researchasdesign

Favorite Posts

• Embracing the shake

  From one perspective, limits are those things that hold us back. We often dream of what we could do if we only had more time, more grant money, better mentorship, etc. We frequently frame problems as how to eliminate constraints. How can I get more attention from a busy advisor? How can I maximize my […]

• Research Questions and Prototyping

  The second year of a PhD, at least in the American system, is the time to narrow one’s interests and define a specific research topic. I ended the spring of my first year on track, with a strong direction and topic: evaluating the social and ecological effects of drought management policies. Unfortunately, over the course […]

• The Power of Uncomfortable Constraints 2

  Amanda and I and two other EIPER students were in a team at the EIPER retreat at Jasper Ridge. It was fall 2010 and we were participating in a d.school workshop using the gift giving prompt that is often used to introduce people to design thinking: How to reinvent gift giving. We were in the […]

• Applying Design Thinking to Interdisciplinary Research: Energy and Behavior

  After some pivotal experiences in d.thinking (see my previous post) including d.school classes and workshops, I started applying what I had learned to my research, which centers on how to lower residential energy use via behavioral approaches. With two advisors and a group of other graduate students, I was embarking on a new study aimed […]

• What We Can Learn From a Mediocre Brainstorm

  When brainstorming goes well, it feels like flying. You and your teammates produce copious amounts of ideas, many of which provide new and unexpected insights or potential solutions your current challenge. You are energized to start trying out multiple of these ideas immediately. Every so often, however, the ideas produced don’t seem quite so sparkling […]