My Approach to Design Research
Keep it simple
I’ve found that this process covers the fundamentals of human-centered design yet is easier to explain to stakeholders who may be new to the process. Along the way, I look for every opportunity to demonstrate the value of research and design.
Tools and Methods
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Stakeholder Interviews
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Comparative Research
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Cognitive Walkthrough
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User Interviews
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Personas and User Stories
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Content Audit
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Affinity Mapping
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Dot Voting
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KJ Method
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Card Sorting
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Journey Mapping
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Storyboarding
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Surveys
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Low to High Fidelity Prototyping
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Coding with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and node.js
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Content Design and Writing
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Plain Language Review
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Usability Testing
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Socializing Insights
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Effective Communication with Stakeholders
1
Research and Design
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Align around who we are designing for
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Assess the current state
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Show possible solutions to people
2
Repeat
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Adjust and repeat as needed!
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Provide ongoing feedback on strategy
3
Deliver Value
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Deliver research and prototypes
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Offer guidelines, templates, and best practices
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Document our work to make it easier to find and reuse later
Design Research Practice
Services
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Persona Library
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Research Repository
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Office Hours
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Templates and guidelines
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Past Projects Wiki
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Discussion of best practices
Getting better all the time
I've developed a design research practice with my colleagues at the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. The goal is to find ways to improve as a team so that we can deliver valuable work. How can we make our work easier to find, use and understand for us and our colleagues?
I lead work on our Persona Library, Past Projects Wiki, Office Hours to share tools and methods with colleagues, a Best Practices folder with reusable templates, and a Research Repository to house past insights.
Persona Library with introduction for newcomers on the left.
Research Repository that houses past insights.