Comments on: Question Of The Week #14 Research

By: Lilian

Lilian — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:21:37 +0000

Research is sometimes the only part of my process. Without it I would not create meaningful designs. Then again, I have never had the opportunity to design for clients and I do not consider myself a typical designer. I am fascinated by cognitive ability and how we rationalise design within the context of reality – in short, theory. I will not refuse work because my client does not want to invest in research – but I will not be inclined to take the project as seriously.

By: Matt Barnes

Matt Barnes — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:05:43 +0000

Research is hugely important when you’re designing someone’s site. It helps you understand your client’s market, what their customers are seeing when they go out into that market, and how you can differentiate your client from everyone else in that market.

By: John

John — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:28:19 +0000

Research is the Key element in my design process, without it nothing could get started. It’s a bit long and seems to be a bunch of rubbish at times but in the end you can see how it affects your end result. My research method varies with my project. If it’s a branding project I would do both qualitative and quantitative research,although I find the latter is much helpful but at times people may not know what they are talking about and some act differently when they are being observed, “Hawthorne effect.” I could go on but I will stop here.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:01:34 +0000

Research is insanely important. Understanding what you are designing for is half of the battle. I use to find research tedious and boring but as you realize how much it affects your design in a positive way, it becomes the most enjoyable part.

By: Joann Sondy

Joann Sondy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:59:51 +0000

Research, especially industry-related, plays a vital role in my designs. I specialize in B2B vs B2C so I really need to be aware of who the players are in their industry and the markets the company serves. While at the same time, designing marketing material that will be used by senior level management when addressing the investment community. Think presentations CEOs/CFOs give during earnings cycles, investor conferences, media kits.

By: curtismchale

curtismchale — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:58:30 +0000

I typically supply a creative brief for a client that asks them for sites they like and why. It also tries to find the business goals that a new site is trying to accomplish so we can develop how to measure if those goals are achieved.