The ideal experience of Ice Cream was a classroom project for Methods of Contextual Research, a Lextant Certification program which was developed as a collaboration between SCAD and Lextant, an experience-centered research and design firm. Our research process was rooted in the Lextant Methodologies.
The ideal experience of ice cream started with our primary curiosity on the perception of it, and how this particular dessert can produce a significant response within society.
Design Research, Contextual Inquiry, Human-centered User experience research, Design strategy, Empathetic research, screener surveys, in-depth interviews, cultural probes, sensory cue workshops, affinity mapping, design opportunties, rapid prototyping
Team : Aditi Sharma, Emilio Arellano, Mackenzie Wachs, Yunlin Song
Duration : 10 Weeks
My role : Researcher
November 2020
The 5 stages of
Contextual Research :
1. Relevance and Value
2. Methods and Techniques
3. Analysis
4. Framework
5. Storytelling
Data Collection
Methods used :
1. Screener Survey
2. In-depth interview
3. Sensory Cue Workshop
4. Survey
Stakeholder Map
We created a stakeholder map to make a visual representation to understand interconnections of the stakeholders and their motivations and interests.
Screener Survey
We wanted to recruit at least 10 participants above 20 years of age, from diverse backgrounds, based on demographics and food choices. In all, we received 25 responses from our online screener survey (quantitative research methodology).
In-Depth Interviews
After compiling data from our google screener survey, we applied qualitative research methodologies to have a series of in-depth interviews with select respondents. For the interviews, we developed a discussion guide. The discussion guide was framed as such to create an open discussion and gain more insight. The questions in the discussion guide comprised of open, heart based and future oriented questions (following the Lextant Research methodologies) to understand our user's current experience, their wants, aspirations as well as what they wanted in an ideal world.
Sensory Cue Workshop
We conducted a virtual Sensory Cue Workshop (Lextant's proprietary research method) to understand user’s ideal experience of eating ice cream - their likes/dislikes, perceptions, barriers in the experience, emotions.
From our interviews and sensory cue
workshop, we collected more than
1000+
Data points
We visualised a framework for 'The Ideal Experience of Ice Cream' driven by these data points. The framework is based on the emotions that people want to feel throughout their experience, the benefits they would come out from it, and the sensory cues (as well as features) that this frozen dessert will give to them.
We visually translated the insights from the framework as well all our findings, into a Client magazine. The core feeling of joy was our guiding keyword for the visual representation.
