Design documentaries are a new, visual method to discover what matters to people. They inform and inspire design processes at early stages. The method emerged from my exploratory filmmaking practice, influenced by documentary film ideas and techniques.
Design documentaries present the perspectives of people behind and in front of the camera in conversation with each other. The filmmaking is the research and the films present these conversations. Design documentaries invite design teams to join and continue these conversations in the design process.
As a method design documentaries are not prescriptive. Rather, documentary film techniques and ideas are adopted and adapted in different ways for different design projects. These techniques and ideas, as well as the design documentaries I have made and present on this blog aim to be an inspiring toolbox for anyone involved in discovery research for design processes. Pick up a camera and make a design documentary yourself! (And then please tell me about it.) Or ask me to make a design documentary with or for you.
