Transforming Social Realities Through Design Research
In this article, we delve into the evolving role of design researchers as catalysts for social imagination and the gradual shift in how businesses and social organizations perceive research. By challenging traditional approaches and exploring innovative methods, design researchers contribute to shaping societal values, aspirations, relationships, and ethics. Through unique strategies such as community dialogues, poetry readings, oral history documentation, and ethnographic immersion, these professionals drive change and foster a culture of curiosity, openness, and imagination within their organizations. Ultimately, this article highlights the transformative potential of embracing research as an ongoing reality check and a means to proactively engage in the ever-changing landscape of social realities.
Why do clients commission research? The most obvious answer is that our clients have questions they want answered or hypotheses they want challenged.
Experience has taught me that fixating solely on the questions or hypotheses clients bring to us is less likely to yield outcomes that reveal what they truly need to learn about their target audience. If I do not understand, challenge, and revisit the assumptions that underpin these questions or hypotheses, I risk encountering preconceived notions or entrenched beliefs that may render the research an academic exercise rather than a source of valuable insights.
Consequently, I insist on participating in the process of setting initial research objectives. During this process, my focus is on helping clients remain flexible regarding the questions to be answered or the hypotheses to be validated. Instead, I encourage them to be mentally prepared to learn from the realities and imagination of individuals and contexts with which they may be unfamiliar. This openness to discovery allows for more profound insights and ensures that research results align with the genuine needs and aspirations of the target audience.
My ideal client is an individual or a team driven by a strong motivation to learn and apply that newfound knowledge to transform their organization’s thinking and decision-making processes. These clients understand the value of research and are committed to leveraging insights gained from the research to drive positive change and innovation within their organizations.
The most challenging clients to work with are those who are more interested in validating their existing beliefs by seeking evidence that supports their preconceived notions. Even more problematic are situations where research is commissioned merely to generate reports that either end up archived or lead to a clash of opinions without any actionable outcomes.
I have been informed by clients that the likelihood of securing funding for research increases when leadership has a hunch or a strong belief in an idea and seeks validation. In one instance, a client admitted to me, “Your approach to generative research was refreshing because it opened my eyes to unforeseen insights and opportunities. In contrast, I have spent millions of dollars on vendors who were skilled at determining which of my beliefs they needed to produce evidence to support.”
Another kind of challenging research assignments we encounter occurs when clients provide us with 40 to 50 research reports or PowerPoint presentations, requesting that we identify the cumulative learnings and knowledge gaps. In these situations, the research objective is typically stated as, “Tell us what we know and where the knowledge gaps are.” However, this mandate often assumes that the content within the reports sitting on archives represents the organization’s current state of understanding and that any uncovered areas constitute knowledge gaps.
This assumption can be deceptive, as it disregards the necessity of examining the knowledge and insights possessed by the individuals within the organization, which cannot be solely derived from the content of research reports.
I would like to outline three broad categories of research: scientific research, academic research, and design research. Scientific research aims to uncover the truth in the structure and behavior of natural systems. Academic research focuses on making an original contribution to the body of knowledge in a given field. Design research, on the other hand, intends to generate insights and inspire imagination. I make this comparison to differentiate design research from the other two types and not to provide precise definitions for each category.
Reflecting on my experience practicing design research for over three decades, I have identified a key difference between scientific research and design research. Scientific research collects evidence to uncover the truth of “what is,” whereas design research seeks patterns in human, social, and cultural behaviors to gain multiple perspectives and explore possibilities of “what if.” Scientific truth can exist in a peer-reviewed article until it is challenged by counterevidence. Design research insights remain relevant as long as they remain active within the collective consciousness of the commissioning organization and continue to guide its actions. The responsibility of a design researcher extends to fostering a learning culture and cultivating learning mindsets within an organization.
Design researchers play a crucial role in helping clients gain insights by exploring a wide range of unknown factors. Organizations dealing with ambiguous scenarios often employ a known and unknown framework to develop foresight, and design researchers are frequently called upon to facilitate this process. Ultimately, the primary role of design researchers is to cultivate learning mindsets and nurture a learning culture within organizations.
This leads me to another question: What is the ideal relationship between designers, researchers, and society? Since joining design school as a student fifty years ago, my mental model of my role has primarily been defined by a client-consultant model. The extent of my societal influence was limited to sensitizing and inspiring action from clients. However, the isolation and reflections during the COVID-19 pandemic years led me to reevaluate my responsibility as a designer and researcher towards society at large. The traditional client-consultant model began to feel inadequate for maximizing my impact on society.
Client companies are ultimately accountable to their investors for maximizing return on investment (ROI). Any focus on delivering value to customers or meeting corporate social responsibility is ultimately filtered through how these factors might improve brand loyalty, customer engagement, monetization of innovation, and, ultimately, profit generation. Even employee well-being is primarily relevant to the extent that it maintains productivity in delivering profits.
Within this market-driven value chain, designers and their allies within client companies have a unique opportunity to amplify social, cultural, humanitarian, and ecological concerns. It is clear that designers and design researchers play a distinct role in advocating for the preservation of humanity and ecology in a technology-driven, profit-focused environment.
In this context, design researchers can be seen not only as insight providers but also as catalysts for social imagination — a realm where societal values, aspirations, relationships, and ethics evolve. To drive change, we must engage in the dynamic interplay of social realities and collective imagination, employing communication and engagement methods that transcend traditional research. Through various socially relevant and activist projects, I have explored innovative approaches such as community dialogues, poetry readings, oral history documentation, and ethnographic immersion.
I foresee a gradual shift in how businesses and social organizations approach research. Those who embrace research as an ongoing reality check will cultivate curiosity, openness, and imagination within their teams. Research will be regarded not merely as an insight-gathering activity but as a means to understand the unfamiliar and proactively engage in the process of change.
