Design Practice

10x Reasons Why Research is an Essential Part of Design Process:
1. Informs us about a topic that concerns the brief.
2. Keeps your designs concise and up to date.
3. Keeps you in touch with audience.
4. Can form the basis/incept an idea.
5. Gives us a deeper level of understanding of what we're trying to communicate.
6. Adapting your methods of execution.
7. Making sure your idea hasn't been created previously.
8. Developing own interests in design.
9. Gives us informed inspiration which will motivate us to design.
10. It makes a topic we know little or nothing about more interesting as we begin to learn and understand things about it.

10x Research Methods You Could Use in Order To Effectively Generate A Breadth of Source Material:
1. Taking photographs of relevant subjects, design processes, methods and possible outcomes.
2. Reading books in the library that are relevant to the chosen subject matter.
3. Talking to people and inquiring about a topic relevant to your chosen subject matter.
4. Surfing the web and looking at online portfolios, etc.
5. Producing surveys to do with your topic and subject matter to find out people's opinions.
6.Collecting items of relevance to chosen subject matter to learn about the physical properties that may impact the final outcome.
7. Experimenting with different media and methods of production to find out what is effective and relevant to your ideas.
8. Form a focus group to better understand the public's opinion on subject matter.
9. Go on a structured journey in a certain way to understand/empathise another's or a group's situation (for example visiting museums, galleries or historical places)
10. Use visual aids (mind maps etc) to collate/understand research and consider potential direction.

5x Types of Source Material That They Would Generate (from the above)
1. Taking Photographs:
➛ comparing different photos to come out with trends of information
➛ visual representation of final outcomes
➛ visual representation of design in context
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2. Looking At Books:
➛ accurate information which is credible
➛ breadth of past references
➛ related imagery
➛ categorised information
➛ portable information that's applicable to your work

3. Talking To People:
➛ varied opinions on subject matter
➛ 1st hand experiences
➛ new ideas that may not have been previously conceived
➛ in depth knowledge
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4. Surfing The Web:
➛ up to date information
➛ extremely broad source of information (varied and wide)
➛ quick and easily accessible
➛ varied media to resource from
➛ interactive responses at a high level

5. Produce A Survey:
➛ a broad and varied amount of information from which to reference said subject matter
➛ information tailored to your needs
➛ structured and relevant responses
➛ visual representation of data
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6. Collection:
➛ physical evidence
➛ representation of possible outcome
➛ can use as a comparative
➛ can influence physical properties of final outcome
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7. Experimentation:
➛ a way of learning from your mistakes
➛ developing your own physical responses to said subject matter
➛ possible ideas in case outcomes do not work
➛ precise way of conveying ideas
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8. Focus Group:
➛ focused opinion on said subject matter
➛ direct feedback from target audience
➛ possible amendments
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9. Structured/Relevant Journeys
➛ visiting galleries/historical points of reference in order to understand the context of said subject matter
➛ to identify trends
➛ to identify competitions
➛ to identify influences
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10. Visual Aids:
➛ a way of developing possible ideas and outcomes
➛ visual representations of ideas and brainstorming
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Research Methods That the Class Came Up With As A Whole:
1. Visiting Exhibitions to identify trends, competitions and influences.
2. Setting up Focus Groups to gain feedback on products/concepts.
3. Questionnaires to gather facts, figures and opinions.
4. Interviewing specialists/professionals.
5. Experimenting with media or production methods.
6. Reading design publications/web.
7. Photographing people's behaviour/architecture/documentation.
8. Observation of real life.
9. Watching a film which is relevant to subject matter.
10. Collecting current/historical examples.
11. Market Research into context.

Source Material Gathered:
➛ quotes
➛ opinions
➛ statements
➛ facts
➛ statistics
➛ feedback
➛ analysis
➛ photographs/images
➛ visual material
➛ data
➛ information
➛ knowledge
➛ examples
➛ samples

Researching is a process of doing something (verbs).