Analysis and synthesis are critical to the application of observational research techniques in a design context, yet are often underrepresented in literature and discussion. What discussion there is often centers on execution of individual methods and practices and the benefits they provide. These in-depth explorations of individual methods are invaluable to us as practitioners, but mastery of any individual method does not lead to mastery of the analytical / synthetic process. In this workshop, we will investigate the core purpose(s) individual methods serve, how they relate to each other and to the process as a whole. We will seek to establish and evaluate a strawman organizational model describing the analysis / synthesis lifecycle and the value of those activities through discussion of individual methods employed by our cross-disciplinary participants.
Goals and Benefits
The use of such a organizational model of analysis and synthesis would be:
- to introduce practitioners to new methods from a variety of academic backgrounds,
- to illustrate the analytical value that these methods may provide,
- to enable thoughtful selection of methods appropriate for the problem at hand (based on project goal, time available, data gathered, and other real world constraints),
- to provide perspective on how individual methods relate to each other, and
- to better articulate expected outcomes and defend time devoted to analysis and synthesis activities
Pre-work
The only necessary pre-work is for participants to be ready to discuss analysis and synthesis methods they have employed or are interested in employing in a design context.
Approach
Workshop participants will engage in discussion and critique of a strawman analysis and synthesis lifecycle, contribute methods they have brought to bear for different analytical purposes, and describe the value those methods have generated. Contributions will be captured and organized into a document to be distributed after completion of the workshop.
Target Audience
For this workshop to be successful, it will require participation from some experienced practitioners of qualitative research in a design context. Other suggested participants are students or faculty engaged in qualitative research and designers who work with research and researchers.
Workshop Agenda
Because we desire a diversity of viewpoints, we estimate that a maximum of 25 – 30 individuals would be best for workshop participation. Depending on group size, we may break out into working groups for “discussions.”
A proposed agenda for the 3 HOUR workshop is as follows:
Introductions (5 minutes)
Discussion and critique of Analysis / Synthesis task model
- Overview (10 minutes)
- Discussion of Cleaning and organizing data (30 minutes)
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Discussion of “Playing” with the data (30 minutes)
- Break (5 minutes)
- Discussion of Describing features in the data (30 minutes)
- Discussion of Creating models (30 minutes)
- Discussion of Synthesizing insights / ideas (30 minutes)
Review and outcomes discussion (10 minutes)
Organizer
John Payne / MOMENT
I'm a Principal at Moment, an independent design studio I co-founded in 2002. We are committed to designing things that help people (other firms call them users) do things they couldn't do before. We focus on the web and mobile devices. At Moment, my focus is design strategy. I lead teams who use design methods to identify new business opportunities, define desirable offerings and design interfaces for internet-enabled products. This work includes both near term products and conceptual future services and interfaces. Formerly an Industrial Designer, in 1999 I joined Studio Archetype to establish a new Experience Strategy offering based on the principles of Innovation Planning. Later, at Sapient, I helped to grow this competency as a Director in the Experience Modeling and Design practices. At Moment, we've been lucky to work with some great clients on a variety of web and mobile products and services. This list includes: AT&T, Bayer, Pfizer, Virgin Mobile, Bowne & Co., ESPN, Tiffany & Co., The Economist, Martha Stewart, Motorola, MTV, TheMarkets.com, and Mimeo. Along the way, I have developed and taught courses in workshop facilitation, design research, human-centered concept development, and design methodology, process, and prototyping at NYU, Parsons New School for Design, and to corporate audiences.
