The document outlines an agenda and process for turning field research data into insights and solutions. It begins with exercises to synthesize observations from fieldwork into themes and opportunities. Participants then generate strategies and solutions to address ideation questions formulated from the opportunities. The goal is to practice connecting research findings to a range of potential business areas and solutions through collaborative, visual ideation techniques.
13. Homework Check-in Your mission: Dedicate at least half an hour to walking around and observing people in your neighborhood Props to Simon Lockrey, Arun Martin, Tom Wood, Suet, Sandy Chen, Karis , David, and Juan
14. Homework Check-in Who was able to do the assignment? Was this anyoneâs first experience doing observational fieldwork? Is there anyone who has not done user or observational research in the field?
15. Methods & inputs (not todayâŠ) Generally we integrate methods, aka triangulation We choose, mash-up, or create methods based on the problem. Today weâre doing an abbreviated version of observational fieldwork Portigal URF2010 15
16. Observing Notice what⊠people, places Notice how⊠processes, sequences, interactions Suspend your point of view Avoid conclusions Allow confusion Do it âout loudâ Steve, practicing his ânoticing.â You can tell because he looks like he may be a little confused.
17. Youâre observing people within their culture. Notice how cultural artifacts reflect and define the environment; and reveal what is ânormalâ Normal isnât âright or wrongâ â itâs the set of background rules that define much of what people choose or ignore Media Products Advertisements Street Culture Trends/Fads Cultural context What are they selling?
21. Synthesis naturally begins inthe field Resist meaning (for now) Focus on observations Get the detail Create time to talk after each fieldwork experience Over multiple sessions and participants, over time Write up real-timesummaries for the team, ASAP In-field debriefing (not todayâŠ) Fieldwork highlights captured in the wild.
22. Your mission: Imagine you are working on a project for Gentrific8, looking for ideas to redevelop parts of Hong Kong around Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong Station, and City University Form groups of 2 â 3. Mix it up Wander and observe people, interactions and environments Do it out loud! Capture (photos, notes) What, who, where, when? Why, how? This is not a design audit of signage or merchandise displays Exercise: Explore!
23. Your mission: Imagine you are working on a project for Gentrific8, looking for ideas to redevelop parts of Hong Kong around Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong Station, and City University Form groups of 2 â 3. Mix it up Wander and observe people, interactions and environments Do it out loud! Capture (photos, notes) What, who, where, when? Why, how? This is not a design audit of signage or merchandise displays Exercise: Explore!
29. Sense-making through an iterative process of refining gathered data Early, Informaldata in your head First, process the experience you had collecting data Refer to debriefs and conversations Articulate and identify themes Outcome: Topline Report Process-based, Formalheavy lifting Then, process the data itself Individual and group analysis Pattern-identification, clustering, models, frameworks Outcome: Opportunities What is synthesis? Review, Refine, Rinse, Repeat
30. After fieldwork, collate reflections and quickly externalize a starter set of 5 to 10 thematic areas based on Pre-identified areas of inquiry Refer to debriefs and conversations from the field New patterns that we observed Identify interesting areas; acknowledge that you donât understand details yet, identify questions Outcome: Topline Report This sheds light on what excites the team and the stakeholders; brings focus to the next stage of synthesis All right researchers⊠what did you see? Early, informal synthesis (data in your head)
31. Go back through your raw data very closely to move beyond the Topline Report Individually (heads-down) and collaboratively (heads-up) develop clusters, identify patterns, collate and refine findings Process maps, eco-systems Frameworks, models Design implications i.e.: What did other public announcements in the study look like? What are the layers of information and cultural context? What form factors are favored? Why? Process-based, formal synthesis (heavy lifting)
36. Donât worry about implications, be descriptive and reactiveIndividual analysis (not todayâŠ)
37.
38. Heads up! Tell stories, narrate highlights, give each its due. Use notes, transcripts, and other artifacts Voice and document reactions, a-has, support and questions Clustering White-board notes Develop a new shared point-of-view, beyond âfindingsâ Outcome: Opportunities No discussion of the synthesis process would be complete without a reference to Post-It Âź Notes Collaborative analysis
39. Opportunities are not A reporting of âinteresting findingsâ A list of solutions Opportunities are Change we can envision based on what we heard and observe About people In the context of but reframing the business questions Generative, inviting many solutions Keep the human touch in communication Allow people to move seamlessly between places Allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems Developing opportunities What should we do?
40. Topline Collaborative Analysis Opportunities 10 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes Keep the human touch in communication Allow people to move seamlessly between places Allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems Summary of synthesis exercises Share the heavy lifting Determine generative directions Externalize the data in your head
42. Evolve your âTopline Report;â flesh out and enrich themes Write your themes and put them up Leave space for new ones too Now (!) tell stories from the field (from your neighborhood and today), using photos, notes and memory Rethink the relationships between the themes, pick your strongest themes and write a sentence with a point of view Go from âGraffiti everywhereâ and âTeen gangs hanging outâ to âPublic spaces in the neighborhood are used to communicate identity and belongingnessâ Exercise: Develop findings (10 minutes)
43. Build on your findings Start each opportunity with a verb Opportunities are not A reporting of âinteresting findingsâ A list of solutions Opportunities are Change we can envision based on what we heard and observe About people In the context of but reframing the business questions Generative, inviting many solutions Exercise: Identify opportunities (10 minutes) Keep the human touch in communication Allow people to move seamlessly between places Allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems Keep the human touch in communication Allow people to move seamlessly between places Allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems What should we do? What should we do?
46. A simple step moves you from Opportunities to Ideation Questions, reframing them into actionable language How can we keep the human touch in communication allow people to move seamlessly between places allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems How can we How can we Ideate! Ideation questions
47. Scope of solutions Solutions exist across many different business areas Functionality Visual design Marketing Architecture Public Services Partnerships Events Software Form factor Packaging Policy Retail design Even if you are unlikely to impact certain business areas, itâs crucial that you set that constraint aside for ideation How many business and civic areas to impact can you spot in this picture?
48. Developing strategies Responses to any ideation question can lead in different strategic directions Finding:Students have to smoke outside, but they get cold and wet Opportunity: Improve the experience of students who smoke Ideation Question:How can we improve the experience of students who smoke? Support underlying needs and behavior by embracing the finding Question needs and behavior, seek change by challenging the finding Create a protected environment for smoking Eliminate smoking
49. Strategies can inspire solutions Finding:Students have to smoke outside, but they get cold and wet Opportunity: Improve the experience of students who smoke Ideation Question:How can we improve the experience of students who smoke? Strategies Create a protected environment for smoking Eliminate smoking Solutions FacilitiesBuild a pavilion AdminAllocate interior room PartnersAlign with nearby cafe OnlineSmoking cessation games AdminBan smoking PartnersStop smoking coaches
50. Solutions can suggest strategies Finding:Students have to smoke outside, but they get cold and wet Opportunity: Improve the experience of students who smoke Ideation Question:How can we improve the experience of students who smoke? Strategies Create a protected environment for smoking Eliminate smoking Solutions AdminAllocate interior room AdminBan smoking
51. Collaborative generation This is a collective, out-loud activity! Talk, listen, build on each otherâs ideas Donât worry about a âbadâ idea⊠it may lead to a âgoodâ idea Donât correct; generate alternatives âYes, andâŠâ This is a visual activity! Sketch, draw⊠Quantity over quality; go quickly Individual ideas matter less than what the collective produces overall How can a sour lemon help keep things working smoothly?
52. Stuck? Come up with bad ideas Immoral Dangerous Bad for business
53. Summary of ideation exercises Questions Business Areas Ideation and Sharing 2 minutes 3 minutes 45 minutes How can we keep the human touch in communication allow people to move seamlessly between places allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems How can we How can we Ideate! Shift to âHow can weâŠ?â Figure out where we can play Remember, âYes, andâŠâ
54. Exercise: Ideation questions (2 minutes) Apply How can we� to each of your Opportunities How can we keep the human touch in communication allow people to move seamlessly between places allow people to integrate seamlessly across different devices and systems How can we How can we Ideate!
55. Exercise: Business areas (3 minutes) Letâs collectively list possible business areas to design for Think about whatever Gentrific8 could do or affect Use this list as a starting point Functionality Visual design Marketing Architecture Public Services Partnerships Events Software Form factor Packaging Policy Retail design Incentives How many business and civic areas to impact can you spot in this picture?
56. Exercise: Ideation (35 minutes) Use your ideation questions to generate strategies and solutions Out loud Visual Collaborative Consider the range of possible business areas Bounce back and forth between generating strategies and solutions Most ideas will not turn out to be winners; the goal is to practice connecting research data to solutions Apply lemon as needed.
57. Exercise: Prepare to share (2 minutes) Rapidly align on your teamâs best ideas and message Choose a messenger The wise team will choose a bold, expressive spokesperson