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Herb Velazquez, IDSA

Professor of Practice, Georgia Institute of Technology

Herb Velazquez, IDSA

Herb Velazquez is Principal at G Design LLC in Alpharetta GA and was a Professor of Practice at the School of Design at Georgia Institute of Technology. He has over 30 years of professional design experience as an industrial design leader within the healthcare field with three global corporations: GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, and Kimberly-Clark, as well as his current design practice at G Design LLC. He has won
national/international awards for his work including the prestigious IDSA Catalyst Award, two IDSA Gold Awards, International Forum Design GmbH’s iF Best in Medical Award and Belgium Product of the Year.

Improving Design Insights in Projects

Education Symposium

Rapid Fire Group D

August 25, 2023

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Ballroom

In my previous article from the 22nd DMI Academic Design Management Conference, The Success and Challenges of the Double Diamond in Studio Projects, I went into detail describing the nuances of the Double Diamond design process. One request from that publication was to provide details on the insight generation and development process that was discussed in that paper. The purpose of this paper is to cover just that.

Observational research is one of the methods designers and design students employ to gain user empathy, understanding and insights into the problem or opportunity. In the classroom studio the time and opportunity for going out into the field for observational user research is very limited. It is not uncommon for students to carry out their research and return with only a superficial understanding of the opportunity. I have used the Insight Worksheet for over six years with students and have seen good improvements in the quality of their insights, their understanding of context and their collaboration with their teams.

The paper will cover the unique definition of the elements making up the Insight Worksheet, it will discuss the pluses and minuses seen from its use in the design studio, share some examples, and share thoughts on next steps. The goal is for students to continue to care for the design process, to develop expertise with the design tools and methods so that they can continue to advance the ‘state of design thinking’ in their careers and in their professional practice.

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