[01] “Sensitizing Activities” - what are they, and why do they matter?
This is the first article of the series <How to run a human-centered design workshop>
By Sueyoon Lee | Sep 11, 2023
Word for word, they are activities that help ‘sensitizing’.
A sensitizing concept gives the user a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching empirical instances. The phrase "definitive concepts" was first coined by Blumer (1954), an American sociologist who distinguished them from "sensitizing concepts". Blumer clarified that:
A definitive concept refers precisely to what is common to a class of objects, by the aid of a clear definition in terms of attributes or fixed benchmarks…. A sensitizing concept lacks such specification of attributes or benchmarks and consequently, it does not enable the user to move directly to the instance and its relevant content. Instead, it gives the user a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching empirical instances. Whereas definitive concepts provide prescriptions of what to see, sensitizing concepts merely suggest directions along which to look. (p. 7)
Blumer, H. (2017). What is wrong with social theory? In Sociological methods (pp. 84-96). Routledge.ISO 690]In the context of user research and design, a human-centered design workshop can be an effective way to gain insights and develop solutions that truly meet the needs of the people we are designing for. But why is it essential to include the sensitizing activities in the workshop? Well, one reason is that it naturally and subconsciously guides the participants to immerse themselves in the situation and topic at hand.
Let me ask you a simple question:
"What was the best moment of your day yesterday?"
Please take a moment to think about your answer before continuing. 😏
What was your answer and how easy was it to come up with a simple question like this? Asking an abrupt and unexpected question can catch respondents off guard and may not give them enough time to consider their answers deeply. As a result, the respondents might provide a quick response based on their most recent memory, rather than reflecting on their entire day. For example, one participant may say she enjoyed watching a Netflix series in the evening when her actual best moment was discovering a charming vintage store in her neighborhood. This can happen during interviews that use a list of predetermined questions, which is why sensitizing activities are vital to minimize these gaps.
Sensitizing concepts shape the research problem, providing a broader context according to sociologist Charmaz:
Sensitizing concepts offer ways of seeing, organizing, and understanding experience; they are embedded in our disciplinary emphases and perspectival proclivities. Although sensitizing concepts may deepen perception, they provide starting points for building analysis, not ending points for evading it. We may use sensitizing concepts only as points of departure from which to study the data. (p. 259, emphasis in original)
Bowen, G. A. (2006). Grounded Theory and Sensitizing Concepts. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(3), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500304So far, we have learned what we refer to as ‘sensitizing activities’ and why it is crucial in conducting user research. I will now share three techniques that can be utilized as sensitizing methods during design workshops. 🧙🏻♀️