The members of our research team have advanced degrees in psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, business, design and communication. With this varied and deep expertise, our team is able to understand needs, behaviors, emotions and experiences across various communities, environments, cultures, workflows and product categories. Because our researchers work closely with industrial designers, interface designers and engineers, we are able to categorize findings and structure them as meaningful inputs into design development.
Our research services fall into three categories: generative research, directional research, and evaluative research, which are applied to different phases of the development process. In generative research, the goal is to understand current practices and discover unmet needs, expectations, emotional connections and opportunity areas before the development process begins. In contrast, directional research focuses on investigating the viability and appropriateness of a range of potential concepts in development including system configurations, functionality, features and aesthetics. Lastly, the objective of evaluative research is to assess the usability and physical / cognitive issues with solutions as they are finalized.
Our specific research methods and deliverables include:
- Internal stakeholder interviews
- Observations of use
- Narrative tours
- Heuristic analysis
- Directional testing
- Concept validation
- Semantic differential testing
- Usability testing (anthropometrics, biomechanics, cognition)
- Workflow analysis and task mapping
- Human factors evaluation