Designers are well positioned to transfer visual methods from design-focused prospective sensemaking activities to qualitative social science methods in order to deepen translational research efforts. This paper contributes to the discussion regarding methods designers can employ to strengthen hypothesis building when working with qualitative data by demonstrating the use of visual tools available in Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) software. The paper outlines steps in the initial analysis process for a research project investigating the relationship between collaborative professional practices and design outcomes. The pilot data were analyzed in MAXQDA to conduct thematic analysis with codes developed inductively and added to a deductive organizing framework. The Visual Tools, including MaxMaps and the Code Matrix Browser, were employed to build visualizations that identified emerging thematic relationships, and to develop and refine hypotheses. This paper argues that visual tools available in CAQDAS software position designers to build on their disciplinary expertise to more meaningfully contribute to research methods that seek to improve the built environment.