The Designers Guide to Doing ResearchAn essential introduction to applying research for busy architects and designers
The competitive design market and the need to create enduring value place high demands on architects and designers to expand their knowledge base to be able to digest and utilize multiple sources of information. Expected by their clients to be well versed on all aspects of a project, time-constrained architects and designers need quick responses in the face of daily challenges. As a result, these professionals mustmore than everrely on, and apply, readily accessible information culled from sound research to gain a competitive advantage.
The Designers Guide to Doing Researchserves as an introductory guide on the general concepts and processes that define good research. Organized logically with the practical tools necessary to obtain research for all facets of the designers workflow, this book offers:Material written in an accessible format specifically for practitionersReliable content by experienced authorsa noted environmental psychologist and an interior design educator who is also a practitioner and writerTools for planning, executing, and utilizing research presented in an easy-to-follow format along with case studies, sources, and applications
Written for all practices and people concerned with the built environment, from architects and interior designers to facility managers, landscape architects, and urban planners, this book serves as an invaluable starting point for gathering and implementing research effectively.
SALLY AUGUSTIN, PHD, is a practicing environmental psychologist, a principal at Design with Science, and the editor of ResearchDesign Connections. She is regularly invited to speak at schools, research institutions, conferences, and on National Public Radio. Sally is the author ofPlace Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley). Learn more about using environmental psychology at Sallys websites, www.placecoach.com (for residential applications), www.designwithscience.com (for commercial applications), and www.researchdesignconnections.com.
CINDY COLEMAN is a design strategist with Gensler and the editor of theInterior Design Handbook of Professional Practice (published byInterior Design magazine and McGraw-Hill). She is an assistant professor in the Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a contributing editor to bothInterior Design magazine and the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) journal,Chicago Architect.
Foreword: The Necessity for Research vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Before You Do Design Research xi
Research versus Insight xiii
The Research/Design Relationship xiv
Why This Book? xv
Why Research? xvii
Design as Research xviii
Knowing xxii
Thinking and Knowing xxvi
A Scientific Method xxix
Asking the Right Questions xxx
Chapter 1 Design Research and Its Influence on the Practice of Design 1
Generalizing Design Thinking 1
Design Research as a Means for Attraction and Retention 3
Design Research as a Means for Social Reform 3
Design Research as a Response to the Need for Design Speed 3
Design Research to Build a Sustainable Knowledge Base 4
Design Research to Gain Understanding of Cultural Distinctions 5
Design Research as a Source of Value 6
Core Concepts 6
Endnotes 7
A Story of Practice: Making the Implicit Explicit 8
Chapter 2 Researching: Context, Process, General Concepts 19
Economic Context of Design and Research 19
Design Process 22
Research Process 23
Good Research 25
Owning the Information 29
Planning and Organizing a Project-Specific Comprehensive Research Plan 30
Overview of Types of Research 32
Differences in Types of Research: Applied or Theoretical 33
Comparing Research Tools 34
Merits of Using Several Different Research Tools to Answer Any Research Question 40
Core Concepts 40
Endnotes 42
Chapter 3 What to Learn 43
Informing Design-Related Change 43
Design-Project-Based Information Gathering 46
Social-Science-Based Information Needs 51
Core Concepts 77
Endnotes 78
Chapter 4 The Goals of Project Initiation 81
Research for Competitive Advantage 81
Secondary Information 84
Peer-Reviewed Studies 87
Literature Reviews 88
Within-Firm Archival Research 100
Experience Sampling Method 100
Design Charettes 109
Endnotes 113
A Story of Practice: A Research-Based Marketing Strategy 114
Chapter 5 The Goals of Investigation 125
Research as a Process of Discovering a Clients Needs 125
Interviews 127
Cognitive Mapping 142
Repertory Grid 144
Annotated Plans 147
Content AnalysisVerbal Material 148
Content AnalysisVisual 152
Surveys 156
Public Parks Survey 173
Endnotes 176
A Story of Practice: It Starts with Programming 177
Chapter 6 The Goals of Integration in Schematic Design 189
How Research Informs the Schematic Design Process 189
Research Shapes Refining the Design Strategy 191
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 193
Behavior Mapping 196
Observation 199
Space Syntax 217
Social Network Analysis 218
Discussion Groups 218
Space Simulation 228
Experiments 232
A Story of Practice: Schematic Design 236
A Story of Practice: Design Development 244
Endnotes 266
Chapter 7 The Goals of Implementation 255
How Research Informs the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) 255
Post-Occupancy Evaluations 257
Case Studies 262
A Story of Practice: Post-Occupancy Evaluation 267
Endnotes 290
Chapter 8 How to Maintain and Access Research Findings 283
Raw Resources 285
Organizational System 287
Additional Considerations 288
Core Concepts 289
Endnote 292
Conclusion: Doing Design Research291
Additional Sources of Information for Design Researchers293
Index 295
