- Let's continue our discussion of design research
by considering how it can impact that way you design,
and ultimately what your own solution will be.
Research can have a great impact on your process,
and process, in turn, has a great effect on
how and what you design.
Here are some of the questions I'd like you
to ask yourself about your design process.
I'll answer them as well.
Do you approach every problem with the utmost confidence?
No, in fact, if I'm being honest with myself,
most of the problems I work on intimidate me to some extent.
My confidence comes from an understanding of the problem,
and without that, my designs suffer.
I'm still haunted by one particular job I worked on,
a website I designed for a bridal shoes company.
Not knowing anything about brides
or the customers who shopped at the store,
I made a series of uneducated decisions
and ended up creating a solution that,
frankly, I wish I could forget.
Do you follow the same exact design process
no matter what the project is?
Sometimes.
It's an easy trap to fall into.
As a working designer with tight deadlines,
I've caught myself doing this already.
Unless you're working to a closely related problem,
following the same process can lead
to a lot of incorrect decisions.
Do you struggle to brainstorm a wide range of ideas?
Sure, all the time, especially when I know nothing
about what or whom I'm designing for.
Can you validate your creative decisions?
Well, if you ask me why was the bridal shoes website pink,
I would've said I'm not really sure.
Girls like pink?
If you answered similar to me for any of those questions,
don't worry, you're in good company.
Most designers I know have had
similar experiences at some point.
The good news is design research can help.
One of my favorite books right now
is "The Strategic Designer."
David Holston says in his opening chapter
that the new designer must possess
the following four qualities.
They must embrace complexity.
We're stepping out of the role of maker
and becoming problem solvers.
They must be collaborative.
You're co-creators with multiple disciplines
of designers and professionals.
They must design in context.
We provide solutions that meet
the business needs of the client and the users' needs.
They must be accountable.
We are responsible for the value of our designs.
So if we think about these qualities
and the questions I asked you about your design process,
we can start to see the positive effects
research can have for you.
First, it allows you to work less from your assumptions
and more from a context-based knowledge.
We've talked about context already.
It's the understanding of the user
and the environment they interact in.
It's easy to trick yourself into believing
you understand context.
I did it as a young designer with the bridal shoes website,
but the truth is assumptions are assumptions.
Without some degree of accurate information,
your solution will be nothing more than a best guess.
Second and closely related, research helps you
get past following the same path on every project.
Work can become routine
and it's easy to get situated in solving every problem
in the same exact way.
But every problem is different.
Research can help your process evolve
and change with each problem.
Your solutions will be better
and your work will feel less routine.
Design research also helps you become a collaborator.
We no longer sit at a desk and work by ourselves.
Complex problems require more diverse teams,
and design is becoming part of the conversation
much earlier in the process of defining a problem.
Now teams of designers work with engineers,
psychologists, scientists, research specialists,
and other design disciplines.
Design research provdies a common platform
for all of these interdisciplinary teams
to come together and work on a project.
So again, how does this affect you?
Get beyond creating the typical solution
for the typical problem.
Design with an understanding of context,
focus more on their user and their experiences
with what you're designing.
Support and validate your decisions
through actual evidence,
not your own or others' subjective thinking.
Broaden your capabilities by becoming a strategist
and collaborate with other disciplines.
These skills are going to help take you into
the next generation of our profession.