Seven Degrees of Design Research

Whenever desgin and research touch each other it may be happening on one or more of these levels:

Level 1: Research as implicit activity in any design process

The design process is a highly vague and emergent one. Nevertheless it is necessary to base design decisions as much as possible on analysis, research and conclusions. Designers constantly need to work out hypotheses, proof of concepts and test cases — to see if their ideas and approaches could lead to a viable result.

Level 2: Design as means for communication of research

The public interest in research topics and activities has increased. In times where funding is harder to get for some projects, it is clear, that only a good marketing and communication will underline the relevance of a research project.

Level 3: Validation of research results

Design is deeply rooted in daily life experiences. Therefore it is typical for Designers to look at any artefact from a consumers/users point of view. Design establishes a usable version of a new technology and thus offers ways to integrate new technologies into daily life.

Level 4: Transfer of Design Thinking

A lot has been said about something that is called “design thinking”. As a matter of fact the term refers to a creative management style that uses moderation and creativity techniques to facilitate the communication within a design team. On a more academic level “design thinking” may also refer to a different understanding of cognitive biases and misunderstood empiricism.

Level 5: Design research

The most common understanding of “design research” refers to the research interest that looks at design itself.

Level 6: Research horizon and criteria

An ongoing discourse in the design research community is focussing on what needs to be research by designers — and when this research will be succeesful.

Level 7: Evaluation

On a larger scale the evaluation methods need to identify successful research.