A Designer’s Research Manual: Succeed in Design by Knowing Your Clients and Understanding What They Really Need, 2nd Edition

**Good information gives designers a competitive advantage.**Understanding the wishes of a client and the needs and preferences of their audience drives innovation. The ability to gather research, analyze findings, and apply them to project goals is as important to successful design teams as their conceptual and aesthetic skills. This essential handbook will help readers understand what design research is and why it is necessary, outline proven techniques and methods, and explain how to incorporate them into any creative process.__A Designer’s Research Manual__ was one of the first books to apply research practices to the benefit of visual communication designers. This long awaited second edition follows more than a decade of active use by practitioners, design educators, and students around the world. Comprehensively updated, __A Designer's Research Manual__ second edition includes: * Over 25 proven research strategies and tactics * Added content about planning research, analyzing results, and integrating research into the design process * Suggestions for scaling research for any project, timeline, or budget * All new in-depth case studies from industry leaders, outlining strategy and impact * Updated images, illustrations, and visualizations * Quick Tips for rapid integration of research concepts into your practice Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Dedication......Page 4 Table of Contents......Page 5 Introduction: Why This Book?......Page 7 How Do I Use This Book?......Page 8 CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH IN GRAPHIC DESIGN......Page 11 What is Research-Driven Design?......Page 12 What is Person-First Design?......Page 14 Human-Centered Design......Page 15 Expert Voice: Mike Bond......Page 17 Bauhaus Beginnings......Page 19 We’ve Been Watching You......Page 22 Don‘t Tell Me, Show Me......Page 24 User Research......Page 26 Design Strategy......Page 28 Design Creates Value......Page 29 Design + Investment......Page 30 The Design Staircase......Page 32 Quick Tips......Page 34 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH STRATEGIES+TACTICS......Page 35 Quantitative + Qualitative Research......Page 36 Primary + Secondary Research......Page 37 Formative + Summative Research......Page 38 Basic + Applied Research......Page 40 Triangulation......Page 41 Strategy: Literature Review......Page 43 Tactic: Communication Audit......Page 45 Tactic: Competitor Profiling......Page 47 Strategy: Ethnographic Research......Page 49 Tactic: Contextual Inquiry......Page 53 Tactic: Observational Research......Page 55 Tactic: Photo Ethnography......Page 57 Tactic: Self Ethnography......Page 59 Tactic: Unstructured Interviews......Page 61 Tactic: Visual Anthropology......Page 63 Expert Voice: Ashwini Deshpande......Page 65 Strategy: Marketing Research......Page 67 Tactic: Demographics......Page 69 Tactic: Psychographics......Page 70 Tactic: Focus Groups......Page 71 Tactic: Surveys + Questionnaires......Page 73 Strategy: User Experience......Page 75 Tactic: A/B Testing......Page 77 Tactic: Analytics......Page 79 Tactic: Card Sorting......Page 81 Tactic: Eye Tracking......Page 83 Tactic: Paper Prototyping......Page 87 Expert Voice: Jenny Lam......Page 89 Tactic: Personas......Page 91 Strategy: Visual Exploration......Page 93 Tactic: Color Psychology......Page 95 Tactic: Mood Boards......Page 97 Tactic: Sketching......Page 99 Quick Tips......Page 102 CHAPTER 3: PRACTICING A RESEARCH-DRIVEN APPROACH......Page 103 Managing the Design Process: You Need a Plan......Page 104 Iterative Design......Page 106 Design Council‘s Double Diamond Process......Page 108 Information Literacy, The Big6TM + The Super3TM......Page 110 Research Planning......Page 113 KWHL Tables......Page 117 Logic Models......Page 119 Research Analysis......Page 121 Sample Framework to Help Structure......Page 123 Sample Framework to Help Empathize......Page 125 Research Summary Reports and Creative Briefs......Page 127 Research Summary Reports......Page 128 Creative Briefs......Page 129 Expert Voice: Megan Fath......Page 132 Cumulative Documentation......Page 135 Quick Tips......Page 136 CHAPTER 4: PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS......Page 137 Bond & Coyne: AUB Brand Strategy......Page 138 CO:LAB: Asset Promise......Page 143 GFDA: BEAM Brand Strategy......Page 149 Hallmark Creative: Studio Ink......Page 155 IBM Design: IBM Design Research......Page 161 Expert Voice: Elizabeth Pastor + GK VanPatter......Page 167 Lippincott: Hyatt Place......Page 169 Red Jotter: Know Sugar......Page 175 Rule29: Wheels4Water......Page 181 The Veterans Experience Office: Enhancing Veterans’ Experiences......Page 187 Willoughby Design: Live Blue......Page 193 Glossary of Terms......Page 199 Bibliography......Page 202 Additional Resources......Page 203 Credits......Page 204 Featured Practitioners......Page 206 J......Page 207 X......Page 208 About the Authors......Page 209 Cover 1 Title 2 Copyright 3 Dedication 4 Table of Contents 5 Introduction: Why This Book? 7 How Do I Use This Book? 8 CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH IN GRAPHIC DESIGN 11 What is Research-Driven Design? 12 What is Person-First Design? 14 Person-First Philosophies 15 User-Centered Design 15 Human-Centered Design 15 Expert Voice: Mike Bond 17 Historical Perspectives 19 Bauhaus Beginnings 19 The Perfect Couple 22 We’ve Been Watching You 22 Don‘t Tell Me, Show Me 24 Emerging Opportunities in Design Research 26 Experience Design 26 User Research 26 Design Strategy 28 Design Creates Value 29 Design + Investment 30 The Design Staircase 32 Quick Tips 34 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH STRATEGIES+TACTICS 35 Big Concepts in Research 36 Quantitative + Qualitative Research 36 Primary + Secondary Research 37 Formative + Summative Research 38 Basic + Applied Research 40 Triangulation 41 Strategy: Literature Review 43 Tactic: Communication Audit 45 Tactic: Competitor Profiling 47 Strategy: Ethnographic Research 49 Tactic: Contextual Inquiry 53 Tactic: Observational Research 55 Tactic: Photo Ethnography 57 Tactic: Self Ethnography 59 Tactic: Unstructured Interviews 61 Tactic: Visual Anthropology 63 Expert Voice: Ashwini Deshpande 65 Strategy: Marketing Research 67 Tactic: Demographics 69 Tactic: Psychographics 70 Tactic: Focus Groups 71 Tactic: Surveys + Questionnaires 73 Strategy: User Experience 75 Tactic: A/B Testing 77 Tactic: Analytics 79 Tactic: Card Sorting 81 Tactic: Eye Tracking 83 Tactic: Paper Prototyping 87 Expert Voice: Jenny Lam 89 Tactic: Personas 91 Strategy: Visual Exploration 93 Tactic: Color Psychology 95 Tactic: Mood Boards 97 Tactic: Sketching 99 Quick Tips 102 CHAPTER 3: PRACTICING A RESEARCH-DRIVEN APPROACH 103 Managing the Design Process: You Need a Plan 104 Iterative Design 106 Design Council‘s Double Diamond Process 108 Information Literacy, The Big6TM + The Super3TM 110 Research Planning 113 KWHL Tables 117 Logic Models 119 Research Analysis 121 Sample Framework to Help Structure 123 Sample Framework to Help Empathize 125 Research Summary Reports and Creative Briefs 127 Research Summary Reports 128 Creative Briefs 129 Expert Voice: Megan Fath 132 Cumulative Documentation 135 Quick Tips 136 CHAPTER 4: PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS 137 Bond & Coyne: AUB Brand Strategy 138 CO:LAB: Asset Promise 143 GFDA: BEAM Brand Strategy 149 Hallmark Creative: Studio Ink 155 IBM Design: IBM Design Research 161 Expert Voice: Elizabeth Pastor + GK VanPatter 167 Lippincott: Hyatt Place 169 Red Jotter: Know Sugar 175 Rule29: Wheels4Water 181 The Veterans Experience Office: Enhancing Veterans’ Experiences 187 Willoughby Design: Live Blue 193 Glossary of Terms 199 Bibliography 202 Additional Resources 203 Credits 204 Featured Practitioners 206 Index 207 A 207 B 207 C 207 D 207 E 207 F 207 G 207 H 207 I 207 J 207 K 208 L 208 M 208 N 208 O 208 P 208 Q 208 R 208 S 208 T 208 U 208 V 208 W 208 X 208 About the Authors 209 Good information gives designers a competitive advantage. Understanding the wishes of a client and the needs and preferences of their audience drives innovation. The ability to gather research, analyze findings, and apply them to project goals is as important to successful design teams as their conceptual and aesthetic skills. This essential handbook will help readers understand what design research is and why it is necessary, outline proven techniques and methods, and explain how to incorporate them into any creative process. A Designer’s Research Manual was one of the first books to apply research practices to the benefit of visual communication designers. This long awaited second edition follows more than a decade of active use by practitioners, design educators, and students around the world. Comprehensively updated, A Designer's Research Manual second edition includes: Over 25 proven research strategies and tactics Added content about planning research, analyzing results, and integrating research into the design process Suggestions for scaling research for any project, timeline, or budget All new in-depth case studies from industry leaders, outlining strategy and impact Updated images, illustrations, and visualizations Quick Tips for rapid integration of research concepts into your practice Synopsis: Good information gives designers a competitive advantage. Understanding the wishes of a client and the needs and preferences of their audience drives innovation. The ability to gather research, analyze findings, and apply them to project goals is as important to successful design teams as their conceptual and aesthetic skills. This essential handbook will help readers understand what design research is and why it is necessary, outline proven techniques and methods, and explain how to incorporate them into any creative process "Understanding the wishes of a client and the needs and preferences of the audience drives innovation. The ability to gather research, analyze findings, and apply them to project goals is as important to successful design teams as their conceptual and aesthetic skills. This essential handbook will help readers understand what design research is and why it is necessary, outline proven techniques and methods, and explain how to incorporate them into any creative process."--Page 4 of cover