During the Define phase, design teams need to make sense of the rich data gathered during the Discover phase, such as interviews, focus groups, and observations.
Qualitative analysis methods help turn this raw data into clear insights and problem definitions that guide the rest of the design process.

 

Here are some commonly used approaches:

• Thematic Analysis (Salim et al., 2021; Brennan et al., 2020)
  Organises data into key themes and patterns to understand what matters most to users.

• Grounded Theory (Catalani et al., 2014; Finnegan et al., 2023)
  Builds concepts and explanations directly from the data to understand underlying processes.

• Content Analysis (Geerts et al., 2023; Campbell-Yeo et al., 2021)
  Breaks down data into categories and counts how often certain ideas appear.

• Framework Analysis (Kjork et al., 2022; Evans et al., 2016)

       Maps data against a structured framework or logic model to compare across participants or topics.

 

These methods all aim to move from messy data to meaningful insights, supporting collaborative decision-making and helping the team define a clear problem to solve.

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📝 You don’t have to be an expert researcher — even simple coding and grouping of notes can help you spot patterns and define user needs.