Designer's Research Manual - Succeed in Design by Knowing Your Clients & What They Really Need (06) by O'Grady, Jennifer Visocky - O'Grady, Kenneth Visocky [Hardcover (2006)]
A Designer's Research Manual: Succeed in Design by Knowing Your Clients and What They Really Need (Design Field Guide) by Jennifer Visocky O'Grady (2009)
Visocky O'Grady fills a void in the design literature with this manual. While there are many things I wished this book had covered, It is definitely deserves a careful read by anyone in design. There were some n oticeable omissions, such as direct client interviews and survey design. I would have given it 5 stars if they had had a co-author who is a professional researcher to provide some additional structure to the tool selection and methodology. Some idea of how to partner with and hire research firms would also have been helpful to the intended audience of design professionals. Case studies are a bit eclectic, bibliography could be more complete. Still, these are minor complaints- the book is very valuable.
This is a great reference for any designer deciding what types of research would work best for their projects. It also is a good reference for determining where to inject research and review in the the design process.
While I have used many of these tools in the design process, it made me think about a few I haven't used before. It also addresses the bias factor in gathering and filtering research.
A very approachable read, nicely designed, and a nice balance of visuals that explain the text. unfortunately it didn't provide enough detail for me. Survey design and evaluation of results were not covered. A nice overall view of design research, but not an ideal book if you're looking for thorough details.