 |
|
|
Social experiments are fun, because people are so unpredictable. They are full of surprises! I recently pilot-tested a customer research exercise with some teammates at Nurun, a digital advertising agency in Toronto. The idea was to let them get their feet wet with design research as Nurun moves towards increasingly collaborative work within our teams. What was really interesting to me was the human tendency to gravitate towards judgment and familiar stereotypes versus curiosity and empathy. It's instinctual.
The world can be a chaotic jungle. We navigate through it by organising what we see into familiar categories in our brains. It helps us quickly understand our surroundings and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. It streamlines our lives. While these mental buckets are great for efficiency and survival, much more effort is needed for us to unravel life experiences that can tint our perceptions.
 |
The challenge when we're trying to understand our customers, clients and end users, is to shift from looking and judging to actively observing, understanding, empathising and appreciating a person's experience in a given moment or process. There needs to be a certain level of curiosity, caring and appreciation for the person's experience. It's not easy, but when done well, can create opportunities to offer meaningful experiences for others, filled with all kinds of utility.
 |
Research methods aside, a couple points of inspiration that get my curiosity flowing are photographer Jason Travis' photo series called "Persona" and Keri Smith's How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum. If you have any anecdotes, inspiration, or curious habits to share, I'd love to hear them here or via twitter @jenchow!
It's Only Human to Judge was originally published in: http://www.digitalforreallife.com/2012/03/it’s-only-human-to-judge/
Illustrations by Jen Chow.
Sign up to receive a weekly dispatch from
The Genteel is committed to delivering quality journalism, unearthing the forces shaping international fashion and design, through the lens of business, culture, society, best kept secrets and street style. As multi-dimensional and stimulating as its readers, The Genteel is the inspired destination where informed readers converge with in-depth fashion and design coverage.
A worldwide collective of contributors currently form The Genteel. On a daily basis our team dispatches thought-provoking and insightful articles from the streets of Oslo, Toronto, Beirut, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Seoul and beyond.
