Design Research Tools Notes

Design Research Tools
Appreciative Inquiry - an organizational development and change approach, as well as a methodology.

Moreover, AI can be considered a philosophy, a worldview.
to appreciate = to value and recognize the strength of something
to inquire = try to discover and understand it
AI means looking for the best in people and organizations, and finding the strengths that really give life
to the organization when it is at its best.
AI may take different forms, but usually involves a process consisting of four steps:
1. Discovery (inquiring after the best of what is in the organization)
2. Dream (of what would be the ideal situation)
3. Design (creating what should be the ideal situation)
4. Destiny (concrete planning of the realization process)
Business Origami - a method where paper cutouts are used as symbolic representation of people,
groups, channels, buildings and/or environments
looks like mind map
- By organizing the paper cutouts in relation to each other, you will create a miniature model of a system
- By drawing and labeling the lines between the elements you can make explicit the value exchange
interaction
- It is a quick way to model the current system and understand the value exchange interactions
- It is workable method to discover probable, possible and/or preferable options for the future
- the process itself can start a productive dialogue and promote collaboration and consensus
Cultural Probes - a way to gather data of behavior, values and lifestyle of consumers without the
researcher being on the spot
- the respondent himself who provides the researcher with all sorts of data varying from personal
stories, timelines, photo’s with captions, spoken documents to drawings, mind-maps, moodboards etc.
- The data provided this way have a true-to-life character and give a rich and inspiring insight into the
consumers’ behavior, values and lifestyle.
DNA Drive – how to build a company’s vision

- filling the framework of Collins and Porras with the adaptation by Van der Loo
Core Purpose: What is the purpose of the organization? What is its reason for being?
Challenging Goal: Where is the organization going to? What is its envisioned future?
Key Qualities: What are the key qualities of the organization? What is it the organization is good at?
Core Values: What are the core values of the organization. What does it stand for?
Graffiti Wall - a simple method for collecting data regarding a certain topic
can be used:
- to gather opinions/feedback on public spaces
- to gather feedback on new products/services
- to share stories on a certain topic
drawbacks: anonymous, vandalism
Locality mapping - a tool to give a visual representation of information in relation to a geographical
context.
- usually based on the perception of stakeholders in relation to a certain issue
- can be in relation to sanitation and water related problems, but also in relation to people’s experience
of city’s nightlife, attractions, tourists etc.
By asking locals or stakeholders who know the area well about their experiences with certain places in
that area, and asking them to mark those places on the map, the researcher receives an insight into
stories or experiences, as well as the locations where it took place, which might have been difficult to
collect with different tools.
Mobile interviewing
- avoiding the somewhat artificial setting and role division between interviewer and interviewee
- natural interaction
NHTV Leisure Designing Lab - a space for experiments in which our students tackle assignments of
entrepreneurs from the tourism & leisure sector. These assignments deal with issues that are relevant
for the entrepreneur and demand a creative solution. You can think of development of new business
models, new concepts and/or new marketing options.
- 1 day
Photovoice - method to collect images/pictures/photo’s together with their underlying stories

- respondent takes the pictures
- ‘photo elicitation technique’ – research in which the researcher selects the photos/images himself and
asks the respondent for a reaction
Prototyping
Prototypes can be very helpful for design teams to test their concept or product with clients and end-
users.
Scenario study - an approach aimed at elicitating strategic and innovative thinking by way of writing
scenarios.
Scenarios are descriptions of possible and/or preferable futures.
Scenario-writing is a way of stimulating thoughts about the longer term (how the future might turn out
and how to operate in these different futures) and what this could mean for decision-making today.
- exercise in creativity as well as in logical thinking, in dealing with variety and complexity as well as in
searching for sequences and consistencies
Stakeholder Mapping - used to give a clear, visual oversight of different stakeholders involved in a
project, and helps deciding on the communication strategy that will be applied.
- stakeholder mapping is usually applied in projects of where a significant amount of people and
organizations are involved in
- it is good to apply stakeholder mapping are the organization of a mid-sized festival and the building of
a multi-leisure location
Timeline analysis – an instrument with which you can collect, order and analyze data from the past.
- the construction of a timeline can be very helpful to get to know a given organization, situation or
policy context
- based on an understanding of the past, the dialogue concerning future innovations or solutions can be
developed
Trend Canvas - a tool that stimulates creative thinking within a group of people and aims at developing
new product, services, concepts and/or ideas in a process of co-creation.
1. Specific consumer trend
2. Answer 4 questions on the left part of the Canvas:
- (1) Basic Needs: which deep consumer needs does the trend address?
- (2) Drivers of Change: why is this trend emerging now, what is changing?
- (3) Emerging Consumer Expectations: what new consumer needs, wants and expectations are created
by the changes identified above? Where and how does this trend satisfy them?
- (4) Inspiration: how are other businesses applying this trend?
3. 2 questions on the right part of the Canvas:
- (5) Innovation potential: how and where could you apply this trend to your business?
- (6) Who: which (new) customer groups could you apply this trend to? What would you have to change?
4. Harvest what is called ‘Your Innovation(s)’ in the circle on the right side.
Visitor Journey
- taking into account all phases of the customer decision making process
World Café - bringing together people with different insights or opinions, breaking them up in small
groups and have them discuss a specific topic
- A café-like atmosphere is set to make the participants feel at ease and invite them to share their
thoughts.
The WorldCafé is based on seven design principles:
(1) setting a clear context (i.e. reason and goal of the meeting should be clear)
(2) creating a hospitable space
(3) exploring questions that matter
(4) encouraging everyone’s contribution
(5) connecting diverse perspectives
(6) listening together for patterns and insights
(7) sharing collective discoveries

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Design Research Tools

Appreciative Inquiry - an organizational development and change approach, as well as a methodology.

DNA Drive – how to build a company’s vision

Photovoice - method to collect images/pictures/photo’s together with their underlying stories

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