The Secret Cost of Research

Research is simply asking questions about how the world works. And asking questions about how the world works threatens established authority.

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Our goal is getting good work into the world.

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The reason design projects that neglect research fail isn’t because of a lack of knowledge. It’s because of a lack of shared knowledge.

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A design project is simply a series of decisions. When you’re working with competent people, the limiting factor on how quickly you can finish a project is the speed of decision-making. (Decision-speed does vary with project complexity, but it might vary with organization size even more.)

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Research is not optional to a design process because working collaboratively and making good decisions are not optional. So, for starters, accept this and agree to hold your ground as a designer.

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Actual ethnographic research happens where the people you’re studying do the thing you want to learn about. It’s often unsatisfyingly messy and low tech.

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“Research actually saves time and money by allowing us to collaborate effectively, and make decisions much more quickly. By working together to validate the key assumptions, we will increase the chances of overall success.”

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Posted on February 21, 2020