With a shift in
consumer behavior
toward vocalization/
co-creation and a
newfound abundance
in rich data, one must
ask, what is the role of
design research?

[ 3] Kolko J. “Abductive Thinking and Sensemaking: The Drivers of Design Synthesis.” Design Issues 26, 1 (2010).

March + April 2010

interactions

meaning via any quick, casual data-farming medium creates a niche opportunity for research firms to use their proven techniques to analyze and understand this abundance of user input. Professional researchers will be able to understand how casual data is useful, where it is applicable, and where there are still unanswered (and often unasked) questions. This will allow research companies to reinforce the practice of doing more in-depth research as a result of findings from this data, rather than allowing clients to consider and use this data (which is often incomplete) as if it were conclusive.

Even tools with built-in analy-
sis capabilities cannot play down
the importance of involving a
comprehensive research process.
Design researchers look at data
not only to understand design
opportunities but also to come
up with high-level emotional
themes. If 10 people say that
they want a certain feature from
Pampers.com, what does that
mean in terms of their needs
and how will they benefit from
that feature? Extrapolating con-
cepts, ideas, and feedback into
themes can help the design team
understand trends and potential
meta-themes, and consequently
how to design new products and
services that weren’t necessarily
articulated by their customers.
Researchers also have the oppor-
tunity to help companies under-
stand how to manage all of this
data—does it need to lend itself
to searching by future company
stakeholders, or will it be regen-
erated? Having a plan for where
the data goes can increase the
value attained from it and help
to track trends over time.