By Dave Barista, Assistant Managing Editor
Introduction:
Imagine how much more effective the design process would be if you knew what your clients were really thinking.
What colors inspire them?
How do they interact with their physical environments?
How does sunlight make them feel?
"Research shows that only 5% of what the average person thinks can be expressed verbally," says Del Sole. The other 95% is hidden deep within the subconscious.
Solution is there:
Del Sole's Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, fathom, applies a staid research technique to probe the conscious and subconscious thoughts of user groups and then translates these thoughts into design approaches. Think of it as a shrink session for building occupants.
Developed by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, the technique has been used for years by Coca-Cola, DuPont, and other Fortune 500 companies as a market research tool for product and brand development. Now, fathom is bringing it to the architectural community to help designers create better environments.
How?
1. Ask questions a typical designer would not ask, and in ways that uncover the deepest thoughts.
2. Key to the process is the use of art therapy during initial one-on-one interviews with end users. They ask them to bring six to eight images that explain their thoughts and feelings about their most recent experience at the facility >>> Gives a snapshot of what's going on inside their head and gives some objectives like transformation," "energy," "control" among the group of users.
3. These objectives are then matched with the client's programmatic needs to come up with a prioritized design guide.
Example:
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, currently under construction.
One-on-one interviews with 29 patients, nurses, and doctors resulted in metaphors like "control," "energy," and "connection."
They found that:
1- The children wanted the new hospital to feel home-like and comfortable, but not too much like home because they felt that they wanted to be able to leave it.
2-The kids were very intimated by the height of the beds.
As a result:
1- Architects reworked the design scheme, introducing bright, vibrant colors, softer materials, and patient-friendly features: a healing garden, private rooms, and individual temperature controls for patient rooms.
2- They are working with a manufacturer to design a bed that is much lower to the ground, but can be raised when nurses and doctors come in.
For more: www.gofathom.com
~Research Method~
Imagine how much more effective the design process would be if you knew what your clients were really thinking.
What colors inspire them?
How do they interact with their physical environments?
How does sunlight make them feel?
"Research shows that only 5% of what the average person thinks can be expressed verbally," says Del Sole. The other 95% is hidden deep within the subconscious.
Solution is there:
Del Sole's Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, fathom, applies a staid research technique to probe the conscious and subconscious thoughts of user groups and then translates these thoughts into design approaches. Think of it as a shrink session for building occupants.
Developed by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, the technique has been used for years by Coca-Cola, DuPont, and other Fortune 500 companies as a market research tool for product and brand development. Now, fathom is bringing it to the architectural community to help designers create better environments.
How?
1. Ask questions a typical designer would not ask, and in ways that uncover the deepest thoughts.
2. Key to the process is the use of art therapy during initial one-on-one interviews with end users. They ask them to bring six to eight images that explain their thoughts and feelings about their most recent experience at the facility >>> Gives a snapshot of what's going on inside their head and gives some objectives like transformation," "energy," "control" among the group of users.
3. These objectives are then matched with the client's programmatic needs to come up with a prioritized design guide.
Example:
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, currently under construction.
One-on-one interviews with 29 patients, nurses, and doctors resulted in metaphors like "control," "energy," and "connection."
They found that:
1- The children wanted the new hospital to feel home-like and comfortable, but not too much like home because they felt that they wanted to be able to leave it.
2-The kids were very intimated by the height of the beds.
As a result:
1- Architects reworked the design scheme, introducing bright, vibrant colors, softer materials, and patient-friendly features: a healing garden, private rooms, and individual temperature controls for patient rooms.
2- They are working with a manufacturer to design a bed that is much lower to the ground, but can be raised when nurses and doctors come in.
For more: www.gofathom.com
~Research Method~
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