- To wrap up our discussion on
synthesizing and presenting research,
we'll discuss one last, but very important point,
how to visualize and document your research.
Let's start with visualization.
Throughout your process you've gathered
numerous chunks of quantitative data.
65% of people like this, 55% do that,
30% believe this, and so on.
Quantitative data can make simple and powerful visuals.
Whether it's graphs and charts or infographic-like elements.
You've probably also engaged in
a number of other research tools.
Say you've had a particularly interesting
photoethnography study, show some highlights of it.
Real research makes for compelling visuals.
Or maybe you photodocumented behavior
and context yourself, use this documentation.
Again, photographs are just as powerful as numbers,
and are sometimes more compelling to see.
The bottom line is, visualize your data in creative ways,
whether it's numbers, photographs,
sketches, quotes, or other.
Here are some examples that I think
are simple and still quite successful.
These are international student demographics,
adding in a simple silhouette and a playful sense of scale
and color energize this information and make it fun to see.
Here're some food mapping in a small convenience store.
The bright red points highlight the unhealthy food,
making for a simple and easy to understand visual.
Here's a sample of photography highlighting
findings from field observations.
Let's also talk about the tools
we've used to synthesize our research.
Each one of these graphic organizers,
experience models, personas, and event maps,
all produce some kind of visual result.
They are perfect to explain your research
and decision-making process without having to share
or communicate pages of research,
but make sure you design them.
Give them an attractive color palette,
a refined type system, and most importantly,
simplify, so that anyone who looks at them
can understand what you're trying to say.
Take a look at some of these examples.
Here's a persona paired with a
How, Think, Do, Use experience model.
This chart, along with the persona,
helps to explain how health and
sanitation affects Gladys' life.
Here's an event map, visualized to show how a user
creates a new event on a friend-making hangout website.
The fun, quirky images relate nicely
to the concept making friends more approachable.
I often find inspiration in infographics,
although your visuals may be less complex,
there's something memorable about how an infographic
uses data, alongside graphic imagery with an attractive
color palette to reinforce what's being communicated.
One of my favorite sources for inspiration
for great infographics is GOOD Magazine.
Search online for GOOD Magazine infographics
and you'll see what I mean.
Let's move on to documentation,
this step is really about tying it all together.
But why bother?
This sound just like another step
in an already long process, right?
Let me give you a few reasons why this is important.
First, the most obvious, having a final research document
allows you to share your work with your team and client.
Second, you may wish to publish
your research in a public forum.
This sort of thing can be really important
to raising the perceived value of what design is,
and what it can offer the world.
Remember, we're talking about much more
than just making things look good, right?
And in this sense, you're also contributing
to a larger body of knowledge.
So, if someone comes along after you,
researching nearly the same thing, they can take
your published findings and build upon them further.
Finally, I'm guessing you've either
been at this for a while, or you plan to do so.
So why not have a record of all your research on-hand
for your own personal library?
Research from one project may well inform the next,
and it's a valuable way to market yourself
to new clients by saving time and money.
So, what's in a research document?
It should be a thoughtful mix of writing, and visualization.
A good summarization highlights the problem,
and this might include a well-defined problem statement
such as a "how might we" statement.
Discusses the approach, this should include a summarization
of all research methods and tools used.
Synthesizes the research findings, this includes a summary
of the frameworks and the models used
to synthesize research findings.
And highlights the most prominent findings,
as they relate to the final outcome.
Finally, it also discusses how the project
is moving forward and evaluates the success
of the final solution and the process.
Another good way to look at this
is to fall back on the Big 6 and use that as a rough outline
for what the final document should be.
You can find the Big 6 again in chapter four.
So remember, build on the visuals you've already created.
Make them look attractive, or visualize
them in a new and exciting way.
When it comes time to create your final document,
remember, you don't have to record everything.
Just the relevant pieces of information that have impacted
the direction of the research and the project.