Curiosity

As researchers, we believe wonder is not a waste of resources.

Pursuing knowledge and understanding requires questioning the underlying purpose, intent and impact of our collective efforts.

Driven by intellectual curiosity and empathy, we seek a deeper understanding of others: our colleagues, our clients, and their user communities.

We are detectives (not psychics) reliant on evidence and data to guide our discovery. We seek to interrogate assumptions and invalidate hypotheses—continuously question orthodoxy and what others take for granted—to uncover facts as foundation for our designs.

We satisfy curiosity by …

Approaching design challenges with humility and intellectual honesty
Using Socratic questioning to open up possibilities before narrowing on selective solutions
Conducting lean research with focus, structure and rigor—customizing or creating new research techniques when appropriate
Remembering users are experts in their lived experience, clients are experts in their business, and we are experts in investigating both