Consumer Behaviour and

Design research!methods

Qualitative research

Qualitative research is a method traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market research and design research. !!Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that manage such behaviour.

Different approaches

Marketers and researchers should always start by understanding emotional context, which is the basic framework for any complete understanding of human behaviour.

Design Research Methods

1. Diaries http://www.doctordisruption.com/

Diaries are a great tool for exploratory research, for example in capturing detailed profiles of participants media habits and TV watching. Even small samples can reveal common patterns of behaviour, helping develop hypotheses and providing direction for later confirmatory research.

2. Behavioural Mapping http://www.doctordisruption.com/

Behavioural mapping is a process for recording location-based observations of human behaviour, through the annotation (manual or digital) of maps, plans, videos and photographs. It is used to document activities, behaviours, characteristics and movements of people in time and space. There are two main approaches to behavioural mapping.

3. User Journey Maps http://www.doctordisruption.com/

User journey maps are used to visualise the experiences of people when using a product or service, evaluating each individual interaction and identifying improvements that can be made at each moment. The map tells the ‘story’ of an individual’s actions, feelings, perceptions, considerations and behaviours including positive as well as negative moments, covering all such interactions over sometimes long periods of time. Such documentation of a series of events helps shift business focus from an operational (system) point of view to a the broader context of how individuals interact with the business in the real world.

4. Collage http://www.doctordisruption.com/

Collages are great inspiration in design and research, giving participants the opportunity to express their feelings, desires and thoughts in a visual (and therefore less conscious and more intuitive) way than traditional research approaches. Using imagery allows people to “project” on to a visual artefact giving insight into hidden motivations and emotional responses.

5. Picture Cards http://www.doctordisruption.com/

Participants are often asked to sort through the set of images (e.g., a set of archetype cards as I have used based on the StoryWorks archetypes) and select the cards that best represent the topic of discussion (e.g., a brand). !

Notes: Participants are asked to talk about the specific images selected, recalling stories about experiences that are associated with the cards. In addition, the cards can be used to ask participants to sort and group ideas, according to criteria that are important to them, and to elaborate on specific aspects relating to time, place, relationships, experiences, life events, etc. Cards can also be used as a prop to help participants sketch out future or alternative scenarios.

6. Triangulation http://www.doctordisruption.com/

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 the accuracy of findings and mitigates the weaknesses of any individual method or data source.

7. Eyetracking http://www.doctordisruption.com/

Eye tracking is used by designers and researchers to understand where and for how long people are looking (and not looking) when using an interface, viewing websites online, watching adverts on a screen, looking at posters and billboards, interacting with products or navigating a retail environment.

To a large extent, eye tracking technology was an inspiration for Google glass.

8. Card Sort http://www.doctordisruption.com/design/design-methods-15-card-sort/#more-1492

Card sorting is a great exercise for exploring how people group items into categories, and how they relate concepts to one another. In design, this approach is typically used for developing digital interfaces and tables of contents.

Note: Participants are given a selection of items (brands, attributes, features) and asked to sort them into categories that make sense to them. !

Although the main value of the exercise is in the analysis of the results (which can be qualitative or quantitative for larger samples), there is also much to be learnt in listening to what participants say while they are taking part in the exercise.

9. Semantic Differential!http://www.doctordisruption.com/page/3/

Note: Questions simply ask for an indication of where on a continuum, such as good to bad, active to passive or strong to weak, a concept is most accurately described.

The tool is particularly powerful in revealing cross-cultural differences in attitudes and beliefs and reflects the common interests of linguistics and psychology.

10. Storyboards!http://www.doctordisruption.com/page/4/

Storyboards help build a visual narrative to generate empathy and communicate context to help understand or inform the use of design.

11. Participant Observation!http://www.doctordisruption.com/page/5/

It is an method which helps designers understand behaviours and situations through the experience of participation as a member of a group activity, context, culture.

Fly-on-the-wall Observation

Where there is no direct participation or interference with the people or behaviours that are being observed. !Note: This is a different approach to other types of observation (eg participant observation), intentionally avoiding direct involvement and therefore minimising the biases and influences that such involvement brings.

12. Mapping!

Functional observation. Consider the stove top controls below. !

The first represent poor mappings, where there is no clear relationship between the position of the control and the burner it is linked to. In the second example, there is a clear relationship between the controls and the burners, making use so much easier and simpler.

13. Choice!http://www.doctordisruption.com/design/design-methods-3-cognitive-mapping/

Decision making tool. !

In the case of product or experience design work, the impact and causal relationships between relevant ideas can be quantified by getting subjects to rate their own attributes against a set of relevant brands, products or experiences.

12. AEIOU!http://www.doctordisruption.com/page/5/

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,Objects,Usersand is commonly used for coding observational data.

13. Method Cards for IDEO http://www.ideo.com/work/method-cards

IDEO’s human factors specialists conceived the deck as a design research tool for its staff and clients, to be used by researchers, designers, and engineers to evaluate and select the empathic research methods that best inform specific design initiatives.

14. Persona!http://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

15. Shadowinghttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

Shadowing originated out of 1950’s Management Studies and Henry Minzberg’s 1970’s iterations on structured observation.!

16. Prototypinghttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

17. Process Analysishttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

18. Process Analysishttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

19. Questionnairehttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

20. Scenariohttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

21. User Forumhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

22. Video Ethnographyhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

23. Web Forumhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

24. Day in the Lifehttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

25. Design Probehttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

26. Empathy toolhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

27. Focus Grouphttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

28. Provocationhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

29. Provocationhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

30. Lateral Thinkinghttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

31. Participatory Design Gamehttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

On webhttp://designingwithpeople.rca.ac.uk/methods/web-forum

On webhttp://www.designandemotion.org/toolsmethods/

Books

http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=uZ8uzWAcdxEC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=design+methods+shadowing&source=bl&ots=0V4uVB_8eF&sig=rqxEsex4T8m2tivuF2NI63UpltU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7w5GVIWdN6PNmwW5z4CAAg&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=design%20methods

%20shadowing&f=false

Creating Behavioural Triggers

Habitual behaviour is a form of automatic and routine behaviour. It is behaviour that people repeat, because this behaviour is easy, comfortable or rewarding.!

Build a habitual behaviour

Recently, bottled water got into the act of creating a ritual when Vittel launched their ‘Refresh Cap’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyRgQJzILus

Thank you!