Divergent Thinking Methods - Further Information

Empathy Mapping 

The sections of your empathy map might include qualitative data using the following areas, tailored to your project as needed.  

Who are you designing for?
What are the characteristics that the group share?

What are they seeing?

What does the user physically see in the environment/context?
What visual cues or symbols do they encounter?
What are they looking at -  in person,  online, social media?
What  other  designer's  work do they  encounter?
What do they see that interests or inspires them?
What objects are present?
Are there any specific colours, shapes, or patterns that stand out?
Do they see other similar products?

What are they hearing?

What does the user hear in their surroundings?
What have they heard other people say about the message/object/idea/experience?
What do competitors say?
What do design leaders say?
What do stakeholders say? 

What are they saying?

What has the client/user/stakeholder said to you about their needs?
What are the user's/clients verbal and non-verbal actions and expressions?
What language or phrases do they use?
Is there anything that the client/user might have forgotten to include?

What are they doing/Need to do?

Does the client need to make design or function decisions?
Does the client need to identify their target audience/s?
What does the client/stakeholder see as a successful outcome?
Does the client/designer/stakeholder need to change their behaviour or actions?

What are they thinking and Feeling?

What are the users'/clients/stakeholders thoughts and emotions about the topic?
What are their goals, aspirations, and concerns?
How do they perceive their current situation?
What emotions do they experience in different contexts?

What are the Pain Points?:

What are the user's challenges, frustrations, and obstacles?
What problems or difficulties do they encounter?
What irritates, annoys, or disappoints them?
How do these pain points impact their overall experience?

What are the Gains and Delights that can be harnessed?:

What are the user's desires, motivations, and sources of joy?
What are their goals and aspirations?
What brings them satisfaction, happiness, or excitement?
How can we exceed their expectations and create delightful experiences?

As a designer, you might select 3-5 of the above categories to generate data by creating surveys, interviews, observations, or focus groups that gather insights into your client/target audience/stakeholders. 

You might then apply these questions & the subsequent data in the following ways:

• Conducting research: They gather insights through interviews, surveys, observations, and other user research methods to understand users' behaviours and preferences.

• Identifying patterns: Designers analyze the collected data to identify common themes, trends, and patterns related to users' feelings, motivations, and challenges.

• Creating personas: Based on the research findings, designers develop user personas that represent different user segments. These personas include detailed information about users' demographics, behaviours, goals, and pain points.

• Mapping empathy by visualising the data through graphic organisers: Designers use empathy mapping techniques to visualize the personas' thoughts, emotions, and experiences. They create empathy maps that depict users' needs, feelings, influences, and actions, helping to empathize with users' perspectives.

• Informing design decisions: The insights gained from empathy mapping inform design decisions by guiding the development of user-centred solutions that address users' needs and improve their experiences.

Interviews

Interviews are structured conversations between a researcher or designer and a participant (client/target audience/stakeholder/user), aimed at gathering information, insights, and perspectives on a specific topic or issue. Designers use interviews as a qualitative research method to gain a deeper understanding of users, their needs, behaviours, preferences, and challenges.

Designers use interviews to generate data, insights, and perspectives by:

• Understanding User Needs: Interviews help designers uncover user needs by directly asking participants about their goals, motivations, pain points, and aspirations related to a product, service, or experience.

• Exploring Behaviours: Designers observe and inquire about participants' behaviours, habits, routines, and decision-making processes to understand how they interact with products or services in real-life situations.

• Gathering Feedback: Interviews allow designers to gather feedback on existing designs, prototypes, or concepts, helping them identify areas for improvement and validate design decisions.

• Exploring Emotions and Perspectives: Designers delve into participants' emotions, perceptions, beliefs, values, and attitudes toward a particular topic, product, or experience, providing valuable insights into user experiences.

• Identifying Opportunities: Through interviews, designers identify opportunities for innovation, new features, functionalities, or solutions that address users' unmet needs or pain points.

• Building Empathy: Interviews help designers build empathy by listening to users' stories, experiences, and challenges, fostering a deeper connection and understanding of their perspectives.

Types of Questions

Designers use various types of questions in interviews to gather rich and meaningful insights from participants. Here are some types of questions along with examples of question starters and full questions:

Open-ended Questions:

"Can you tell me about..."
"What are your thoughts on..."
"How do you feel about..."
"How do you typically..."

Can you tell me about your daily routine when using [product/service]?
What are your thoughts on the current design of [feature]?
How do you typically make decisions when choosing a [product/service]?

Probing Questions:

"Can you elaborate on..."
"Could you give me an example of..."
"Why do you think..."
"Can you describe how..."
"Can you explain..."

Can you elaborate on why you prefer [option A] over [option B]?
Could you give me an example of a time when [issue] affected your experience?
Why do you think [feature] is important in [context]?

Closed-ended Questions:

"Do you..."
"Have you ever..."
"Would you prefer..."

Do you currently use [product/service] on a regular basis?
Have you ever encountered difficulties with [feature]?
Would you prefer a more user-friendly interface for [product]?

Follow-up Questions:

"Can you clarify...",
"I'm curious about...",
"Could you expand on..."
"What did you mean by..."
"So, do you mean that..."
Can you clarify what you mean by [term]?
I'm curious about your experience with [aspect]. Can you share more details?
Could you expand on how [issue] impacts your daily life?

Hypothetical Questions:

"Imagine if...",
"What would you do if...",
"How would you feel if..."
"Have you thought of..."

Imagine if [scenario], how would that change your approach to [task]?
What would you do if you encountered [challenge] while using [product]?
How would you feel if [feature] was removed from [product]?