The Designer's Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design PDF
Preview The Designer's Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design
THE DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO DOING RESEARCH T HE DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO DOING RESEARCH Applying Knowledge to Inform Design | SALLY AUGUSTIN CINDY COLEMAN John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record- ing, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Pub- lisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copy- right Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978–750–8400, fax 978–646–8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201–748–6011, fax 201–748–6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi- cally disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular pur- pose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situ- ation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, includ- ing but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information on our other products and services, or technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at 800–762–2974, out- side the United States at 317–572–3993 or fax 317–572–4002. Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http:// booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com Library of Congress CataLoging-in-PubLiCation Data: Augustin, Sally. The designer’s guide to doing research : applying knowledge to Inform Design / Sally Augustin, Cindy Coleman. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-60173-0 (cloth : alk. paper); 978-1-118-09961-2 (ebk.); 978-1-118-09962-9 (ebk.); 978-1-118-10378-4 (ebk.); 978-1-118-10379-1 (ebk.); 978-1-118-10380-7 (ebk.) 1. Architectural design—Research. I. Coleman, Cindy. II. Title. III. Title: Applying knowledge in practice for design excellence. NA2750.A94 2012 720.72—dc22 2011010961 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS CONTENTS Foreword Foreword: The Necessity for Research vii Chapter 2 Researching: Context, Process, General Acknowledgments ix Concepts 19 The Necessity for Research vii Introduction: Before You Do Design Research xi Economic Context of Design and Research 19 Research versus Insight xiii Design Process 22 Introduction The Research/Design Relationship xiv Research Process 23 Why This Book? xv “Good” Research 25 Why Research? xvii Before You Do Design Research xi Owning the Information 29 Design as Research xviii Research versus Insight xi Planning and Organizing a Project-Specific Knowing xxii The Research/Design Relationship xii Comprehensive Research Plan 30 Thinking and Knowing xxvi Why This Book? xiii Overview of Types of Research 32 A Scientific Method xxix Why Research? xv Differences in Types of Research: Asking the Right Questions xxx Design as Research xvi Applied or Theoretical 33 Knowing xx Comparing Research Tools 34 Chapter 1 Design Research and Its Influence on the Thinking and Knowing xxiv Merits of Using Several Different Research Practice of Design 1 A Scientific Method xxvii Tools to Answer Any Research Generalizing Design Thinking 1 Question 40 Asking the Right Questions xxviii Design Research as a Means for Core Concepts 40 Attraction and Retention 3 Endnotes 42 Chapter 1 Design Research as a Means for Social Reform 3 Chapter 3 What to Learn 43 Design Research and Its Influence on the Practice of Design 1 Design Research as a Response to Informing Design-Related Change 43 Generalizing Design Thinking 1 the Need for Design Speed 3 Design-Project-Based Information Design Research as a Means for Attraction and Retention Design Research to Build a Sustainable Gathering 46 Design Research as a Means for Social Reform 3 Knowledge Base 4 Social-Science-Based Information Design Research as a Response to the Need for Design Research to Gain Understanding of Needs 51 Cultural Distinctions 5 Design Research to Build a Sustainable Knowledge Base Core Concepts 77 Design Research as a Source of Value 6 Endnotes 78 Core Concepts 6 Design Research as a Source of Value 6 Endnotes 7 Core Concepts 6 Chapter 4 The Goals of Project Initiation 81 A Story of Practice: Making the Implicit A Story of Practice: Making the Implicit Explicit 8 Research for Competitive Advantage 81 Explicit 8 Secondary Information 84 Chapter 2 v Peer-Reviewed Studies 87 Observation 199 Literature Reviews 88 Space Syntax 217 Within-Firm Archival Research 100 Social Network Analysis 218 Experience Sampling Method 100 Discussion Groups 218 Design Charettes 109 Space Simulation 228 Endnotes 113 Experiments 232 A Story of Practice: A Research-Based A Story of Practice: Schematic Marketing Strategy 114 Design 236 A Story of Practice: Design Chapter 5 The Goals of Investigation 125 Development 244 Research as a Process of Discovering a Endnotes 266 Client’s Needs 125 Interviews 127 Chapter 7 The Goals of Implementation 255 Cognitive Mapping 142 How Research Informs the Post-Occupancy Repertory Grid 144 Evaluation (POE) 255 Annotated Plans 147 Post-Occupancy Evaluations 257 Content Analysis—Verbal Case Studies 262 Material 148 Content Analysis—Visual 152 A Story of Practice: Post-Occupancy Evaluation 267 Surveys 156 Endnotes 290 Public Parks Survey 173 Endnotes 176 Chapter 8 How to Maintain and Access Research Findings 283 A Story of Practice: It Starts with Programming 177 Raw Resources 285 Organizational System 287 Additional Considerations 288 Chapter 6 The Goals of Integration in Schematic Design 189 Core Concepts 289 Endnote 292 How Research Informs the Schematic Design Process 189 Research Shapes Refining the Design Conclusion: Doing Design Research 291 Strategy 191 Additional Sources of Information for Geographic Information Systems Design Researchers 293 (GIS) 193 Behavior Mapping 196 Index 295 vi FOREWORD The Necessity for Research THE HALLMARK OF A VITAL PROFESSION is its body of knowledge. In law, it’s clearly defined as precedent, found in the great tomes and used, daily, by attorneys. In science, practitioners admit freely that they “stand on the shoulders of giants.” Those employed in the many subsets of the physical and behavioral sciences build their work on the findings of those who came before them, those who work next to them, and those who toil, simultaneously, in competing institutions. Although much of this body of knowledge is gleaned in the course of everyday practice, such opportunistic research is not enough to keep the professions at their cutting edge. It is the deep dives and the intense focus on confounding problems that lift each profession to its highest level of performance and increase the value of its contributions to the growth of human intelligence and betterment of the human condition. In an age of climate change, global materials shortages, aging popula- tions, technological sophistication, and a worldwide web of connections between people and ideas, the design professions—those best equipped to shape the built environment—are searching for ways to fine-tune their responses to these complex issues. The well-being of humanity and the Earth that supports all living things is at stake. This is a big assignment; it requires a collaborative approach to problem solving. This complex problem solving needs many different professionals, each at the top of his or her game, to bring their unique skills and extensive knowledge to the table. Clearly, architects and interior designers, whose work comes in close con- tact with our bodily and emotional needs, are essential participants in this growing and evolving public dialogue. They stand to make significant contri- butions to human well-being everywhere, to every culture and every economic group, not simply to well-funded institutions, multinational corporations, and wealthy home owners. The prospect of this new clientele predicts a broaden- ing of the designer’s work options, even as it calls for a new understanding of this uniquely varied population. At the same time, the profession’s fine- grained sensibilities, once defined by such skills as choosing colors, textures, and styles, as well as devising spatial adjacencies and lighting schemes— those things that continue to humanize our most intimate surroundings—need to be refined, expanded, and redefined. Material toxicities, energy performances, and emotional connectivity are only a few challenges faced by architects and interior designers today. How vii should they dive into these topics while carrying on the duties of a midstream career? How can they understand problems that were, by and large, previously ignored by the professions? What tools are needed to bring today’s spatial designers up to the high level of performance expected of them? Research is a good place to start. Research can become the solid cornerstone of the profession. The pro- cesses and approaches defined in this book are a strong beginning. But, like any worthwhile beginning, this moment, defined so skillfully by the authors, must grow and evolve if the profession and the world at large are to reap its full benefits. Starting with the familiar, on-the-job research, a habit of relentless inquiry needs to be learned. Its clearly defined goal is to build a solid body of knowledge, a foundation on which future research will be based. This kind of information collection and analysis will be at its most powerful when the pro- fessions, as a whole, share their findings through publications and educational programs with ever-growing audiences. At the same time, practical knowl- edge accrued within firms must be shared freely, through available tech- nologies and the many ways we are learning to use face time. Added to this effort, the professions must engage relevant specialists such as biologists and behavioral scientists in original research on human interaction with the inte- rior environment and how our interiors connect to nature and the surrounding built environment. We intuitively know that it’s all connected, that it’s all part of a great system. The research will prove the hypothesis. So, start here and start now. It’s the beginning of a wonderful, produc- tive journey in laying a solid foundation for the twenty-first-century design practice. That foundation will make your work indispensable. Your embed- ded knowledge will make you a valued member of any team. And your con- tribution to the body of human knowledge will be noted, celebrated, and appreciated by those who are fortunate enough to occupy the spaces you’ll be designing. — SuSan S. SzenaSy Editor in Chief, Metropolis magazine viii The Necessity for Research
Description:The list of books you might like
