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We are all born researchers
Why is research essential to your design process?
I am a researcher at heart. We all are. It is our exploratory mind that guided us to where we are. Some even say that the first humans lost paradise because they dared to eat from the tree of knowledge. And here we are now, growing a garden of knowledge, deepening our understanding to find new, better ways of living.
There is a lot of information about research, different methods we can use, and design artifacts that help us guide the design process. I think this is amazing. More and more people are learning how to ask the right questions, extract relevant information, and, finally, get the best conclusions out of it to solve problems.
As for this article, I will take a step back and wonder why we need research. On my journey of life and into the design world, I found out that research is a natural process, closely tied to almost everything we create. It helps us make informed decisions and think about solutions that fit a particular problem. So, I’ll try my best to answer the following questions:
- Why is research a natural process?
- Who are the enemies of research?
- How to develop a researcher’s mindset?
- What’s the best way to advocate for doing research? ( hint: share the joy)
Research as a natural process
The human drive to resolve uncertainty is so strong that people will look for answers even when it’s obvious those answers will be painful. — Roni Jacobson
Since I was little, I remember that I was curious about all the things around me, and I had the annoying ”why” with me all the time. Sometimes adults responded to me; other times, they told me that I would understand later. At that time, I didn’t know that what I was doing was a form of research. For me, it was having fun, discovering mysterious things, and engaging in this crazy adventure of life. I investigated, then tried to figure out how things work to create new stuff: my dollhouse, shoes that would balance, aprons for…
