Thank you Ken and Michael for the kind words on my latest book, Research for Designers. 

As David Durling pointed out in his latest post, evidence-based research is increasingly becoming mainstream and we should point out that this type of research goes beyond ergonomics. 

The role that designers play within the business sector and in society is changing. In order to make meaningful contributions to both, designers will need to learn to ask the right questions in order to identify what the real problems are. They will also need to learn how to conduct research in order to resolve these problems. In the process, they will also need to learn how to navigate through a range of cross-disciplinary issues in order to understand the broader social, cultural or environmental impact of their work. 

By working in increasingly complex environments, contemporary designers aspire to deliver new and innovative solutions to existing problems, or at least to transform less preferred solutions to more desirable ones. While some of the problems that designers try to address are evident, others yet need to be detected. In either case, designers need to demonstrate new levels of understanding of what these problems are before they begin to develop solutions. This is a process that always begins with the question: What is it that we want to resolve? 

The answer to this question is rarely straightforward and pursuing it can be best described as a journey through the field of knowledge. This investigative process leads designers not only through the creative industries—where they often look for inspiration—but also through other disciplines where they will need to look for existing knowledge in order to make informed decisions. Once the problem is identified and placed within a given context, the search for gaps in this knowledge and possible resolutions continues. Once this information is gathered, a process of analysis and interpretations begins—and only then, design solutions should follow. 

Large design projects often transcend disciplinary boundaries and require involvement of teams of diverse experts. In such cases, designers may be required to assemble and lead cross-disciplinary teams and develop briefs on behalf of their clients. Yet in order to do so, designers will need to demonstrate management and leadership skills driven by research that can challenge the limits of what design practice entails. This is a lengthy process that requires a cultural change for many designers used to operating within the constraints of their own discipline alone, but as the field of design evolves, this change is inevitable. 'Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice' offers a simple to use, step-by-step by introduction to some of the most commonly used research methods in design and how can this be applied in practice. 

Interested to learn more?

Visit the publisher’s webpage for more information on the book: 
https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/research-for-designers/book241495 

Read the reviews:
https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/research-for-designers/book241495#reviews

Or, visit my Academia page to download a PDF preview of the book (Contents Page, list of Endorsements, a Foreword by Ken Friedman, and a Preface): 
https://tongji.academia.edu/GjokoMuratovski 

I hope that this book will help demystify evidence-based research and introduce the subject not only to students of design, but also to design professionals. 

The book has been published in London, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Singapore and New Delhi by SAGE Publications. 

—
Dr Gjoko Muratovski PhD, MDes, BA(Des), GradDip(Des) 
 
Senior Manager: School of Art and Design 
Board Member: Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies 
Head of Department: Communication Design 
Director: DESIS Lab 

Auckland University of Technology
School of Art and Design
Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies
WE521 / 27 St Paul Street
Auckland, New Zealand, 1010
Tel: +64 9 921 9999 #8644
Email: [log in to unmask]

Chairman: Design for Business (Melbourne International Design Week)
Area Chairman: Business and Design (PCA Australia and New Zealand)
Editor-in-Chief: Journal of Design, Business & Society (Intellect Journals)
Associate Editor: 设计 She Ji. The Journal of Design, Economics & Innovation (Elsevier)
Guest Associate Professor: College of Design & Innovation (Tongji University)


-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list  <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------