We used the following research methods:
#1: Expert Semi-Structured Interview
To better understand the industrial design space as a whole, we wanted to first interview experts in the ID field to learn about the current obstacles that industrial designers face when attempting to utilize sustainable materials. This knowledge could help us better understand our problem space and could inform the interviews we conduct with our target users. Likewise, since the experts we chose to interview happen to be professors and educators in the ID school at Georgia Tech, they are very much stakeholders in this project space, as they are guiding young designers in the establishment of their design methods and are assigning students projects that may specify the materials they use.
#2: User Semi-Structured Interview
The ID students are the future of industrial design, and the materials they become familiar with within their projects may very well be the materials they utilize on a larger scale in the industry. Therefore, we wanted to target these young industrial design students to better understand the problem space.
In the formation of our research questions, we wanted to address five main topics. Information and insights gathered from our expert interviews were utilized in the creation of these topics.
- Understand what tools designers currently use when choosing materials
- Understand when in the design process ID students choose materials for their products
- Identify problems that ID students may encounter when choosing sustainable materials
- Identify the importance that ID students place on different factors when choosing materials
- Determine how ID students learn about different materials
#3: Survey
Incorporating the survey alongside our interview data served as a way to triangulate our research methods, which helped us develop a more comprehensive understanding of the needs, wants, and requirements of industrial design students in sustainable design. Specifically, combining qualitative methods, namely the user and expert interviews, with a quantitative method, namely this survey, allowed us to test the validity of our data through the convergence of information from multiple different sources.
Our Research Findings:
- Most Users have not used any tools at all when selecting materials
- Ease of Use and the Ability to see what the material looks like is the most important features in a materials selection tool
- Currently, feasibility and aesthetics are the most important factors, and for the users when choosing materials for their projects
- Most users believe sustainability is an important factor in material selection and most users find it more difficult to justify the use of sustainable materials in their projects
- Recyclability and low carbon footprint are ranked as the top important sustainability-related factors for material selection by the users
- Availability of materials, cost, and the limited knowledge of materials are the main barriers faced by most users when selecting sustainable materials