In this blog, Manavi discusses extending the use of design principles into research and other types of reports in order to maximize student creativity in and inspiration from papers.
Written by Manavi Goyal, Blog Editor & Content Writer, Honours Bachelor of Science, Psychology Specialist, Economics Major, and Sociology Minor
In my experience, writing research papers can sometimes get a bit repetitive. I find myself analyzing research plainly and worrying if readers are able to draw direct actionable outcomes from the insights I present. Thus, I wanted to think of ways to transform these insights from data into actionable themes that inspire solutions to maximize creative potential in papers and increase the potential of readers taking action in response to the data. I find that design principles can be a great way to turn ideas into actions.
Design principles serve as building blocks to inspire readers into brainstorming empathetic and actionable solutions and future research directions. As a psychology student who is deeply interested in learning new research approaches, reading about design principles got me excited at the prospect of learning a new approach to presenting data that could inspire people to take action and create change.
My Research Experience: Finding Inspiration
When exploring the writing style of design principles, it made me reflect on the importance of taking on a more empathetic and action-oriented mindset. As I began to reflect on how data can be presented, I thought about my research in psychology during and before my undergraduate degree. There are many fascinating alternative methods to present data, yet I sometimes struggle to easily put them into practice. That’s where design principles come in. I realized that design principles are a creative way for us to not just present data, but to share actionable perspectives that inspire readers.
As I look beyond research reports, I think about the papers I write, academic or otherwise, that still require collecting and analyzing information. Design principles take rich data and transform them into easily readable and digestible insights. Using creative formats such as these to present data helps us connect more deeply with our audiences, where readers can easily resonate with the data.
Design Principles: Shifting Importance to Action
I believe using a solution-focused approach can add a dimension of innovation to research reports by presenting data more broadly as it directs a design-thinking mindset in readers. Although I know research already holds an immense power in its ability to educate and find novel information, it also seeks to inspire innovative thinking from readers. Using design principles may bring us one step closer to achieving this.
Design principles offer the opportunity to generate actionable insights that inspire real-life solutions. I found their use of simple language to be an effective way to push me to instantly think about solutions or next steps. This got me thinking about what I could do with the data and how I could make an impact.
Here’s My Suggestion: Do Both
In my papers, I’ve learned that I can combine the approaches to spark inspiration and prompt action from my readers. I think a combination of both approaches to presenting data – the traditional and the creative – enables us to add a dimension of creativity that can really drive change.
When used together, both approaches have been effective in providing a deep value to my learning and inspiring me to act. By this I mean that traditional research approaches have been helpful in giving me a strong understanding of what causes a problem and the effectiveness of current solutions, if any. From there, applying a creative approach by adding design principles makes me feel inspired to brainstorm how I can implement these solutions or even design some possible solutions myself because of how the simple statements effectively convey impactful ideas that are actionable!
Writing to Inspire
As I reflect on the ways to present research, I remind myself to remember that this combination may not always be the correct approach to a paper. Not all papers have the space or need to combine approaches. However, I still encourage everyone to ideate creative ways to present information. By writing papers that allow us to maximize our creative expression, I know that our work can reach its potential to inspire readers to think about ways to achieve change, and maybe even act on them during the process. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s write papers with the goal to inspire!
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