Design Better By Conducting The Right Kinds Of Research

Reliably good design requires conducting research. Why? Because to make good decisions throughout the design process, you need inputs from research to ensure you are designing the experience right and designing the right experience. Otherwise, you risk creating experiences that people can’t use or don’t even need or want in the first place. But much like design, research is not a single activity. Doing it well requires a sequenced process supported by flexing between a variety of activities — from broad discovery research to detailed monitoring. This report explains the four types of research you need to do to guide your design efforts — discovery, descriptive, evaluative, and monitoring — and how.