ModeMapping is SKD’s IDEA award-winning process for pushing ethnographic design research from observation to innovation. We use this proprietary process to systematically organize, communicate and examine our research data. By mapping our findings, SKD creates visual storylines for each research participant based on a series of “Modes” that describe activity. Just as a reader can identify reoccurring surface features on a topographic map, our designers can identify common user experiences across ModeMaps that indicate areas of unmet need. Designers use the patterns that emerge to drive actionable solutions through product concepts.