Design in the Field was a study in - and reflection of - my nomadic upbringing and mobile approach to design. For the better part of 8 years it was common for me to jump on a plane, engage in rapid prototyping, design, empirical and ethnographic research, capture it all, and deliver it as a complete package to clients in a short time frame.
This got me thinking about ‘research in the field’ and the design process and how often they’re compartmentalised. More often than not I’ve been on the receiving end of shallow, anecdotal research from groups who have an expertise in research but not insight.
Industrial designer
Concept + vision designer
Interaction designer
Graphic designer
Storyboarder
Researcher
Prototyper
Videographer
Video editor
Photographer
Writer
For a long while I managed to lug 2 laptops, an SLR, and a pile of sketchbooks and accessories around the world with me on various projects. But no matter where I was, be it working alongside my friends at Chicago’s Magic+Might, or from a local cafe, I always deployed a portable home base from which to work.
This caused me to reflect more on my process and to further define what Design in the Field was: go somewhere, learn something, capture it, and make something. Or, deploy, discover, document, and design. The lo-fi video below was a stab at visually describing this.
Once I’d defined the brand and narrative, I put together a concept for how Design in the Field could be a repeatable service. At the end of a 4 week project, deliverables would include a written document outlining the process including high-level insights and learnings, a visual design presentation, a wrap-up video, and a collection of the raw, original sketches.
In 2019 I signed up for a VOPO Earth Voyage, a nine day expedition through the Philippines starting in Manila and ending up at Danjugan Island, a unique and wonderful wildlife sanctuary off the coast of Negros Island. Earth Voyages are immersive journeys which in turn support community-based sustainability projects. This was a fantastic exercise in community engagement, empirical research, as well as an opportunity listen and learn and absorb a truly amazing culture amongst amazing people.
Read more on this here.