Developing a Design Inquiry Method for Data Exploration

Developing a Design Inquiry Method for Data Exploration

Kun, P. (TU Delft Design Conceptualization and Communication; Aalborg University)
Mulder, I. (TU Delft Design Conceptualization and Communication)
Kortuem, G.W. (TU Delft Internet of Things)

2020

The increasing availability of large-scale datasets such as sensor data or social media data and increasingly accessible data science tools create unique
opportunities for design. However, the relationship between data science practices and design methods is still underdeveloped. In this paper, we propose that data exploration activities can be effectively embedded within a broader design inquiry framework and define a new design method, coined Data Exploration for Design, to support methodical designerly data exploration. The design method addresses the novice’s learning curve and supporting developing a data exploration inquiry mindset with procedures and curated tools. The empirical evaluation highlights support for producing exploration outcomes that are worth the additional technical effort. We close the paper by positioning the
findings in design methodology literature and motivating data exploration principles for design inquiry. The principles urge to acknowledge biases in data collection, spending time with the data, using visualizations as a means-to-anend, and designers being part of the data collection

data exploration
design methods
digital design
technology

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dbf2b485-124f-43ca-ad87-dd1ce05a5f9f

1826-9745

Interaction Design and Architecture (s), 45, 180-206

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2020 P. Kun, I. Mulder, G.W. Kortuem