Design research
This is a true magic moment for me, bringing the human presence through non quantitive observation, discovering, insights, inspiration, the nuance that numbers don’t capture.
Testing ideas before they happen, failing fast, building faster, co-creating, adapting, refining… all with a big dose of imagination and prototyping magic 🌟
Direct observation
This is the opportunity for a designer to get familiar with the subject they are designing for. Learning something from other disciplines, something completely new and unexpected, to ask the stupid questions, to be naive while trying to master the subject it as fast as possible.
Sure a benchmark is a must, but it misses the naive perspective of a fresh eye. This only happens on the field, in surgical rooms, a clock making workshop, a robotics startup, a racing track, 1300 meters below surface, a public school, a biosafety level 4 lab.
The mission of a designer in this phase is to become a specialist on what they’re learning to understand how things work, find the missing piece, the opportunity, the gap, that something in the best interest of the user.
immersion, inspiration and analogies
Connecting the dots between situations, scenarios activities, professions similar or not to what you are working on it’s an opportunity to learn from a different perspective…
How to help a surgeon and a radiology technician to work together ? witness first hand formula racing : Both roles are very different, still communication becomes key to gain critical seconds to win.
How to predict the customization trends in the car industry? Look closer to tattoos artists, drag show community or a witch predicting the future in New York : How people shift from building slowly to immediate gratification, or how community supports each other to transoform and repurpose materials to keep the show running, closing with a masterclass in storytelling and capturing audiences with tarot cards, and seige