Design Process: 'What is Research?' and 'The Process of Doing Research'

Going beyond your comfort zone

"Process is more Important than Outcome"

- 'Incomplete Manifesto for Growth' (2006) by Bruce Mau Design Inc.

Building on the confidence of getting it wrong

Intuitive Approach- Thought process base don own knowledge and perceptions systematic approach subconsciously

Stimulated Approach- Finding inspiration for an external resource

Systematic Approach- Systematic Collection and Modification of Components, Characteristics and Components- Structuring and Re-structuring, Enlarging and Reducing, Combining and Subtracting

4 Stages of Research:

Phase 1- Assimilation

Accumulation and Ordering of General Information and Information related to the specific problem at hand

Phase 2- General Study

Investigation to the nature of the problem

Investigation of possible solutions

Phase 3- Development

Development and Refinement of 1 or 2 solutions

Phase 4- Communication

Communication of 1 or more solutions to people inside or outside the design team

OR

Phase 1- Analysis

What's the problem?

Materials?

Functions?

What do I need to know?

What already exists?

Phase 2- Research

How many ideas?

Phase 3- Evaluation

What fulfils the brief?

What looks the best?

What the client prefers?

Phase 4- Solution

Usually a compromise- feasible, affordable, skills, materials

Make sure its accessible to feedback/Crit

Be prepared to go back to Analysis and Research

Research is- finding out by asking the questions, How? Why? What If?

Research involves collecting information about a subject from a variety of sources including Books, Journals and the Internet

OR

By Collecting and experimenting- It is a process that is done by using what is already known

Types of Research:

Primary- Developed and Collected

Secondary- Generation of Research collected at an earlier time

Quantitive- Facts, Figures, Statistics, Data, Measurements

Qualitative- Non- Numerical- Interviews, Documentaries, Subjective Response-How we percieve the world

Information is the result of collecting and organising data

Data is used to create meaning

Any communication or representation of knowledge

Information should be sufficient, competent, relevant and useful

- Fulfils assessable outcomes

- Essentials for Informed ideas and Solutions

- Toolbox of Opinions, Practical Skills and Specialist Knowledge

- You get paid for it 

Within our 'How To...' Groups, we had to use the research we had collected to evaluate it.

Group Sheet

10 Reasons why Research is an important practise and why it is effective:

1. Helps give you an informed opinion on the subject matter
2. Helps you discover new directions in solving new problems
3. It drives your motivation to solve the issue, the more you know about it
4. It sets standards on previous projects where you have tried to solve a similar issue
5. It helps you to understand and engage with the audience your aiming at
6. Body of research helps inspire and develop ideas
7. It can push your work into new directions
8. It can highlight restrictions or obstacles in a brief before the design process starts
9. It can help determine the value of the end product being developed
10. It can assist the planning, development process and time management
11. Research helps narrow down your focus into a particular route via development

10 research methods to effectively generate a breadth of source material:

1. Go to the library to find relevant publications
2. Get up-to-date information on a daily basis on current topics by reading broadsheets
3. Conducting Interviews to collect first hand information
4. Going to lectures to develop an understanding on a subject matter in an academic setting
5. Exploring exhibitions and shops to research current trends/ competition/ inspiration 
6. By visiting retail environments to research whereabouts your product will be used
7. Primary Source Photography to gain a visual stimulus to the world around you
8. Perform surveys and questionnaires to gather public opinion, facts and statistics on the subject matter
9. Attend events to get first hand experience in the relevant market/ subject area
10. Watching Films/ Documentaries/ TV Shows to get a better understanding in a visual way 

Then, as a class, we came up with a list of research methods we could use:

1. Visiting exhibitions to identify trends, competition and influence
2. Setting up focus groups to gain feedback on final outcomes and products
3. Questionnaires to gather facts, figures and opinions
4. Interviewing Specialists and Professionals 
5. Experimenting with media or production
6. Reading design publications/ Viewing design blogs
7. Observations of Real Life, The Universe and Everything
8. Photographing People's behaviour/ Architecture/ Documentation
9. Collecting current or historical examples
10. Watching a film/ TV show/ documentation
11. Market Research into the context

Material Gathered from research methods as a class:

1. Quotes
2. Opinions
3. Statements
4. Knowledge
5. Facts
6. Statistics
7. Feedback
8. Documents
9. Analysis
10. Visual Material
11. Information? (Only when data becomes useful)
12. Data
13. Examples
14. Samples

As a group, we needed to list how much source material we have gathered and how many methods we have used:

1. Produced Questionnaires 
2. Took Primary Source Photographs
3. Notes from Publications
4. Observational Source Material
5. Found relevant websites 

• Watching Documentaries
• Photographing People's Behaviour
• Collecting Current Examples
• Questionnaires
• Observations of Real Life

Then we needed to list 10 ways of improvement as a group to research processes and end product:

Group Sheet

1. More physical, Going out to get research
2. More visual watching
3. Inclusion of Market Research/ Going out to see other available products
4. Interviewing members of the public in order to determine their views on the subject matter (Target Market)
5. Continuous gathering of feedback in order to improve the eventual final outcome
6. More experimentation of media and development of production choices and stock (needs consideration)
7. Splitting up and delegating specific areas to specific people to cover the subject matter in more detail
8. Needing to have more variation in regards to the types of research processes done
9. Looking at specialist publications for more in-depth research
10. Need to put the possible end product into a physical context

A List of things that will prevent you from researching:

Group Sheet

• Time Management and Prioritising- having to juggle several briefs at once
• Not knowing where to start
• Geography- Restrictive time scale

A List of How would you deal with them:

• Do the least time consuming first or the one with the nearest deadline first
• Plan out time
• Create initial assimilation and go from any questions that arise