How to conduct research, through design
Design research methods; explained.
Whereas we can define the word ‘Research’ as general knowledge, ‘Research through design’ (RtD) is research for a specific solution to a problem. RtD utilises design skills and design artefacts/products to conduct research. It can be used in any field and can be used to form physical, digital or speculative solutions to problems.
From the early 2000s, people have begun to increasingly merge the two fields of design and research, more and more. Now, doing research has become a much more recognised and fundamental part of any design process.
“A research approach that employs methods and processes from design practice as a legitimate method of inquiry”. Zimmerman, Stolterman, Forlizzi, 2010
Research through design can be broken down into four, more manageable parts:
· Knowledge (what do you want to learn?)
· Prototypes (what will you use to test?)
· Methods (how: will you conduct the research? how you will produce the prototypes?)
· Procedures (actions: how you intend to use the prototypes)
Prototypes can be seen as ‘physical hypotheses’. You do not need to worry about function, connectivity or materiality. As research is more speculative, rather than commercially minded. That is not to say the research cannot lead to a commercial product or be used in a commercial context, but it is more exploratory in nature.
In research through design, there are 3 main types of research: ‘Field’, ‘Lab’ and ‘Showroom’. To better explain each in context, let’s take an example of a design research project.
Problem: ‘too many people are using deposable paper cups rather than bringing their own to the workplace.’
Research Question: ‘how can we design a solution to encourage and incentivise people to bring and repeatedly use their own reusable receptacles?’
1. Field Research
Field research is conducted with users, within the contextual environment (the field). It makes sense to do this research first, as it is empirical and used to spark initial curiosity. It is also used to generate hypotheses which help form a potential solution to the design problem in the next stages.
Empirical: ‘Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.’
Now, to make the different aspects of the field research in this particular method, clearer:
Knowledge:
Many people use single-use, disposable cups instead of bringing a reusable one to the workplace. Creating a large amount of residual waste.
Prototype:
Not necessary at this stage as we are just observing users and recording.
Method:
Observe and interview users who bring reusable cups and others that do not.
Procedure:
Record responses.
Field study results (the reasoning found for the design problem):
There is little-to-no storage to store reusable cups
Limited wash facilities
Not incentivised to bring your own
People forget to bring their own
People do not fully understand/care about the impact
Derived hypotheses:
People use disposable cups because it’s more convenient than bringing their own reusable cup. People are also unaware that only 1 in every 400 paper cups (0.25%) are actually recycled.
2. Lab Research
Lab research doesn’t literally mean researching in a ‘lab’ but more conducting research in an isolated environment with users, outside of the context you are researching (in this particular case the workplace).
Because the hypotheses have been found and defined from the field research, potential solutions can now be prototyped and tested. This is the opportunity to think more as a designer, to ideate and to test potential solutions to the design problem.
Potential solution:
Cups printed with graphics, displaying the environmental impact of using/disposing of waste, generated for shock value.
Knowledge:
Design intervention and testing: do the use of graphics on disposable cups, similar in style (not message) to cigarette packaging: influence user behaviour?
Prototype:
Various printed cup designs.
Method:
Production and printing of cups with graphics.
Procedure:
A/B testing with users and analysing results.
3. Showroom Research
Showroom research is more speculative, used to provoke a reaction and measure responses from users. It is testing in the field (the context in which you are researching).
Potential solution:
A transparent bin that visually quantifies and emphasises the percentage of cups recycled in reality, currently at 1 in every 400 cups (0.25%). In place or next to, the regular waste bins.
Knowledge:
Will a transparent bin alter peoples behaviour? Will anyone notice?
Prototype:
Large, transparent bin with markers indicating the number of cups in the bin in relation to how many are actually being recycled in reality.
Method:
Constructing of bin and placement in context (workplace in this example).
Procedure:
Measure responses.
Quantitative: number of actual cups collected
Qualitative: observing and asking people how this influences/challenges their behaviour or perception of the problem.
Summary
To summarise, research through design is conducting research in a creative way, applying design thinking and skills. The methods of field, lab and showroom research can all be deployed to help define, explore and help solve a design problem. Using the structure of ‘knowledge’, ‘prototype’, ‘method’ and ‘procedure’ can help us summarise and break-down each method into more manageable parts.
If you want to try this for yourself… think of possible ways in which you could research the following design problems, using field, lab and showroom. You may find that you come up with a fantastic: physical, digital or speculative solution that can be then be tested with users. Or it could help you ideate new project ideas.
How can we help older people struggling with loneliness?
How can we tackle childhood obesity?
How can we encourage students to keep up with current affairs?
Thanks for reading, please clap if you have enjoyed the article and feel free to follow Diagraam to learn more about design thinking and the design process.
Elliott
Diagraam Design
