designresearch

Design research is a field that studies how design processes, artifacts, and environments address human needs. It encompasses methods for generating new knowledge to inform design practice and to evaluate design outcomes. It spans disciplines such as human-computer interaction, architecture, industrial design, interaction design, service design, and anthropology.

Approaches include both empirical methods (field studies, usability testing, surveys, and experiments) and interpretive methods (ethnography, cultural probes, and narrative inquiry). It often involves studying users, contexts, materials, and technologies to understand requirements, constraints, and opportunities. Design research can produce artifacts such as design guidelines, models, prototypes, and evidence-based recommendations.

The design research process typically includes framing a research question, selecting a method, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating findings to stakeholders. It may be integrated into design projects iteratively, with insights guiding ideation and evaluation. Types of design research include generative research to explore opportunities and needs, evaluative research to assess ideas and prototypes, and speculative or future-oriented research to imagine new possibilities.

Participatory and co-design practices involve stakeholders in the research and design process to ensure relevance and legitimacy. Ethics, reflexivity, and rigor are important, with emphasis on transparency about methods, limitations, and potential biases.

Design research outputs can influence product strategy, policy, and service design, as well as contribute to academic knowledge through publications and case studies. It remains a dynamic field as technology, society, and contexts evolve.