Rethinking User Research in Service Design
I recently completed my first semester in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts, New York. Intense? Absolutely. But also incredibly enriching for me as an Interaction Designer. it was all focused on understanding the foundation of designing human interactions.
As part of our Service Design class, we gave a mini presentation called Service Spotlight. I presented on Ezwiti, a Jordanian non-profit restaurant.
One of my course projects, Service Design, had us choose a client, and find ways to improve it. Everything was going well in the discovery phase until I hit a wall during the research and co-design phases.
Here’s the issue: The client, due to privacy reasons, wouldn’t grant me access to new customers. They also weren’t comfortable bringing in outside participants for research and co-design in their shop. If you practice research and co-design, you know this is a big problem. How do you design ”with” users when you can’t get to them?
For some time, I was stuck. But then I thought back to my Research Methods class, where we went through many case studies of designers taking a creative approach to conducting research. Yes, you can follow available research methods, but once you understand their objectives, you can also mix, build, and innovate with them.
The solution: If I couldn’t bring people to the shop, I’d bring the shop to them.
I built a digital floor map of the shop (not as an architect). This wasn’t just a static image; I marked key touchpoints, embedded photos, and added links and QR codes so participants could scan, interact, and experience the space remotely, almost as if they were actually there.
Participants were asked to imagine themselves walking past the shop.
Then they were asked to analyze pictures, describe their observations, interpret the shop’s offerings, and identify its services. Then, they experienced entering the shop for the first time, engaging with all touchpoints along the way.
And guess what? IT WORKED.
Not only did it work, but it exceeded my expectations. By rethinking my approach to co-design, I was able to achieve my research goals and build insights.
The Takeaway
User research can seem rigid and methodological. But this experience shifted my mindset. If one method doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean research is over. It means it’s time to get creative.
