RESEARCH PATTERN

Data Wall

Skill theme: 
Debrief & Analysis
Debrief & Analysis

Running Interview Debrief and working with Well-Managed Data, you generate a wealth of information and potentially interesting signals that are best leveraged from one central and accessible physical collection.

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The challenge

Our minds better grasp data and uncover hidden connections when it’s laid out before us and we can physically engage with it, using our hands to move ideas and our feet to walk in front of them. 


A series of interviews will generate a wealth of data, and in modern research, first steps tend to be storing and organizing it digitally. But the way that data is stored digitally—for simple and traceable retrieval—is not suitable for diving into the details and juxtaposing ideas, nor does it openly express the “weight” of insights to be found, especially when collaborative sensemaking is key to moving a project forward.

The approach

Consider how much space it will take to encapsulate the range of observations, ideas, insights, and concepts, and questions generated throughout the life of a project. 


Therefore, determine a semi-private location with adequate wall-space for your data wall that affords the team uninterrupted access. Build a data wall of research that can be used for data throughout the life of important project phases, turning all insights, observations, and utterances of importance into physical notes on the wall. Maintain the rigor of data management by tracing each note back to its source with interview or participant codes.

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In the course of building and managing a data wall, you will generate candidate insights to be expressed as Conceptual Model. You will use the data wall as a functional piece of project memory and synthesis, a venue for Affinity Map plus Sensemaking Workshop, and the structural seeds of Effective Reporting.

Last updated:
Apr 28, 2020 13:51

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