Design Methods #3 – Cognitive Mapping
Cognitive maps reveal people’s underlying decision making rules. They are a visual representation of how we make sense of a problem, issue or idea, revealing how we think about the problem and how we...
View ArticlePrinciples of Design #47 – Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a feeling of discomfort on holding conflicting ideas, values, opinions, beliefs or emotions at the same time. This leads to a tendency to seek consistency by changing the...
View ArticleDesign Methods #8 – AEIOU
AEIOU is a frequently used framework for guiding and structuring observational research. The framework creates a taxonomy of observations under the themes of Activities, Environments, Interactions,...
View ArticleDesign Methods #11 – Diary Studies
If you want to understand the realities of everyday life in 17th century London, there is no better starting point than Samuel Pepys’ diary. Researchers and designers know the power of diary studies,...
View ArticleDesign Methods #16 – Image Boards
Image boards (also called mood boards) usually comprise a collage of pictures, drawings and other imagery that can be used to visually communicate a description of a targeted aesthetic, style, audience...
View ArticleDesign Methods #19 – Triangulation
Triangulation is the process whereby designers and researchers converge the answers from multiple methods to corroborate evidence from different perspectives. This combination of sources helps ensure...
View ArticleDesign Methods #27 – Think-aloud protocol
Think-aloud protocol is an approach that asks users to verbalise what they are thinking and doing as they work through a task, in order to find aspects of the user experience that delight and more...
View ArticleContext, context, context
“For me context is the key – from that comes understanding of everything” – Kenneth Noland I was lucky enough to find time for some reading over the past week, with the Chinese New Year holiday. I...
View ArticleDesign Methods #31 – Value Opportunity Analysis
Value Opportunity Analysis helps researchers and designers map the impact of user’s aspirations and lifestyle to product design features. As we have written in Brand esSense and on this blog, where...
View ArticlePrinciples of Design #65 – Satisficing
In behavioural science, satisficing is the human tendency to “settle” for a satisfactory solution (i.e., one that is good enough) rather than optimal solution (i.e., one that is the best available)....
View ArticleDesign Methods #35 – Artefact Analysis
Artefact analysis is the systematic evaluation of objects in their natural environment. Artefact analysis looks at the material, aesthetic and usage qualities of any object in order to understand its...
View ArticleDesign Methods #39 – Speed Dating
The concept of speed dating is well known, and in design and research the same idea is applied to comparing multiple design concepts or ideas in rapid succession. This gives researchers the opportunity...
View ArticleOn Thinking and Not Thinking
Proclaimed as “The All New” Don’t Think of an Elephant, George Lakoff’s classic book has been substantially rewritten and updated to reflect contemporary issues in political debate and recent electoral...
View ArticleDesign Methods #44 – Elito method
The Elito method is an approach to help designers develop comprehensive and connected solutions grounded in research insights and business objectives. The approach helps designers and researchers move...
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