Design Research Reading Responses

Design Research talks about the importance of researching the needs of the people that they're designing for. The idea of mass market design no longer works in todays market. People today expect more customized experiences and choices tailored to their needs. Society values diversity and individuality very much. Because of this people today expect more choices but this also means that there is much more work for designers. The power of the consumer is king now. People expect to be heard and make their opinons known with their wallets. This is why its so important that we as designers do our research and make sure the designs that we put out into the world are well thought out and effective. 

Qualitative design research is quite controversial method because of the debate of when its the proper method to use. Christopher Ireland really enjoyed practicing a dedicated idea of qualitative research. He enjoyed making the effort and the results of really digging into the lives of the people that the project is designing for. Unknown to him the idea he had was shared and growing around the country. 

Tim Plowman, talks about how ethnography and anthropology comes into play. Using the study of human behavior and how people experience a product or service. The imponderabilia being the perspective of the view of the people that we're researching and living and existing with them experiencing what they've experienced. Urban Ethnography uses a small sample of people as a representation of the whole. The use of ethnography in design traces some of its roots historically back to early Futurism, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus. Some German and Swiss firms both utilized social and scientifically based research into their methods at a time when it wasn't so common. Richard Wentworth's photographically documented research regarding the re-purposed objects to suit another need is a fascinating idea. Victor Margolin makes the argument that there needs to be a deeper assessment of the relationship between products and how people construct ideals of human happiness. Using this research he believes that innovation can be created to better support human well being and finding a new need for a product.