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Dr Aede Hatib �ѳܲ��ٲ�’a��

Introduction
• Since the beginnings of the industrial design
profession, designers have had the option of
conducting their own field research and have
been influenced by other professions (e.g.
marketing, human factors, social sciences)


• Industrial designers have been conducting
field research as part of the design process

Field Research
• Field research is a general term that can be used
to describe many different kinds of research
activity that bring the designer (or design team
members) into direct contact with the customer.
• In the context of industrial design, field research
can be defined as ‘activities during the product
development process where the designer gathers
information about the user while in the user’s
environment-which then can be used to influence
product design’ (Arnold, 2005)


• According to Rothstein (1999) – field research
is about studying culture and human
behaviour, field research is part art and
science, and field research involves a method.
• This method consists of phases:
– Research design
– Data collection
– Analysis
– reporting


• Arnold Wasserman suggest that ‘field research
based design tends to foster better solutions
to design problems and reduces risk of the
product failing on the market’
• It also helps to justify the high cost of
development that a company must invest in
order to proceed wit product development.


Implementation of field research by
era
• Era 1 (Beginnings – 1955-1964)
– Marked with limited formal integration of field
research into design process.
– Form of field research undertaken were
• Less formal
• Less structured
• Not as well articulated as research conducted by many
scientific research professional
– Some industrial designer s included human factors in
the design process (e.g. field work, in-house user
testing)


• Industrial design has had close ties with
marketing research (e.g. Fleishman, 1958)
• Marketing reaserch undertaken by external firms,
internal staff researcher, and even conducted by
themselves.
• When conducting research by themselves,
industrial designers used simple methods such as
consulting literature, site visit (product used or
sold), interviews, and consulting experts in the
field of inquiry.

• Era 2 (Progress- 1965-1975)
– Some industrial designers continued to
incorporate and/ or accept field research into the
design process.
– However, some persisted that the use of rigorous
scientific methods of research may limit a
designer’s creativity and intuitive responses to
design problems, and that industrial designers
should allow subjective feelings to override
research (Bowen, 1964; Burridge, 1972).


• Designers have been increasingly engaged in field
research in order to apply research to real world
design problems.
• However, the ‘art vs science’ conflict and the
differing goals of researchers and designers
spurred criticisms that many (industrial)
designers did not recognize the importance of
human, social, and psychological aspects of
products; and that designers lacked credible
methods of dealing with research data.


• There was a call during this era for more
integration of the social sciences in design
research.


• Era 3 (Convergence and Development – 1976-
1989)
– This era marked by an increase awareness, on the
part of some product developers, that other
professions were needed in the design process.
– A strong interdisciplinary activity, with regard to
filed research, occurred during this time.
– The sophistication of field research methodologies
employed by design teams developed significantly.


• Companies began to think about user needs
by considering questions such as:
– How will the product be used?
– What are people going to think?
– What context will the product be used in?
– What other things are people are going to be
using when they use the product?


• Era 4 (Application and Standardization -1990-
2005)
– Many companies and firms incorporated field
research methodolgies into design process
– Field research conducted by industrial designers has
become more standardized.
– Wasserman namely this new standard as ‘new design’.
– New design is a research based design – whereas ‘old
design’ is a more artistic or intuitive based approach.


Barrier in implementing field research
• Benefits are not always easily seen or tangible.
– It produces ideas, words, indications of feelings and
attitudes-rather than concrete artifact that more
simpler to manipulate and more readily understood.
• Much work and time to get useful information
about users
– In product development, time is a critical factor of
success.
– The quick supply of usable information that can serve
as guidelines for design is necessary.


• A lack of knowledge and experience in
translating research findings into actionable
design guidelines.
– Designers are not typically trained in research
methodology and should be either trained or
collaborate with trained professionals in multi
disciplinary teams.


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Wk 5 research in industrial design

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