By understanding the tools of insight generation, we can uncover meaningful user insights that inform the creation of exceptional products and services. In this post, we will take a closer look at the specific methodologies and techniques employed in design research.

Welcome to our blog series aimed at demystifying the work we do here at noodle research, a design research consultancy based in Durham, NC dedicated to helping organizations harness the power of user-centered innovation. In this post, we will provide a clear and concise explanation of what design research is and how it can shape the future of products and services.

We tend to work in some extremely trying and challenging contexts, and in all of these, the sheer numbers around a particular issue make it challenging to contextualize or fully grasp. However, if you’re able to bring this down to an individual level by sharing one person’s story, you increase the chances of humanizing an issue and connecting people. And when that level of connection occurs, it makes it nearly impossible for someone not to act.

Empathy’s importance exceeds simply the power of a shared experience and the sense of community that such instills in people, though this alone can be transformative: it provides context for challenges, along with the direction needed to address them in a meaningful manner. Empathy allows one to better frame issues and challenges relative to the daily reality of another. Adversities faced are therefore seen as an aspect of one’s experience and not the sum total; this is the critical distinction between “empathy” and “sympathy”.

In order for HCD to be truly impactful, and by extension transformational, one should seek to engage with end-users in their context. Spending time getting a feel for the environment in which people live and work affords the opportunity to better frame the drivers behind perceptions and behaviors.

Serendipity is an all-too-common and always pleasant aspect of our work.