is the relevance of verNcal surfaces in work pracNces, and how do they interact with other available surfaces? Where do people nd value, and why?

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We help you idenNfy opportuniNes to innovate, transform, and align your business with customer needs through co-creaNon.

Explore

Discover

Act

The ExploraNon phase involves the use of parNcipatory research methods to tap into peoples lives and dreams.

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Explore

Discover

Act

The Discovery process involves breaking down observaNons and insights into records, and then connecNng the dots to nd paQerns, develop frameworks, and create stories that can inspire acNon.
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Explore

Discover

Act

Ideas only have value through implementaNon. As clients take insights from concept to market, a design researcher becomes the evangelist for everyday people in the client organizaNon as they develop ideas and take them to market.
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WORKING WITH CLIENTS.

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? ?

Our clients come to us with dierent types of quesNons. For example . . .

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 How does our new, disrupNve technology t into our customers lives?

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How does the younger generaNon view the future?

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 What do dierent stakeholders want in the WebMD Website?

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Artromick InnovaNng ways obile care M in which acute Exploring faciliNes use medical carts to CompuNng and Med Server Carts dene opportuniNes for the next
generaNon of technology-infused medical carts

How do acute care faciliNes use medical carts?

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How do we inspire imaginaNon at the point of purchase?

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 What are the informaNon needs of K-12 stakeholders?

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How do I get global teams to co-create a shared vision?

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How do I get execuNves to understand our customers?

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 What do women want?

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 What is the future of informaNon in cars?

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What is the future of technology devices at home?

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 How do I innovate a new branded avor?

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 How do we innovate new products along the food journey?

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How do I grow my oce products business?

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How do I tap into the creaNve imaginaNon of my vendors?

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What is the future of the Windows OS?

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What is the future of smartphones?

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How do we design the presence of our company in the imaginaNon of our customers?

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FINALLY YOUR OPPORTUNITIES.

Very rarely do clients come to us looking for design research services. Their needs for research may be expressed as ethnographic research, market research, product research, concept tesNng, usability studies, co-creaNon, etc. In all of these situaNons they recognize that design researchers bring unique skill sets to the team.

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InnovaNon

FINALLY YOUR OPPORTUNITIES

NPD We studied a number of companies employing design researchers and how they posiNon their servicers through their Website. We represented the diverse pracNces within which design researchers nd meaningful employment through a diagram: Where is our food. Hopefully this diagram will help you align your aspiraNons with your opportuniNes.

Market research
Doblin TNS Gravity Tank ConNnuum

Lunar

Strategy

McKinsey

Jump

IDEO

Smart

Design

Conifer IFTF SonicRim Yankelovich

Trending

HumanNc

Co-creaNon

TransformaNon

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THANKS!

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