Strategic Creativity Series #12: Let's Talk Water

Systematic, yet free to grow in new directions, the process felt fluid. It was not always smooth, some hiccups in the form of unexpected responses occurred, but it was always stabilised and clearly motivated by the input we gained from all the groups involved. Within this dynamic we built on three existing approaches: a Semi-Structured approach, Making the Familiar Strange, and Cultural Probing.

The Semi-Structured approach[1], applied by us mainly during interviews, is a qualitative method of inquiry, combining predefined open-ended questions with the flexibility to allow the conversation to veer in an unexpected direction. In order to direct the total experience and the setting of the interview, we designed both scripts and physical aids for our search (these ranged from documentation tools to a portable research station). Despite having a clear strategy, we also gave ourselves the opportunity to base actions on our intuition, introducing a spontaneous, tactical approach opposed to the predefined script. Our tactics were like ruses, largely unplanned but benefiting optimally from any coincidence occurring[2]. By basing our search directly on observations of the ever-changing environment of our partners, we were able to explore unexpected themes which popped up during interviews.

The visual tools we used to direct the conversations were needed in order to keep control over the situation. The objects themselves actually became players, making it obvious when we should take on different roles such as ­interlocutor or observer.

Making the Familiar Strange is a method in which we use defamiliarisation in the design process. Defamiliarisation is an artistic technique taken from literature in order, “to remove objects from the automatism of p ­ erception […] As we see that as perception becomes habitual, it becomes ­automatic, making all of our habits retreat into the area of the unconsciously ­automatic”[3]. We used this technique in the interactions with all three partners. By ­presenting common things – such as rainwater, or drinking water flowing from your tap – in an unfamiliar or strange way, we enhanced people’s perception and were able to introduce an activist approach ­towards something as mundane as water. Clean water coming from our taps, or being able to keep our feet dry throughout the year is so ordinary in the Netherlands, hence people tend to take these things for granted. By placing water in a different context – such as it being extremely scarce or over-abundant, or tasting different in each household – we were able to raise questions about ownership and the responsibility associated with it. This, in turn, opened up conversations and stimulated an awareness of each individual’s relationship to water, whilst at the same time kept conversations personal and steering away from ‘the needs of the planet’ or other more abstract notions.

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