Research Methodologies Reading No.2

Investigating Design: A Review of Forty Years of Design Research

by Nigan Bayazi

Design research is systematic inquiry whose goal is knowledge of, or in, the embodiment of configuration, composition, structure, purpose, value, and meaning in man-made things

and systems.” 1

Design research tries to answer the obligations of design to the humanities:

1. Design research is concerned with the physical embodiment

of man-made things, how these things perform their jobs,

and how they work.

2. Design research is concerned with construction as a human

activity, how designers work, how they think, and how they

carry out design activity.

3. Design research is concerned with what is achieved at the

end of a purposeful design activity, how an artificial thing

appears, and what it means.

4. Design research is concerned with the embodiment of

configurations.

5. Design research is a systematic search and acquisition of

knowledge related to design and design activity.

The objectives of design research are the study, research, and investigation

First Generation

-During the 1960s, it became evident that designers no longer could rely solely on their ability to focus upon the product as the center of a design task.

- The methods were very simple

-Design methods people were looking at rational methods of incorporating scientific techniques and knowledge into the design process to make rational decisions to adapt to the prevailing values, something that was not always easy to achieve.

-People like Churchman had warned at least eight or ten years

earlier of the consequences of the illegitimate simplifications of the

first generation design techniques.

Second Generation

-These second-generation design methods began

to compensate for the inadequacy of the first-generation design

methods. User involvement in design decisions and the identification

of their objectives were the main characteristics of the second-

generation design methods.

“All design research reports are related to the history or past activity of the subject area under study. Studies of the present are part of the past because every research report has to prove its roots in the past.”

Method Designing: The Paradox of Modern Design Education

Jessica Helfand

“…it was all about a kind of stripped-down emotional honesty. If you could achieve this honesty, your performance would resonate with a kind of pitch-perfect humanity and you had a far better chance of truly engaging your audience as a result.”

You cannot make your work understood only by yourself. Graphic Design is meant to be about communication and you cannot just communicate to yourself.

The Problem: The Heart of the Research Process

Paul D. Leedy

Leedy is discussing how to pick a thesis topic:

-Should not be a ruse for self enlightenment.

-Should not be picking this topic just to fill a gap in your knowledge

-You cannot compare two sets of data

-Yes or No questions are not suitable research questions

Finding a Legitimate Problem:

-Look around you: Questions need to be answered

-Read the literature

-Attend the professional conferences

-Seek the Advice of Experts

-Choose a topic that intrigues and motivates you

Stating Research Problem:

-State problem clearly and concisely: Anyone should be able to read it

-How feasible is the project

-Say what you mean

-Edit Your work