Introduction

Introduction What is this book about? Who should read this book? Why do you need this book? How to use this book Where to find more information 1 2 3 3 4 5 Content 5 Limitations 8 Summary 9 Chapter Objectives This chapter will help you to better understand: • How this book can help you learn more about research in design • How to use this book • Where you can find more resources on other research methods • The contents of this book and its limitations The field of design is now entrusted with solving complex and impactful challenges across all social and economic sectors. But in order to make meaningful contributions, designers first need to learn to ask the right questions in order to identify what the real problems are. They also need to learn how to con duct research in order to resolve these problems. In the process, learning to navigate through a range of cross-disciplinary issues in order to understand the broader socio-cultural, political or environmental impact of their work is necessary. Designers aspire to deliver new and innovative solutions to existing problems, or at least to transform less preferred solutions to more desirable ones. While some of the problems that designers try to address are evi dent, others still need to be detected. In either case, designers need to demonstrate new levels of understanding SAGE watermarked proofs 01_MURATOVSKI_CH_ 1 15-Nov-21 10:44:00 AM RESEARCH FOR DESIGNERS of what these problems are before they begin to develop solutions. This is a process that always begins with a basic question: What is it that we want to resolve? The answer to this question is rarely straightforward and pursuing it can be best described as a journey through the field of knowledge. This investigative process leads designers not only through the creative industries – where they often look for inspiration – but also through other disciplines where they will need to look for existing knowledge in order to make informed decisions. Once the problem is identified and placed within a given context, the search for gaps in this knowledge and possible resolutions continues. Once this information is gathered, a process of analysis and interpretations begins – and only then should design interventions and solutions follow. Large and complex design projects tend to transcend disciplinary boundaries and require involvement of teams of diverse experts. In such cases, designers may be required to assemble and lead cross-disciplinary teams, become experts in areas that they never worked in before, and develop briefs and reports on behalf of their clients. In order to do so, designers will need to demonstrate management and leadership skills that con stantly challenge the limits of the profession itself. This is a lengthy process that may span across one’s entire career and requires a new kind of education and ongoing professional development. This book can provide some help with that. Below I will explain the aims and the objectives of this book and the nature of the intended audience. In addition to this, I will delineate the content of the book – chapter by chapter – and outline the book’s limitations. What is this book about? As the title says, this book is a guide to research for designers. The purpose of the book is to introduce design ers and emerging design researchers to some fundamental research approaches. The book is written under the premise of cross-disciplinary design research and education, which means that I will introduce a range of perspectives on using research within this context. However, I will make no attempt to provide an encyclopaedic or comprehensive collection of all available research methods and research practices out there. I will not venture into highly complex, exper imental or advanced research practices either. Instead, I will mainly focus on introducing some of the most commonly used research approaches in design. As you continue reading this book further, please remember that this book is primarily meant for audiences who are new to research. But regardless of this, I am confident that many experienced designers and researchers will also find this book to be interesting, practical, and informative. If you are a beginning researcher, this book will provide you with information on how to embark on a research path, how to develop a research question, how to select appropriate research methods, how to com municate your research to the relevant stakeholders, and how to convert your research into a professional design brief that will lead to an effective design solution. If you are a seasoned researcher, professional designer, or a senior academic, this book can also provide you with a set of practical applications and insights into the future of the field of design. 2 SAGE watermarked proofs 01_MURATOVSKI_CH_ 2 15-Nov-21 10:44:00 AM INTRODUCTION Who should read this book? Due to its academic complexity and unfamiliar terminology, studying research methods and methodologies can be one of the most challenging areas for designers that embark on a research path. Most of the existing literature is aimed at senior academics, and both students and professional designers often find this type of literature perplexing and difficult to understand. Most academic books on these topics serve as a barrier, instead of a point of entry for individuals who are interested to embark on a research journey. Therefore, the content of this book and the writing style is somewhat different. For a start, the book is not exclusively aimed at senior academics and experienced researchers, but it doesn’t exclude them as readers either. Perhaps the most suitable audience for this book would be design students enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate courses on research methods and methodologies; emerging researchers such as PhD students; and early and mid-level career researchers. However, design professionals interested in applying research to their practice are most welcome and particularly encouraged to read this book. Why do you need this book? Above all, learning how to do research is a lifelong skill that helps people advance their critical thinking abilities. Also, research is a major component in many university-based design programmes and large organizations. In addition to teaching design methods, many design schools increasingly teach research methods in order to help emerging designers make informed design decisions, or help them understand their field better. High performing industries are also driven by research. However, it has to be noted that when it comes to design practice, research is not always used as a strategic resource. For example, studio-based designers rarely engage with research in a way in which this book will describe research, but many corporate designers and design con sultants do – and the need for professional designers who understand how research is conducted and applied is now increasing. Then again, I have to stress that this book is not concerned with the process of making – which is often examined in the study of design methods. Rather, this book is concerned with the process of (design) thinking – a subject matter often represented in the study of research methods. The relationship between design and research is a broad field of enquiry and there are many different ways in which one can examine this field. That being said, there are many divergent views on design and research, and these views may vary from school to school, between design areas, and between design academics and design professionals. Design research is also recognized as an area of its own and this covers everything from investigations into practical design applications to strategic planning and theoretical speculations. Academic design research often differs markedly from research that is commonly found in design practice – even though this should not be the case. Unlike practice-based research, which is often self-reflective in nature and is aimed at improving the practice of the individual or the team, academic design research aims to advance, change or challenge the normative body of the design field and to gather a deeper understanding of the field itself. Overall, design research is informed as much by the theory and practice of design as it is by the repository of scholarly work that comes from other fields as well. As such, design researchers are often attempting to create a balance