Why Researchers Should Involve Designers Early

If you're a researcher, you certainly want your research to be recognized, reach an ever wider audience, and get donors and new partners to continue the project.

Involving designers in the very beginning, before the research takes shape, can refine the project, bringing innovation and providing the research team with many different references to help shape the structure of websites, reports, research documents, and presentations. Researchers need to collaborate with creative professionals right from the start.

One thing I've seen a lot over the years is that clients don't involve designers at the beginning of the process. Most of the time, for example, I receive "wireframes" drawn up in MS Word in an attempt to divide the content they have or will need into sections of the site. Involving the designer at the start of the process avoids wasted time and a clearer project structure with actual wireframes and more.

So, let's talk about why you need to involve designers early on in your research and improve your results.

What usually happens

Imagine a project that begins with the launching of a results-focused investigation. As the work unfolds, the team realizes the need for a communication plan. They then begin to draft it without consulting any professional designers, often resulting in standardized and uninspired materials.

Halfway through the process, the team decided to create a website to present the results. They began designing a wireframe similar to other websites without the valuable perspective of creative professionals.

Only at the end the team considered hiring a design firm, often to simply execute the wireframe already established.

I understand the research team's effort, but there are better ways to create websites or other research material.

If your team has already set the expectations for the website, the work needed to undo that isn't worth it. From a business point of view, it doesn't make sense to add more work to your scope to undo the client's mindset in order to open up more possibilities for your project, which will also result in more work for the design studio team.

Consequences of involving professional creative people later in the process:

• Limited possibilities for innovation;

• Restricted usability improvement;

• Reduced possibilities and creative solutions.

The benefits of early involvement

By involving design professionals in the early stages of the process, some good things can happen.

Right at the beginning, before the research takes shape, designers can provide the research team with several different references to help them shape the structure of the project.

This helps the research team structure the research itself. For example, instead of focusing on a traditional output, such as a Findings Report, hosted on a micro-site, the research report could be assembled as an interactive report, where the micro-site IS the report. Now, we are opening the door to interactive visualizations and storytelling. It’s a whole new world…

Alternatively, instead of having a couple of social media assets for dissemination, why not distill the core findings into an infographic that will have a much bigger impact on the audience, sparking curiosity and ultimately attracting more eyeballs to the research findings?

Another aspect is access to technology. We work a lot in the international development space, and in some situations, the public has significant technological limitations.

An interactive report, however interesting, may not work for an audience with limited access to the Internet or computers. But what about an interactive report based on mobile devices? Or one that could easily be cached in the user's mobile browser? It's proposals and solutions like these that designers can offer researchers.

Consequences of involving designers in the research right from the start:

• Uncover user needs at an early stage that researchers may miss at first;

• Identify technical constraints and opportunities;

• Propose truly novel formats like mobile apps vs. standard reports;

• Enables structural, conceptual, and visual innovations;

• Address technical challenges at lower cost before locked in;

• Provide critical input on research plans and instruments.

Do you realize that there is a world of possibilities on how to communicate your knowledge and how to make research more interesting and accessible?

Conclusion

Involving designers from the start allows for innovations in terms of visuals, structure, concepts, experiences, technology, and research methods. This opens up possibilities and improves the research process through expertise.

Allowing creative professionals to contribute from the outset enables better-designed, user-centered results. After all, in the end, it's the user experience that will define how successful your project is.

Let us know if you would like to open your possibilities!