Design research
Researches with people and in their context to understand their reality, question assumptions and inspire solutions, and then makes sense of what was found.
What it deals with
Designing from what the team believes, rather than from what people experience, leads to solutions no one needs. Researching early, when changing course is still cheap, reduces that risk.
Principles
Understand before proposing
People’s reality first, ideas after.
Look at what they do, not just what they say
Observing in context reveals what goes unsaid.
Combine sources
Cross-check methods, people and data so you don’t depend on just one.
Make sense
Data doesn’t decide on its own: it has to be interpreted and turned into findings that are useful for design.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Start every project with clear research questions and talk to real people as soon as possible.
Avoid
Using research to confirm what you had already decided.
Don’t fall for it
Share what you learn with the whole team throughout the project, not only in a report at the end.
Especialidades
UX research
Studies the people who use a digital product to decide what to design and check whether it works.
ResearchOps
Organizes what research at scale needs: participants, tools, permissions and what was learned.
Concepts
- ConceptSay vs. doWhat people say about their behavior does not always match what they do.
- ConceptQualitative and quantitative researchOne explains why things happen; the other, how much and to how many. They complement each other.
- ConceptData saturationThe point where new interviews barely add new themes.
- ConceptDesign synthesisOrganizing, grouping, and interpreting research until patterns and opportunities emerge.
- ConceptInsightA new interpretation about people, based on what was observed, that opens design opportunities.
- ConceptTriangulationCross-checking several sources, methods, or perspectives to confirm what was found.
Methods and tools
- ApproachDesign thinkingTackling open problems the way design does: understanding people, ideating and prototyping.
- ApproachHuman-centered designDesigning from the needs, context and participation of the people who will use something.
- ApproachResearch through designResearching by designing: prototypes are used to generate knowledge, not just products.
- MethodJourney mapA map of a person's path through a service, with what they do, use and feel at each step.
- MethodPersonasResearch-based characters that represent groups of users and their goals.
- MethodSurveyThe same questions to many people, to measure how many think or do something.
- MethodA/B testingShowing two versions to random groups and measuring which one works better.
- MethodHow might we…?Turning an insight or a problem into an open question that invites ideas.
- MethodAffinity diagramGrouping research notes by affinity so that themes emerge.
- MethodFive whysAsking “why?” several times in a row until you reach the root cause of a problem.
- ArtifactDesign principlesA few rules, born from research, that guide every decision in a project.
- MethodIn-depth interviewA long, open conversation with one person to understand their experiences and motives.
- MethodSystem Usability Scale (SUS)A ten-statement questionnaire that gives a 0 to 100 score for how easy something is to use.
- MethodFocus groupA moderated conversation with a small group to learn their opinions and how they influence each other.
- MethodGenerative toolsMaterials for people to make something, such as a collage, and express what is hard to put into words.
- MethodContextual inquiryObserving and asking people questions while they do their work, in their own setting.
- MethodShadowingFollowing a person like their shadow for a while to observe what they do.
- MethodUsability testingWatching real people attempt tasks with the product to find out where they get stuck.
- ProcessDouble DiamondOpen up and narrow down twice: first to find the right problem, then the solution.
- MethodCard sortingAsking people to group cards to understand how they organize information.
Connections
Authors and works
- 1993
Christopher Frayling
Distinguished research into design, through design and for design.
- 2002
Elizabeth Sanders
Proposed studying what people say, do and make, and moving research toward participation.
- 2010
Jon Kolko
Explained synthesis as the step in which research is made sense of.
Sources
Original sources
- Frayling, C. (1993). Research in art and design. Royal College of Art Research Papers, 1(1), 1–5. View source: Frayling, C. (1993)
- Sanders, E. B.-N. (2002). From user-centered to participatory design approaches. In J. Frascara (Ed.), Design and the social sciences: Making connections (pp. 1–8). Taylor & Francis.
- Kolko, J. (2010). Abductive thinking and sensemaking: The drivers of design synthesis. Design Issues, 26(1), 15–28. View source: Kolko, J. (2010)
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