With a background in sociology and philosophy I have always been driven by understanding the world and find ways to uncover the complexity out there. This curiosity is inherent in everything we do at IIAB. Our purpose is creating insights about people that have the potential to add value and solve problems by revealing hidden connections and bringing clarity to complexity. However, the quality of insights is dependent on the clarity and vision of the researcher seeking them.
On a daily basis I think about how we distill these insights in the best way. It is not the goal to reach objectivity. We all see the world differently as a product of our previous experiences and who we are. Each and every moment we only absorb a fraction of all the stimuli we are exposed to and this filtering is different for each of us. After the filtering comes a processing phase and here our personal and professional experiences, knowledge, methods and goals all affect what we see. And when it comes to business, the clients often have an agenda that could affect the outcome too.
5 common research flaws
At IIAB we are very aware of all these biases and we constantly seek to counter them. Inspired by the great work by Shobda Prasad (Towards 20/20 vision (2015)) we have created a series of posters that delve into some of the common flaws we face as researchers and designers when interpreting the world around us, and how to remedy them. There are multiple ways of arriving at a conclusion; it is necessary to be aware of our bias, step back and cleanse the lens through which we see.
Research flaw #1 – This I Already Know Syndrome
We all have a natural tendency to look for instances that confirm our story and vision of the world.
Research flaw #2 – Fogged At The Start
An excess of information, strong client perspectives or a self-doubt may fog vision at the start of a project.
Research flaw #3 – A Distorted View
Blowing data out of proportion
Research flaw #4 – Too Much Imagination
The need to hear something new yet have a clear hypothesis makes us take ‘leaps of faith’ from the observations.
Research flaw #5 – Quest For The Holy Grail
The pressure of finding the holy grail : the One Big Insight the study has to deliver.
Do you agree with what we have listed here? Are there any flaws we are missing? Please comment and let us know.
