An in-depth user research sprint with urban residents living in tiny apartments.
Approach
In our initial scan of small space design, we found that existing research focused on a limited vision for young, single professionals. We wanted to expand on this demographic, and centered our research on couples and families to understand how diverse households are currently living in small spaces. We spoke with ten people in their homes to understand both functional and emotional needs and how small homes can better serve their residents, and came up with a series of design recommendations to inform future concepts.
Role
As project lead I developed the initial design brief and learning goals, aligned internal stakeholders, created an RFP, selected Continuum as a research partner, and managed the screening process for participants. I then worked alongside Continuum as one of two full-time design researchers in resident interviews and synthesis, including review of the transcripts, coding for themes, developing key insights, and producing the final deck and executive summary. Insights from this work are now being used to develop new smart housing products as part of Sidewalk Lab’s modular mass timber factory initiative.
Team
Sidewalk Labs with EPAM Continuum