Phase 1 - Discover | Improvement Service

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Phase 1: Discover

What is the discover phase?

The discover phase focuses on understanding the problem or opportunity space in more detail by defining the assumptions about what the problem is and conducting qualitative and quantitative research to gather comprehensive insights from stakeholders across the impacted system.

Diagram showing the 1st phase of the service design model - discover

Qualitative research is a method of inquiry which involves collecting, analysing, and interpreting data through observation, interviews, and other forms of data collection methods that are focused on gathering in-depth and detailed information about a subject from the people who are impacted by the challenge. It helps explain the “why” behind the challenge and often involves interpreting the subjective experiences, perspectives, and attitudes of individuals or groups to move past what we know and uncover something new that helps us generate change.

Quantitative research uses numbers to quantify opinions, belief and attitudes in comparison to one another and is usually presented in the language of numbers and statistics to tell us the ‘what’ behind a problem.

By leveraging these two kinds of data together, officers can validate the insights gathered through meaningful interactions by collating data that supports the insights and challenges assumptions creating a thorough case for change

Why is this phase important?

The discover phase helps officers to avoid assumptions and gain a deeper understanding of the area by spending time with people who are involved or affected by it and validating or challenging the insights gathered with data.

Benefits of the discover phase include:

Builds a deeper understanding of subject area
Gives voice to marginalized or underrepresented groups by exploring their perspectives and experiences.
Generates new ideas or theories about a particular topic, by exploring the perspectives and experiences of those involved.
Validates or challenges existing theories, by gathering data that supports or contradicts them.
informs policy or practice, by highlighting the experiences and needs of those affected by a particular issue.
Fosters collaboration, co-creation, and shared ownership of the design process and strengthen the relationship between citizens and local authorities.
Generates information about why (or not) this is an actual problem that needs solving (buy-in)
Generates baseline information to measure impact of solution after implementation.

Best practice

Listed below are some tips you can follow to ensure you conduct rigorous and reliable qualitative and quantitative research that provides insights into the experiences, perspectives, and behaviours of a diverse range of individuals and groups.

Use multiple data sources: using multiple sources of data, such as interviews, observations, and documents, can help to triangulate your findings and increase the credibility of your research.
Define your research question: it is important to clearly define your research question, and ensure that your data collection and analysis methods are designed to answer that question.
Develop a systematic approach to data collection: including clear guidelines for selecting participants, conducting interviews, and documenting observations.
Analyse data iteratively: return to your research question and refine your analysis as you gather more data and gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study.
Researcher bias: recognise the role of the researcher in shaping the research process and outcomes, and consider how your own biases and assumptions may influence your analysis.
Ensure ethical practice: by obtaining informed consent from participants, protecting their confidentiality, and addressing any potential risks or harm.
Use open-ended questions: apply an appreciative inquiry model that is focused on asking open-ended questions that allow the person we are speaking with to have the time and space to explore their own motivations and behaviours.
Include diverse stakeholders: diversity is key to generating impact, diverse co-creators should be included in every step of the design process. Officers should avoid grouping people into stereotypical demographics, as by doing this, we exclude people or communities that have differing needs or wants.
Build humility and empathy: examine your identity, values, biases, assumptions, relationships to power and privilege and worldviews. Acknowledge how all of these may play into how we engage with stakeholders.

Barriers to collecting research

It is important to recognise and address the potential barriers associated with collecting research, including;

Social barriers - such as lack of trust, in response to negative past experiences and assumptions which may impact on people's willingness to participate.

Failure to include a diverse range of stakeholders - who you engage and co-design with may look different depending on the project but should always include people that have been traditionally excluded from the decision-making table.
Trauma resulting from harmful experiences - Trauma must be acknowledged and interventions must be in place when conducting research. Officers must continually consider how practices may trigger or affect someone with trauma and implement measures to protect citizens.
Power - When conducting research both parties should have equal power. Therefore, officers must acknowledge, dismantle and share power to ensure it is balanced and both parties have equal control over how data is collected, interpreted and used.
Cultural barriers – such as language barriers, stereotypes and beliefs may impact on people’s willingness to participate.
Communication barriers - including technological, literacy and verbal challenges
Capacity - Shortcomings in departments capacity and increased demand for services can impact on quality of research
Practical or operational challenges associated with data collection

Tools that can be used at this stage

There are multiple tools associated with this stage of the process which aim to gather rich insights. The list of tools below is not exhaustive and can be adapted depending on individual council’s needs.