Interviews and Mind Maps

Due THURSDAY November 6th

In addition to becoming familiar with your organization through participation, as a designer it is important to do anthropological research to understand the ins and outs of your target market. For this, you will conduct an interview with someone who works within the organization. (If need be, you will have time in class on Tuesday afternoon to go and do this, so please try to schedule something now that fits in your schedule and prepare your interview before hand. If you have a scheduling conflict, please come talk to me.) For tips on conducting interviews, read this article here.  You want to uncover what they experience being a part of the organization-What do they like most, what would they change, what do they find most challenging. Come up with  5-10 questions and ask for about 30-40 minutes of their time. This is your time to practice listening, and ask open ended questions that let them expand- have a conversation. Do not ask yes or no questions.

At this point in time it is essential to collect as much information as possible about your organization, and the issues they are dealing with to best uncover your design opportunity. You must also determine whether your project will focus on the organization itself- i.e. its structure, space, tools and etc, or its benefactors. If you choose to work on a project for a benefactor, conduct an interview with them as well. 

Next week you will start designing so start thinking about what opportunities you want to pursue and do the research needed to move forward. 

Some sample questions include: 

What is your role within the organization?

What does your day look like, and what type of activities or tasks do you do? 

What do you find most challenging in your day and what do you enjoy most? 

How did you get involved in the organization?

Document your interview for your records either via note taking or audio recorder and post to your blog. However, if the person you interviewed shared personal information that they do not want made public, please respect their privacy and be sensitive to this and first ask them if they are comfortable with you sharing this information. 

After your interview, on your own- do a quick mind map (30 minutes) on a large piece of paper- (or you can get creative and make something). In the middle choose one word that sums up the issue your organization is dealing with. From the center, map out some of the main barriers the organization experiences to social impact. Mind you that every nonprofit will tell you that their main barrier is finances. This is typically a very big challenge for every organization, but as designers we must dig deeper to find an overlooked opportunity that can increase the organization's social impact. Scan in or photograph your map and post on your blog.