The Case for Case Studies

Elyse Sanchez, Tuesday, May 9, 2006 @ 7:57 pm

Currently, I've been tasked with writing up our team's recent projects, for the immediate purpose of publishing these stories on our website to support our marketing efforts. Using case studies for this purpose is a recognized, and arguably successful, way for designers to document their successes and describe the ways a good design has contributed to a good software product or website.

But I always wrestle with the narrative. What is the story we want to tell? How design, detached from the larger context, was appropriate, optimal, on-target and on-budget? Shades, perhaps, of "the operation was successful, but the patient died"?

Classically, a case study provides an opportunity for providing "an exemplary or cautionary model." A good case study should equally document the mistakes and the milestones, the lessons learned as well as the goals achieved.

Does this alter the tenor of the corporate case study? Hopefully.

Related posts:

1. Use Case Diagrams
2. A case study in Flash UI annoyances: style-card.com
3. Designing Self-Organizing Business Structures
4. Usability Testing Techniques
5. Documentation, Part 1 – the Setup

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