Design Investigations

With the growing demand in industry for design research practitioners, Liz Sanders and I see a compelling case for offering specialized research courses in undergrad industrial design programs, and we thought we would share how the Ohio State University and Art Center programs are doing this.

Stepping beyond problem finding to problem framing and the need to eliminate bias on the part of designers and clients — these are big topics in the world of research. But are they in industry? While techniques on their own won’t eliminate bias and properly frame the problem, it is necessary to address these issues.

Bad research is everywhere. Good research is difficult. How can we prepare designers to gather insights that are beyond the obvious, that lead to opportunities for breakthrough design? We need to accurately determine what people want, need, and experience, to understand the constraints of the problem. The quality of the research determines the caliber of the knowledge, and ultimately, the excellence of the design solution. This overview presents a framework for understanding effective qualitative research methodologies, making the bewildering array of approaches understandable and accessible to product designers.

Preface to the Proceedings from the 2006 Eastman/IDSA National Education Conference. Design moves from service to strategy, the BID is the new liberal arts degree, and other observations.

An article based on an interview with Eva Zeisel for Innovation magazine, Spring 1998

A booklet containing a very personal memoir of my trip with Sara Little Turnbull to meet with Eva Zeisel. Presented at the IDSA National Education Conference, 1996.