The Basics of Generative Research

What, how, and why you should do it.

The double diamond design theory asks designers to form a hypothesis, research the user, design, and repeat. It purposely has space for research at all points during the creative and design process; ensuring the product and solution built betters the user’s experience.

Design research is broken down into a variety of methodologies ranging from quantitative or qualitative, attitudinal, or behavioral, and evaluative or generative. Qualitative vs. quantitative studies vary in the number of participants and the type of questions; behavioral vs. attitudinal contrast in how the research is collected; (the first is through observation and the latter through self-report). Lastly, generative, and evaluative research differentiate in the objective of the study and the hypothesis examined. Generative research focuses on generating hypotheses, discovering findings, and creating insights, or as the image above calls it, creating choices. Contrastingly, evaluative research focuses on testing answers, making choices. All these methodologies can and should be, mixed and matched based on the individual objectives of the study, its timeframe, and the overall research conditions.

Research should be procured at key points in the design thinking of double diamond; moreover, it is always a good idea to start with the generative study to identify more hypotheses that can better focus the product on later studies. However, if the product already exists it can be difficult to not test solutions for a relevant problem--especially if it is an issue the users have been struggling with for months or even years. Testing solutions is evaluative research, which is great to examine specific problems, features, and/or solutions. This focused view is best used to test colors, copy, and A vs B solutions. Nevertheless, the research team must be conscious that when testing solutions, they are testing their choices.

Therefore, general problem-solving requires open choices, or generative research; whose objective is to create more informed research hypotheses, to create an overall better experience. It examines the user’s relationship with the product through copy, graphic design, software, and hardware issues: all-inclusive usability. Generative research can start data points from qualitative research, but it must be nurtured through qualitative research. Qualitative studies allow researchers to see first-hand interactions with the users, question their motives, and observe their methods. Through ethnography and active observation, we can make hypotheses about the relationship between the user and the product. The qualitative approach allows the team to ask questions while observing the interactions. In turn, these will yield a deeper understanding of current problems with the product and highlight opportunities for future developments. Questions such as: How do the users interact with my product? or What role does my product play in the users’ lives? Are traditionally good places to start, as they showcase the landscape in which your product exists, especially among different user personas. The understanding that comes from how the users perceive the product gives the team a better landscape to formulate questions and features that will better it.

Throughout the design thinking double diamond, there is space for all research methodologies, however through the complete understanding of the relationship between the product and the user we can ensure we create better questions that propose a better experience.

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Copyrighted image from recruitingsocial.com