Talking with Steve yesterday about Design, I was interested in the whole process. We compared the approach between research in my domain (cognitive sciences, hci) and user experience research/design. What I was mostly interested in was the main process: how from the same premices (roughly speaker: collecting data about users and their context) the design process evolves, how data are parsed/analyzed/presented and what's the use. Speaking about rigor and methodologies, he pointed me on this stunning description coming from Design Observer that I found revealing (and quite provocative to some extent):
"When I do a design project, I begin by listening carefully to you as you talk about your problem and read whatever background material I can find that relates to the issues you face. If you’re lucky, I have also accidentally acquired some firsthand experience with your situation. Somewhere along the way an idea for the design pops into my head from out of the blue. I can’t really explain that part; it’s like magic. Sometimes it even happens before you have a chance to tell me that much about your problem! Now, if it’s a good idea, I try to figure out some strategic justification for the solution so I can explain it to you without relying on good taste you may or may not have. Along the way, I may add some other ideas, either because you made me agree to do so at the outset, or because I’m not sure of the first idea. At any rate, in the earlier phases hopefully I will have gained your trust so that by this point you’re inclined to take my advice. I don’t have any clue how you’d go about proving that my advice is any good except that other people — at least the ones I’ve told you about — have taken my advice in the past and prospered. In other words, could you just sort of, you know...trust me?"
Why do I blog this? I am interested in how people do what they do, that's why