Discovery Concept Guide

Brief & Frame

HCD Discovery Cycle illustration with everything except the Before bubble grayed out. Inside the bubble labeled "Before", four squares are labeled "1. Brief", "2. Frame", "3. Recruit", and "4. Plan".

Brief

Preparing for a successful discovery research effort takes time and step by step planning. You’ll want to have a few key things lined up before you begin. Doing so helps pave the way for a smooth start. Sometimes the team will get your assignement through a brief from a supervisor or other group. Other times, you or others will frame your own brief from the start.

Frame Your Inquiry

As the VA Center for Innovation, one of the pioneering human-centered design groups in the federal space, put it

"Tighter framing directly correlates with a more meaningful, targeted solution.”

Take time to frame a guiding question that will become the foundation of your research. When the FDA sought to align their testing standard for facemasks with testing standards for the same product managed by another federal agency, the problem was initially framed as a technical negotiation between scientists. However, during a co-design session it became clear that comfort was a critical factor that was missing from both testing standards and needed to be included in the problem frame. This recognition of what was missing led a family of problem frames that would take the effort in new directions.

  • How might we reduce redundancy between agencies that regulate the same product?
  • How might we incorporate comfort into the testing process for manufacturers?
  • How might we understand the broader experience of using facemasks?

Select a question that is broad enough to encompass the full shape of the issue you want to research but defined enough to keep your research focused and on-track.

Why use the “How might we” phrase?

In the design research process, a “How Might We” (HMW) question serves two purposes:

  1. It is the frame of inquiry of the research
  2. The phrase “how might we” can inspire the team through good framing.

The words have meaning. Might is open, something to play with. Compare this to the word ‘should’ which puts undue pressure and narrowing on the research from the start, while “we” centers the work on the team.

Get Organized as a Team

Assign roles and responsibilities of team members. Key roles for HCD discovery include:

  • Project Managers recruit, schedule interviews, confirm interviews, gather/store consent forms, gather/store raw and synthesized data, communicate with stakeholders.
  • Design Researchers select research strategies for gathering qualitative data, conduct interviews, lead synthesis, and facilitate efforts to identify the most relevant design opportunities.
  • Research Assistants takes photographs and gathers audio recordings of the interviews.

Select Your Research Strategy

Discuss and select your methods for gathering qualitative data. The key method that discovery research requires is in-depth interviewing. Ideally, you are interviewing participants for an hour or more (if time allows) in their homes, workplaces, or other sites where they feel comfortable (such as in a coffee shop). Consider using additional research strategies to supplement in-depth interviews, such as spending time observing people in their world.

Secure Allies

Enlist supporters after your team has selected a guiding question. Align with your allies before you recruit participants. Secure allies by reaching out to people in your network (in and out of your agency) who could have an interest in this research. By making others aware of the work ahead, your team helps build consensus and goodwill around the project. This goodwill is key to moving the project forwards in a smooth and successful manner.