DEI Generative Research

Date: Summer 2020 Design Research Internship

Location: Milwaukee Tool - Milwaukee, WI

As the first fluent Spanish-speaker part of the Milwaukee Tool Design Research Team, I researched safety and communication needs of Latinx tradesmen.

Through virtual interviews, I compiled qualitative data and shaped insights to better serve the Latinx collective.

The project gathered enthusiasm around more inclusive research at the company.

ethnography | interview design | virtual interviewing | virtual presentation | qualitative data synthesis | Spanish

Timeline: 10 weeks

What I Learned:

Desk where I conducted all my virtual interviews

Scope

Meeting with my mentor and supervisor, we established milestones for interviews, data synthesis, and presentation deadlines. We created an interview guide with input from various members of the team and stakeholders in the company.

Virtual interviews

with 11 tradesmen throughout the country

• Interviews were held through phone, in both Spanish and English

• Questions regarding safety, communication, upbringing, and immigration challenges were discussed, to the extent the users felt comfortable sharing.

• Practicing assuring verbal cues and speaking in the language they felt most comfortable created a space to actively listen and reflect on their needs.

Cities: Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, Milwaukee

Samples notes from interviews with users

Synthesizing Data

After interviewing the users, compiling all the data into MURAL led to easy clustering.

• Keeping the cohesion of the stories shared, especially the more personal narratives, led to a higher-level picture of who this collective was.

• Fragmentation relating to safety and communication led to actionable insights.

Picture of clustering of data from interviews.

Insights

Key trends surrounding safety and communication were presented to executives & researchers.

• Centering the story around spectrums of identity brought a personal lens to the research.

Quotes I always came back to navigate the space

provided by mentors

"Let the data guide you."

"Never simplify an experience."

"Sometimes the best way to ask is to just ask."