Research through design
The method of using material artifacts for probing and provoking thoughts through the artifacts.
“Research through design is a form of inquiry “where the end product is an artifact—where the thinking is, so to speak, embodied in the artifact, where the goal is not primarily communicable knowledge in the sense of verbal communication. ”
Nature & context
Design Anthropology, User Research
Resources
Object probes/artifacts, recorder, notes, camera.
Procedure
Before: Understand the context and identify designs/ probes/ artifacts that can help initiate communication or provoke thoughts for the participants or the designer. If constructing probes/tool kits, conduct extra research to ensure that the resulting design is relatable for the participants involved (in the cultural context).If an object probe, prepare some open ended questions to lead the conversation in the right direction. Recruit participants relevant to the context (as many as needed). If deployment to a different geographical location is needed, prepare package accordingly and handle shipping of the probes.
During: Record extensive notes giving attention to details, especially in relevance to the community and culture. Take ample photographs relevant to the context. If probes have been geographically shared, reach back to the participants to gather their responses periodically.
After: Quickly conduct an analysis, right after, of the notes, and pictures as well as other records generated like videos and voice notes and record/annotate your insights. Send out a thank you note to the participant.
Use Case
In the beginning research phases of the waste management project, after secondary research we deployed tool kits to understand participant's view of packaging waste. Materiality of the tool kit was considered during design and the base parts of the tool kits were made of packaging waste. While initially being perceived as just creativity, deeper observation showed that the participants/fellow researchers understand that packaging material can be reused which in turn informed our next research phases (leading to the idea of re-usability).
Sense Making Data
As a research technique, focus needs to be not on the object itself but its property such as form and materiality (Relevant to the context) that in turn will help improve and iterate on the insights generated during the initial research phase.