[IxDA Discuss] Design research

[Challis Hodge]

On 5/9/07, Dan Saffer <dan at odannyboy.com> wrote:
>
>
> I was not including evaluative research aka user/product testing in
> the essay. Like you said, I think that nearly always has value, even
> if it is done informally. I don't consider that research (although
> some do obviously). I consider that product testing. I was discussing
> generative and exploratory research. Which, as I have said
> repeatedly, are valuable activities for the reasons you and Dave and
> Jeff and Marc and others have stated. They will always add something
> to the process and product, but they don't always need to be done.
> That's my premise.


If they "always add something to the process" then  it would stand to reason
that they should be done whenever possible given available time and budget,
right?

We do, however, as a profession, have to face the fact that some of
> the most-celebrated designs of our time were done with little to no
> research or testing at all. If you disagree with the premise of my
> essay, you're free to come to your own conclusions as to how and why
> that might be.


Just because a product succeeds with or without research doesn't mean it did
or did not warrant it. Nor does it mean it couldn't have been better or
worse with or without it.You'll never know what you don't know without doing
the research. Even if you do, success is never guaranteed given the
multitude of forces pushing on a project from start to finish. Either way
research is no substitute for creativity or good ideas. All that said
sometimes the time or budget isn't there to do the research so we don't.

-challis