Role
Lead Design Researcher
Timeline
6 months
Mixed-Methods
Ethnographic Workshop Observation (10 sessions) In-Depth Practitioner Interviews (23 experts)
Job Market Analysis (470 postings)
Design Facilitation in Industry
From Theory to Strategy: Redefining Co-Design Facilitation for High-Velocity Industry Environments design facil in industry
project Overview
01
Challenging the Paradigm
Effective Facilitation is Strategic Intervention, Not Neutral Moderation.
02
Rigor through triangulation
10 Ethnographic Observations + 23 Expert Interviews + 470 Market Postings were used to validate findings.
03
Validated thought leadership
Findings are integrated into Design Curricula and Senior Hiring Frameworks, supported by 3 peer-reviewed publications.
This research is part of my PhD dissertation, it challenges traditional co-design theory by analyzing real-world industry practice. The findings have been synthesized into a new framework for adaptive facilitation, driving systemic change in design education and professional hiring.
Measurable impact & outcomes
This strategic research delivered immediate, measurable gains in organizational knowledge and process, establishing a new framework for industry practice:
01. The Strategic Challenge
Traditional co-design models, rooted in academic theory, fail to scale effectively in high-pressure corporate settings.
This creates systemic friction between theoretical ideals and the industry's need for directive, outcome-driven decision-making under tight business constraints and stakeholder politics.
02. My Rigorous Approach
To bridge the gap between theory and practice, I employed a triangulated, mixed-method approach to study facilitation "in the wild":
1. Ethnographic workshop observation (N=10):
Conducted in-depth observation of 10 real-time co-design sessions with cross-functional teams to capture adaptive behaviors and unscripted facilitator pivots when initial plans failed.
Facilitation workshops pictures
2. In-Depth Practitioner Interviews (N=23):
Interviewed 23 senior facilitators (5+ years experience) to map their mental models, decision heuristics, and strategic rationale behind their real-time choices.
Interview facilitat pictures
3. Market Validation & Mixed-Method Analysis (N=470):
Analyzed 470 job postings across Design, UX, and Product roles to validate qualitative findings and identify which facilitation skills are commercially valued at a senior level.
Heatmap of skills requirements in different design areas
03. Qualitative Analysis Evidence
Voice of the Expert:
This visual demonstrates the convergence of expert sentiment (color-coded by theme) across Facilitation Style, Strategic Approach, and Core Skills. The clustering directly validates the necessity of Strategic Intervention and Outcome-Driven Decision-Making, which challenges traditional co-design theory.
Thematic clustering of practitioner quotes.
Visualizing the thematic clustering from 23 expert interviews, showing the emergence of "Strategic Decision-Making" and "Contextual Leadership" as core themes, which form the basis of the new facilitation typologies.
Initial coding table from 23 expert interviews and 10 ethnographic observations.
Foundation of Rigor:
This table presents the raw themes and subthemes extracted from the qualitative data, which served as the building blocks for the subsequent thematic clustering and the derivation of the Strategic Intervention framework.
04. Key Strategic Insights
The research identified three practices that distinguish effective industry facilitation, challenging traditional academic models:
Insight 1: Strategic Intervention is the New Neutral.
The Shift:
From "neutral moderator" → active time & outcome manager
Effective facilitators are not "neutral moderators," but strategic decision-drivers who actively manage time, tools, and outcomes to meet business deadlines.
When facilitating 600 participants in a 2-hour session, one facilitator explained:
"I had to be very direct... like a drill sergeant. I can't give them a whole lot of variety, but there's still variety in the questions they can explore."
Another shared their approach:
"I'm not asking 'what do I need to deliver?' I'm asking 'what are they concerned about? What's going to be useful to that person?'"
Insight 2: Facilitation as a Senior-Level Strategic Skill.
The Shift:
From "workshop organizer" → strategic business partner
Market analysis confirms facilitation is a core competency for 32% of Design Leadership and 28% of Senior UX Research roles, signaling a need for strategic alignment rather than mere workshop execution.
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"Work closely with leadership across the business to develop strategic goals"
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"Lead projects through full development cycles while engaging cross-functional partners"
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"Collaborate with senior leaders across design, research, product, and engineering"
What companies want:
Insight 3: Real-Time Adaptive Pivot is the Value Driver.
The Shift:
From "following the plan" → adaptive problem-solving in the moment
The most valuable skill is the ability to pivot the research method in real-time (e.g., shifting from ideation to "5 Whys") to ensure the team addresses the right problem statement, even if it extends the session
What companies want:
"Everyone was dozing off. I gave them a 15-minute break—go walk, get coffee, whatever you need. Then I adjusted our agenda because I was highly aware of what they were doing."
Another emphasized:
"I need to have alternatives ready and be comfortable with change. That's the ability to pivot and be agile."
Another emphasized:
"I need to have alternatives ready and be comfortable with change. That's the ability to pivot and be agile."
05. Research Deliverables & Tools
The findings were synthesized into actionable tools and frameworks designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice.
The findings were synthesized into actionable tools and frameworks designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and industry practice.
Engineering & Manufacturing Focus:
Process Integration:
I ensured the Discover → Hypothesize → Prototype → Test → Refine research cycle was tightly integrated with the engineering and manufacturing timeline, providing actionable data within the design freeze window.
Translating Abstract Insights to Engineering Specs
I successfully translated abstract insights (e.g., "Ritual Experience") into concrete engineering specifications, such as defining the required magnetic connection force (in Newtons) to ensure both reliable connection and easy separation.
