5 things we asked our Research Assistant: Izzy
1/ Hi Izzy! What made you switch to Design Research from a career in Internal Communications?
The thing I loved most about Internal Comms was getting to know my audience, what makes them tick, and using these insights to craft messages that truly resonate. I wanted to find a role that would allow me to do even more of this and with an even wider scope. So not just formulating messages, but entire products and experiences too. Design Research ticks this box in a big way.
2/ How do you feed your creative energy?
I am a creature of habit and generally don’t like too much change. But every so often I will do things that bring me outside of my comfort zone and make me work my creative muscles. Sometimes it’s as simple as trying out a new recipe, other times it’s experiencing something entirely different like an unknown country. By finding ways to challenge myself, I learn to expand my thinking. Did that recipe work out? Why/why not? How can I adapt it and make it even better? Or, what are my expectations of country X? Were they met? Why/why not? What assumptions did I make and why were they challenged? Breaking my routine in such ways forces me out of complacency, to reflect, and to change my thinking if necessary.
3/ If you treat Singapore as the ‘field’, can you share something that fascinates you?
As someone who grew up between Ireland and the UK, it’s easy to find plenty that fascinates me about the country. Its history, its ambition, its MRT escalators that run slightly faster than London’s. But the thing that struck me most and that I keep coming back to is the food culture. Food is a big part of many cultures, but Singapore took it to the next level for me. I learned pretty quickly that Singaporeans display fierce loyalty to restaurants and hawkers they grew up eating. So much so that if they ever move location their devotees will gladly seek them out. To eat anywhere else would be a betrayal. Passionate and sometimes even tense discussions occur regularly between friends and peers on why their food outlet choice is the best. To establish one’s favourites and defend them is almost a rite of passage.
4/ What is the one thing that has surprised you about learning Design Research?
What I love about Design Research is how much it forces you to challenge your own assumptions. In one research project that I undertook as part of a Design Thinking course, I wanted to understand recycling behaviours and attitudes in Singapore. I learned that people weren’t recycling not because it was overly complicated or tedious to do, but because they were not convinced their recycling was being processed properly after collection. Had I maintained my initial assumption, the solution I would have come up with would have been entirely different. And most importantly, not actually addressing the problem.
5/ Is there a particular design challenge or problem you’re passionate about helping solve?
Like many people today, I’m bombarded with urgent messages to tackle the climate crisis. It’s a huge problem that requires huge solutions but also smaller ones. And to make even a contribution to the smaller ones would be a personal triumph. Whether that’s through helping foster environmentally conscious behaviours or designing physical solutions like green offices or electric vehicle charging ports.
