Our goal is getting good work into the world. Academic research is successful when it uncovers new knowledge, but we’re not talking about academic research. While learning new stuff is great, the most important function of research is not necessarily to learn new stuff. Even people who think research is an important part of a balanced design project often think it’s important for not entirely the right reasons.
And in order to convince them, you need to know. First, know why it’s necessary.Ĭlients need to know why research is essential to their project. To someone in charge, the true cost of research is the risk of losing control. It means admitting you don’t have all the answers. Galileo didn’t get thrown in prison for being wrong.Īllowing a designer to do research means opening assumptions up to scrutiny. And asking questions about how the world works threatens established authority.
Research is simply asking questions about how the world works. Clients are willing to pay for design and technology, sometimes adequately - but, the story goes, they balk at yielding even a fraction of their budget to gather the information needed to design and build the right things in the right way. Every time I talk with other designers about research, someone asks this question.
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