The Designer's Guide to Doing Research

Applying Knowledge to Inform Design

Sally Augustin, Cindy Coleman

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118103807
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture Design

The Designer's Guide to Doing Research

An essential introduction to applying research for busy architects and designers

The competitive design market and the need to create enduring value place high demands on architects and designers to expand their knowledge base to be able to digest and utilize multiple sources of information. Expected by their clients to be well versed on all aspects of a project, time-constrained architects and designers need quick responses in the face of daily challenges. As a result, these professionals must—more than ever—rely on, and apply, readily accessible information culled from sound research to gain a competitive advantage.

The Designer's Guide to Doing Research serves as an introductory guide on the general concepts and processes that define "good" research. Organized logically with the practical tools necessary to obtain research for all facets of the designer's workflow, this book offers:

• Material written in an accessible format specifically for practitioners
• Reliable content by experienced authors—a noted environmental psychologist and an interior design educator who is also a practitioner and writer
• Tools for planning, executing, and utilizing research presented in an easy-to-follow format along with case studies, sources, and applications

Written for all practices and people concerned with the built environment, from architects and interior designers to facility managers, landscape architects, and urban planners, this book serves as an invaluable starting point for gathering and implementing research effectively.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Design Research and Its Influence on the Practice of Design
• Chapter 2: Researching: Context, Process, General Concepts
• Chapter 3: What to Learn
• Chapter 4: The Goals of Project Initiation
• Chapter 5: The Goals of Investigation
• Chapter 6: The Goals of Integration in Schematic Design
• Chapter 7: The Goals of Implementation
• Chapter 8: How to Maintain and Access Research Findings
• Conclusion
• Additional Sources
• Index
• Color Insert