Photograph by:

Krishnokoli Roy Chakraborty

Research
Methodology
krishnokoli Roy Chakraborty
Graphic Design,
Semester Three

Contents
Design Research Methods

2-5

How Eams did Research for design in India

Socio Cultural meaning making
Human Perception
Problem Statement
Approaches to research
Methods
Kinds of Sampling methods
Data Collection
User Study

Ethics

5-6

Ethics to be followed while Researching

Writing a Project Proposal

Research Concerns

Why Should a designer want to research

Research classification on stage
Research classification on process

Case Study
Similarities and differences in the interaction of
the broom in different environments
Convenience of using a dust-bin
Signages

8-11

Design Reasearch
Methods
Bauhaus was a design institute which was established in the post world
war era in Germany. It was in Bauhaus where the Design Research was first
initiated. Before this, mass production was not practiced, hence, artisans
would work on small scale production which would suffice people living
in villages. However post world war when cities began to mushroom, the
demand of people began to increase, therefore this could be only met by
mass production. The most essential part of mass production was technology (for faster production) and design (prototype Development).
However for a successful design research is very much required.
For a good Design Research, we need to correlate Design Thinking and
Design Doing. Aesthetics: It is subjective but can be universal. It is a designers job to make aesthetics as universal as it can get. Sometimes designers
have opted for solutions like symmetry and golden ratio, which is appealing
to all human beings for physiological reasons, like placement of eyes.

How Eams did research for design in India?

Knowing Indian Culture.
Meaning
Design Research
Our Values and aesthetics
For example: What could be the considerations which are taken and goes
into the designing of a Lota?

Socio cultural meaning making

To understand the culture of a particular place in association to design we
need to take into account these factors:
Ergonomics Form
Function
Material Aesthetics
Marketing Manufacturing Condition/ Price

Human Perception
Is subjective
What we need to do is empathetic
thinking.
To conduct a research on human
perception we should try and get into the
Sensitive/ Perspective
Tactic/ explicit
Meanings and values
Reflective
Aspects of the individuals.

Problem Statement

Understanding present and the past.

What have you done, What are you doing?
Methods, data collection.
How you did it?
Finding
What you think about your discoveries?
Qualitative
Data brings objective
Methods to facilitate validity
Analysis brings new discoveries.

Approaches to Research

Deductive approach: general to specific

Inductive approach: Specific and general

Methods can be
Descriptive Exploratory Empirical

Kinds of sampling

Random, Stratified, Cluster, Quota,

Judgemental, Accidental, Systematic

Rabbadi children,
Photo courtesy of

Data Collection

Primary and secondary

As designers we can use primary research because it is more to the topic.
We can collect information through,
Interview, observation, questionnaire, experiment, focus group, discussion,
case study
Types of interview:
Personal, telephonic, structure, unstructured, Focus, non directive, long
interview, diad triad party.
Types of observation:
Structured observation, Unstructured observation
Participant observation and non participant observation
Controlled observation and u controlled observation
Types of Questionnaire:
Filled/ sent on e mail.

ASK

User Study

Look
Fly on wall
Guided Tour
Shadowing
A day in life
Personal Inventory
Rapid ethnography
Social Network Mapping
Behavior Mapping
Time Lapse

LEARN
TRY

LOOK

Ask
Extreme User Interview
Unfocused Group
Foreign Correspondence
Five Ws
Narration
Survey and questionnaire
Word Concept
Association
Cultural Probes

Try
Empathy Tools
Role playing
Be the customer
Try it yourself
Informance
Headlines
Scenation

LEARN
Character profile
Activity Analysis
Cognitive task analysis
Error analysis
Historical analysis
Cross culture understanding
Affinity diagram
Secondary Research

Why
Research Methods?
To apply the same in
design
On your own and others
To use the same in order
to use research done by
another team.
Disagree with the same.

Ethics
Critical Evaluation Level
Meta Ethics

Ethical theory Ethical principle Ethical rules

Immediate Level

Particular case Ordinary moral constitution

Ethical Issues
Value Neutrality In Research

Science is value free, positivists

Value free and objective research is impossible and value laden research
define social constituents. You cannot avoid taking stands on social issues
that you study.
Research in which you are also a victim. Research is actually enriched by
the standpoint of the researcher. Everything can be deliberated and everything is value. Feminists.

Selection Of Research Topics and Ethics

When raising research questions we need to reflect on

Which values are important.

Ethical Consideration On Selecting Subject Of Study

Conceptualization or Operationalization Of Terms
The terms you use reflect the kind of you give them.

Voluntary Participation And Informed Consent

Privacy Anonymity and Confidentiality

Anonymity, is secreting the identity of the person

Confidentiality, not sharing closed information during interview

Writing Project
Proposal
While creating a project proposal we need to consider these:
Intent Methodology Costings
While making a structure we need to take into consideration
The following aspects and
Put forth our proposal in a
Decent method:
Making a structure:
Constructing a story
Introduction
Body

A page from my Sketchbook

Research Concerns
Why should a designer want to
Research?

To know something that is not known.

To validate finding
To confirm a belief
To prove a point
To make others know

Research
Classification Based
On Process
Primary research
Secondary research

Qualitative survey and

Quantitative survey
Quantitative:
Market, opportunity
User satisfaction index
Trends over time
Consumer ratios
Qualitative:
A day in life of customer
Perceived value of thing
Innovator
Design audit

Research Classification
On Stage
Research for design
Research for design
Research thrugh design

User research
Design research
Quantitaive research
Qualitative research
Ethnography
Focus Group

PAPI
Intercept survey
User test
Shadowing
Concurrent
Probing

Perspective

There is no value in
observation. Observation is
the factual record, insight is
the understanding of why
somehing is happening.Plan
is one of the most essential
parts
Why so?
Determining procedure
Appropriate sample size
Good questions
Flow of work
Dependency, collaboration
Logistics, cost

Case Study
My learning from this course. Since our covering topic was outdoor, objects,
I tried to observe the interaction of the objects with the space. Also I tried
finding similarity and differences of the interaction of these objects, with
different spaces. Our attitude with these objects, how we use them, and
how we make them convenient. This is very much based on our cultural
understandings and norms.
Areas that I covered were:
Riverfront and flower market. My study is based on the use of objects in
these two places, similarities and differences in use, and its interaction with
the environment.
How similar objects are used for different causes.
How different objects are used for different environments, how and why
these objects define those particular areas?

Similarities and
differences in the
interaction of the broom in
different environments
The broom is an object use in
early any environment, be it
outdoor or indoor. N outdoor
environments (in Ahmadabad),
it is used by AMC designated
cleaners.
In both Flower market and River
front, th e broom had a long
bamboo handle, unlike the
ones we use indoors, which has
soft bristles and a small handle
attached to the end.
The structure of the broom helps
drain solid as well as liquid
waste.
However, in the Riverfront,
Cleaning is not done multiple
times, because of the nature
of the area. Not much waste is
produced always. Cleaning is
carried out twice everyday. This
reveals the nature of the place,
which we can understand by
studying the use of the objects
with the environment.
In Flower market, waste is
produced always, hence clearing
is done continuously. This
reveals that the flower market
is a market place dealing with
biodegradable waste.
Method: Observation, Shadowing

Convenience of using a
Dust-bin
We sometimes find lids of dustbins inside the dustbins itself. We
might wonder, why this actually
happens. The answer for this lie
in our socio cultural behavior.
In India, we often, think waste
and garbage is only to be
handled by lower castes,
hence we abstain from
touching dustbins. However,
closed dustbins can be only
used by using hands. Which
requires, the user to throw the
garbage touching the dustbin.
Subconsciously, we refrain from
doing so, and throw garbage
around the dustbin, making it
difficult for municipality cleaners.
Hence, they put the lid inside
the dustbin, which makes it top
open. People can now throw
their garbage without touching
the dustbin.
Method: observation, interview

Signages
There are innumerable signages
in the Riverfront, showing
staircases, cycling parks, Danger
levels, etc. This is interesting
because it caters to a wide range
of audience, even those who
cannot read.
Also the signages show that
the riverfront is a place for
entertainment, exercise, or just
a stroll...
The presence of so many
signages itself reveal the fact,
that there can be some level of
danger involved.

This booklet is a part of

my course work for design
management II.

National Institute of Design