What Design Research Is

Design research is the systematic study of users, contexts, and behaviors to inform design decisions. Its goal is to reduce assumptions and ground solutions in real human needs.

It typically answers questions like:

• Who are we designing for?

• What problems are they actually experiencing?

• Why do those problems exist?

• What constraints (emotional, technical, environmental) shape their behavior?

Design research blends qualitative insight (stories, motivations, pain points) with quantitative evidence (patterns, frequency, validation).

Common design research methods

Generative (exploratory)

• User interviews

• Field studies / contextual inquiry

• Diary studies

• Stakeholder interviews

• Ethnographic observation

Evaluative (testing & validation)

• Usability testing

• Concept testing

• A/B testing

• Heuristic reviews

• Analytics + behavior analysis

Design thinking is the framework; design research is the engine that powers it.