Discovery concepts guide

Goals

Find root causes

Finding the root causes of attitudes, feelings, or behaviors are some of the key insights we drive towards in HCD discovery. If your research has been directionalized to understand why something is the way it is, then it will be easier to discover the root cause, or the reason why, during this synthesis phase.

Collaborate

Synthesis is a collaborative process with your whole team. It’s not brainstorming, but can look and feel similar. The crucial difference is that a brainstorm is mostly ad hoc, random thinking, while synthesis thinking is rigorously guided by a larger research question or topic. You collaborate, process information, document, and in some cases generate ideas. The following guidelines from Ideo.org’s Design Kit, are useful to keep in mind during synthesis.

• Defer judgment: Be open to any and all observations and ideas from anyone. Resist the urge to judge or edit others or yourself.
• Build on the ideas of others: Listen and encourage others. Think of how you can add to others’ ideas and support them.
• Stay focused on the topic: Keep the greater purpose in mind. Know the scope of the synthesis and stay in bounds.
• One conversation at a time: Be present in the moment. Give your full attention to the person speaking and listen first.
• Go for quantity: This applies when you are either transcribing things you learned or when you’re generating ideas. You can edit later.

Invite each person in the room to contribute, especially if one or two people seem to be dominating the conversation.

Insights

An “insight” is how we refer to a theme or pattern across research in the HCD process. Identifying these takes time, reflection, and patience.

If you find yourself asking, “Is this an insight?” or “Is what I’m saying too small to be an insight?” or “Is what I’m saying too general?”, contribute your thoughts to the conversation and see where it goes. This is not the time to hold back. This is the time to put all reflections and wonderings out on the table for the group to explore.

Insights live right in the middle of the experiences, perceptions, or impressions you heard from your participants.

The sweet spot is where the participant experiences, perceptions, and impressions are neither too specific nor too general. Generalities are often already known, while unique experiences, perceptions, or impressions might not have resonance across your agency’s customers.

How to find insights

You must look at your research findings through the lens of your problem frame or brief. This convergent thinking will help you bind together the individual pieces of research into recognizable patterns, creating insights to move you forward.

Process 1: Sorting by action

Sorting by action refers to sorting the words and phrases from your research into what participants are doing, saying, feeling, or thinking. This method highlights different relationships between the research terms.

Process 2: Clustering

Clustering is an analysis method by which similar pieces of research are clustered together. The most important component of this method is the intention of the statement or perception captured in the research. Always ask your teammates what the intention behind the statement or action was during the interview or observation.

Process 3: Concept mapping

In concept mapping, the team draws lines or connects related concepts, processes, and/or behaviors and describes the nature of the relationship.