Design is a Research Process

In the last few years there have been a number of articles focused on the integration of research into the design process. The majority of these articles have been framed from the perspective of a healthcare practice, however a design research perspective is applicable to any client project.  Two of these articles: How to Convert Key Design Issues into Research Questions by Mardelle Shepley and 6 Steps to Integrate Research into Healthcare Design by Upali Nanda and Tom Harvey offer advice from experienced researchers and practitioners regarding the challenge of integrating research into design and making it a formative part of the process.

As you look at the articles you will see that Mardelle Shepley acknowledges that designers are prolific generators of research topics, and that these important design questions are formed during the programming phase when primary design goals are formed. She shows how a design goal can become a design hypothesis by identifying examples of goals, defining components of a hypothesis and then sharing examples from three case studies. Her case study examples are particularly useful for taking a typical, somewhat general design goal, and crafting it into a design hypothesis which identifies a clear design feature and states a clear outcome. From my experience, this is one of the most important steps in clarifying design intentions.

In the second article Upali Nanda and Tom Harvey from HKS/CADRE take on many of the

same practice issues, but make an effort to link research issues with traditional design

phases. Their simplified framework is broken into six steps which are summarized and displayed in a graphic to show how the steps interface with typical design phases.

1. TARGET - Create designs based on key performance goals of the organization: set targets based on important client goals and define performance metrics to assess these goals.

2. EXPLORE/EXPERIMENT - Gather knowledge, understand users, simulate scenarios and test prototypes using tools that balance technology with empathy : explore and experiment with the potential of design options to answer design goals and design questions leading to a design hypothesis.

3. DEFINE - Link design solution to performance hypothesis: every design decision is a performance hypothesis and based upon project importance can be crafted into a clear testable hypothesis.

4. MEASURE - Identify key metrics for design and performance and collect baseline data. All measures are not quantitative: match design phase metrics/simulations with outcomes/performance metrics.

5. MONITOR - Ensure design is implemented as planned, aiming for targeted performance goals: track the project through documentation and construction to protect design features and hypotheses.

6. TEST - Test the hypothesis: to what extent did the project achieve the outcomes hypothesized and why? Remember that design doesn't "cause" improved outcomes; it creates compelling conditions for improved outcomes.

Both articles provide a useful perspectives to explore design as a research process.  Mardelle sums it all up at the end of her article.

"The generation of hypotheses during the design process is likely to clarify design thinking, support problem solving, and provide the base for potential research." 

Go With The Flow

The introductory paragraph of this article by Steven Kotler, author of The Rise of Superman, caught my attention as an important area of useful design practices.

'Researchers define flow as an “optimal state of consciousness,” a peak state where we feel our best and perform at our best. Some of us know this state by other names--”runner’s high” or “being in the zone” or, if you happen to be a jazz musician like John Coltrane, then it’s “in the pocket” -- but whatever the lingo, the experience is unforgettable.'

The focus of Kotler’s book and this article is to break down the scientific research on high performance, decant the critical factors or triggers and share these triggers so that individuals and organizations can utilize it to create more flow. In fact a major point he makes is that assessing the amount of time employees spend in flow is “the most important management metric for building great innovation teams”.

Flow triggers are broken into four categories: environmental, psychological, social and creative. Many of the seventeen triggers are well known and are also linked to some of my own research into defining critical success factors in design projects.  Kotler states that over one hundred years of research shows that flow sits at the heart of every athletic championship, underpins major scientific breakthroughs, accounts for significant progress in the Arts, and recently has become exceptionally critical to business.

As you study the triggers you will see their importance to the business of successful design teams, including shared clear goals, good communication, equal participation, blending of egos, familiarity, rich environment, serious concentration, an element of risk and immediate feedback.

Kotler offers this final advice at the end of the article.

'One of the most well-established facts about flow is that the state is ubiquitous--meaning it shows up anywhere, in anyone, provided certain initial conditions are met.  What are these conditions?  These 17 triggers.  It really is that straight forward.'

Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Guidelines

In December 2013, the Boston Redevelopment Authority implemented a Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Checklist for all new construction. The development review requirements have been added to Article 80 Project Review of the zoning ordinance. The new ordinance includes guidelines, climate change analysis and research documents and the checklist.

The checklist, which can be extremely useful to the design and development industry, identifies a wide range of possible impact issues including extreme temperatures, blackouts, extreme wind, drought and sea level rise and storms. The focus is building resilience and adaptability to these changing conditions. The guidelines start off with the following paragraph.

“Analyze project impacts on the surrounding environment that are attributable to forecasted climate conditions over the full duration of the expected life of the project. Utilizing the best available science, identify the changes in the climate and environment and how changes will affect the project’s environmental impacts including survivability, integrity and safety of the project and its inhabitants.”

Clearly, this material can provide a myriad of benefits and it impacts how sustainability will now be considered and evaluated. These regulatory changes will also widen sustainability conversations to include adaptation and resilience in projects at both a building and community scale.

Sustainability: Resilient Design and Adaptation Stories

Recently I started following Alex Wilson's blog at the Resilient Design Institute.  In his most recent post he shared a wonderful story and a link to an introductory video.  The story was created by two young women who completed their Masters at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources in 2013.  Last summer they set out on a journey across the United States to see first hand how people and communities have focused on adaptation to climate change.  They traveled through 31 states racking up about 17,000 miles and interviewed hundreds of people.  Their travel and interview results are captured in 38 informative and inspirational stories posted on their blog, Adaptation Stories.

Check out their video and some of their inspiring stories on a wide range of topics on adaptation and resilience.  In addition, I think that Resilient Design Institute and Alex's blog are also excellent resources to broaden perspectives on sustainable practice.

Very Cool 3D Printing Robot

Recently there has been a lot of discussion in the media surrounding 3D printing, robotic design and construction, and exploration of 4D at the MIT Self Assembly Lab, giving a clearer view of the possible impact of these disruptive changes.

I often discuss these trends and technologies with Zach Schoch, a computational designer in the Yazdani Studio at Cannon Design.  We have worked together on a couple of research projects and share a number of common interests. In some of our conversations we focus on the desire to have more tinker/lab space, software and tools to advance our experimentation in these emerging technologies.

Well, little did I know that Zach has his own lab/studio space and has been experimenting for quite a while. A recent article in 3ders.org nicely explains his technology and experimentation with robotic 3D printing. This is pretty large scale compared to some of our Makerbot printer tests. The article also includes a video of some of his experimentation when he was at SciArc.

This is very cool work Zack and thanks for sharing it.

Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking

Recently a colleague linked to a story in the New York Times that described Design Thinking at the D.school at Stanford and the considerable successes achieved by the program. He highlighted an important part of their process which is the development of your empathy muscle. After I read the NY Times article I took a trip to the D.school web site and found a new feature, a virtual crash course in design thinking.

The recent success in the D.school program has led to significant interest so the school has created some virtual content for all interested designers to take a test spin in design thinking. The crash course is structured in three parts.

1. Gear Up: How to Kick Off a Crash Course

2. Go for a Ride: Virtual Crash Course Video

3. Chart a New Course: Put Design Thinking to Work

The eighty minute virtual crash course video can allow any organization to structure an introduction to Design Thinking for the time, effort and experience of doing it. Obviously “doing it” is a critical element in design thinking. 

Taking a virtual crash course can be a great way to start off the new year!

Everyone is Practicing Integrative Design or At Least That’s What They Say!

In an article published by Barbra Batshalom on her blog at Sustainable Performance Institute, she questions whether design firms are practicing in an integrative manner or just writing and talking about it. When framed in the context of green building design she recognizes the importance of integrative design process in creating green buildings and challenges firms to question – “how green is your process?” Perhaps most importantly then is the question- what are the indicators of that process?

This article and its questions strikes and reinforces many themes on a variety of topics in many design process improvement conversations.There are a couple of key points to take away and further engage in that conversation.

First is the importance of design process in the realization of design outcomes.  As she says “there is a heightened awareness that design process itself determines the success and cost effectiveness of implementing green building and using rating systems.”

Second is the appreciation that there are many clear indicators of a “dis-integrated” team process. I’m sure many designers have experienced some indicators and you could reflect on these items that are cited so that they can become things we all seek to change and improve.

Third, and most importantly, are some of the clear indicators of teams that are engaged in an integrative design process. What are some of these signs?

~ You are pushed out of your comfort zone.

~ You are asked for your input on a wide range of issues.

~ The expectations of your work are clear and detailed.

~ Other people’s work is dependent on your work.

~ Interaction of the group inspires creativity.

~ You feel more respected and valued with a higher level of pride in the outcome.

~ The work process is clearly mapped and decisions are made in a transparent manner.

~ Innovative solutions are encouraged.

~ Client/stakeholders decision makers are involved in a significant way.

Barbra summarizes a challenge in the end of the blog with the following quote.

“The first step in assuring your proficiency as an integrative designer is to pay particular attention to your own indicators – if you are reflective about your participation and the participation of others in the group, and look for quantifiable feedback that evaluates the collaborative nature of the process, you have a much higher chance of success.”

Simply stated you have to work at it but you also must feel it.