Why Generative Research Makes the Best Dinner Parties
How Generative Research Impacts Businesses, Users, and Designers More than Any Other Form of Research
What if I told you that generative research has a substantial impact on every product you interact with in your everyday life? “How?” you might ask. The journey from the development of a product to delivery is a journey that starts with generative research. Generative research is not only changing the way products are being created by helping businesses grow in a fast-paced market, but it’s also making a better, more painless future by creating products that work and are easy to use.
In this article, I’ll show you why generative research is so important and how it impacts designers, users, and businesses.
A common misconception about Designers is that they come in at the last stage of building a product to simply make things pretty. However, there are many hurdles Designers have to consider when designing a product. Generative research, which is defined as “research that deeply creates an understanding of who your customers are (as humans, not as users), and what they experience in their everyday lives,” plays a huge role in creating a product that meets user needs and reaches business goals.
Why is Generative Research Important to Designers?
As Designers, we are constantly thinking of how to create a product that works seamlessly with our users. The question is, how do we do that, and how does generative research help us make that vision come to life?
As an example, if you were going to have some friends over for dinner, you might ask them beforehand what food they do or don’t like, what they are allergic to, etc. Why would asking those questions be important? Surely it would help you avoid what could end as a very tragic dinner if you had not taken the time to get to know who you were serving. Generative research functions the same way for Designers.
To review, Generative Research is important to Designers because:
- It gives Designers the opportunity to empathize with our users and understand their struggles, which allows us to find solutions and innovation.
- Generative research helps us Designers get out of our own assumptions to get to the root of the problem and create products that work with user's needs.
- With generative research, we don’t have to settle for what we think is the solution to a problem. We have the opportunity to collaborate with our users and understand what their frustrations are, what makes them happy, what they struggle with, and more.
Why is Generative Research Important to Users?
As users reading this article thus far, it may seem like generative research is only the Designer's job, but the truth is, we need people like you, the users! We want to get to know you more. Without your help and experience, it would be impossible to make products that benefit and work well with your life.
Let’s look back to the example explained above. What if we reversed the situation? Let’s say you were invited to a friend's house for dinner and your friend calls you up to ask what your preferences are, and if you are allergic to anything. You reply and say “Surprise me,” but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if your friend unknowingly made a dish you really dislike.
With that example, it helps us understand how Designers need users and their insights and why users need designers who care about them and their struggles. Listed below are a few bullet points that sum up why generative research is important to users.
- Generative research helps us break through barriers to allow us to create products that truly create solutions that make an impact on user frustrations and problems.
- Users are seen as more than just consumers, generative research allows you to have a voice. It allows users to have a part in the design of a product so that it works with your needs.
- With new insight and information, we can create products that are beyond what we had initially planned for and have even better impacts on our users and company.
Why is Generative Research Important to Businesses?
Lastly, how does generative research affect businesses? It actually may be surprising how important and crucial it is for companies to embed generative research into their product development.
Now I want to revisit our example one last time. Let’s say you are the host of this dinner. Surely you would spend a lot of time curating and researching the best recipe you can find for your guests so that you can be the best host your friends have ever experienced. You want them to leave your home excited for the next dinner invitation at your house because those guests know you take your time to deliver the best meal possible for them.
In the same way, that is exactly what companies want to do for their users because every interaction with their product reflects their name, and it can either leave their customers wanting more or they could never want to see it again. Generative research helps us understand how we can best make that experience for our users and in the most effective way. This allows us to impact KPI’s — Key Performance Indicators — like revenue and retention.
Making a future that is beneficial for everyone means we have to be comfortable to take a creative approach, maintaining both a thoughtful and imaginative mindset and taking action to those insights not only as Designers but also as a company. Innovation is the essence of the start of a good design. Generative research helps us find answers to our questions, which helps mold a product that will benefit not only our users but the company.
Generative research allows you to stay on top and ahead of your direct competitors by always giving you the upper hand in knowing what your users are lacking and understanding their frustrations, which allows you to create a product that best meets their needs.
Read these articles to learn more about generative research and how it impacts you.
