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Senior Thesis: Research & Development
Project Summary
I started off the semester with my first research question, "What role do animals play in family dynamics and social relationships, and how does this affect the emotional well-being of individuals and families?". Within this research question I began to investigate different topics, starting off with the animal-human relationship. As time and research progressed, that topic began to delve more into the emotional side of things, and led me to expand my research even further. As I expanded the research, it led to a shift in topic, which leaned towards the design thinking similarities between animals and humans. Inevitably it led me to be extremely interested in the final and main topic, which is animal & design thinking strategies. This led me to re-write my research question:
In what ways do animals influence the ways in which we design and think?
Animal-Human Relationship
Emotional Relationship Between Animals & Humans
Animal-Human Design Thinking
Animals & Design Thinking Strategies
Research Methods: Primary Research Methods & Questions
In order to better understand the journey, below I represent the development of my many research methods. To begin with, my desk research really stem’d the process altogether as can be seen on the visual. Although interviews and observations are both very important, interviews sparked more of a conversation and interest expansion, which predominately led to the probe kit and empathy map. As seen, both site observations and interviews together, completed together to make the journey map.
It is extremely important to note the research methods that really sparked the change in research questions, which were: probe kit, journey map, and site observations. Each method began to introduce the idea of design into me through different sectors and factors, and as I began to put them all together, it encouraged the interest into the realm of animal design thinking.
Key Insights
All the research conducted led me to 6 diverse and intriguing key insights:
1. Animals have an essential and valuable function in a person's mental health and well-being.
2. People are becoming more cognizant of animal emotions, allowing for a broader range of appreciation for their viability towards humans.
3. Animals, like people, are unique in that they each have a distinct personality that they acquire via their life experiences.
4. Human emotions are becoming more cognizant of animal emotions, allowing for a broader range of appreciation for their viability towards humans.
5. Adoption process’ are designed around the animal emotions and reactions.
6. Everything we do, whether emotional or statistical, results in a sort of design process.
How might we use our emotional connection to animals to study their design strategies?
How might we understand the narrative of
animals and design through our emotional
similarities?
How Might We Tailor Our Innovations
Through Animal Design Thinking?
Each key insight led to their own how question, however, the one I resonated with the most was the fifth: How Might We Tailor Our Innovations Through Animal Design Thinking? This question truly sums up what my research has led to and what it may expand to, it really conveys a good response to what I am leaning towards.
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