This graduation project describes the expansion and revision of a human-centred design method through the integration of introspective activities. The expansion is supported by an explorative, individual case study and a validating, collaborative case study.

In a previous research project, Siyuan Huang and myself developed an initial version of the activity-based need profiling method. The activity-based need profiling method investigates an activity (activity-based) through which fundamental needs are fulfilled by the experience of the activity (need profiling). The goal of the design method is to provide a way for novice designers to become familiar with the typology of fundamental needs by Desmet and Fokkinga (2020) and to apply this abstract typology in a concrete design process.

The addition of introspective activities in the data collection phase of the design method could add more richness and nuance to the data. It was also expected to add extra value to the design method, by broadening the reach and introducing novice designers to another way of collecting data. In this graduation project, I set about investigating the value of these introspective activities and how they could best be integrated in the design method, through two case studies.

In the first case study, I introspected for two weeks on which fundamental needs were fulfilled in what way in the context of food-preparation related activities in my own home kitchen. I used this introspective data to create a set of narratives, that were the source of a set of design briefs and concepts. These concepts were evaluated in a user test to ascertain the value of the revised design method.

In the second case study, I used the insights from the first case study to make an iteration on the design method. I evaluated this version of the method with its target group of novice designers in two design workshops. The workshop participants introspected on food-preparation activities in their own kitchens and took the resulting narratives to the design workshop, where they collaboratively designed concepts through the process of the proposed design method.

Both case studies showed the value of the addition of introspective activities, enriching the data with nuance and authenticity. The results from the case studies were integrated in the initial design method, which yielded the following five phases of the revised and expanded activity-based need profiling method.

- The preparation phase, where designers familiarise themselves with the design method and identify an activity to investigate.
- The data collection phase, where designers collect information on need fulfilment within the activity, either introspectively or through external participants. They investigate which needs are satisfied and which are harmed and why this is the case.
- The data overview phase, where designers create both a visual overview as well as a more detailed overview of the collected data.
- The exploration phase, where designers use three strategies, or play modes, to translate the data into design briefs.
- The realisation phase, where designers create design concepts based on the design briefs, validate them and iterate on them.