Solution canvas, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Research

Methods for observation, information gathering, and testing

Forms of Research

Research in the humanities involves different methods such as for example hermeneutics and semiotics. Humanities scholars usually do not search for the ultimate correct answer to a question, but instead, explore the issues and details that surround it. Context is always important, and context can be social, historical, political, cultural, or ethnic.

Research has been defined in a number of different ways, and while there are similarities, there does not appear to be a single, all-encompassing definition that is embraced by all who engage in it.

One definition of research is used by the OECD, “Any creative systematic activity undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this knowledge to devise new applications.”

Design Thinking is Grounded in Research

The theory and practice of design is evolving as technology changes and organizations adapt to a dynamic social, economic, political, and ecological environment.

The role of the designer has been facing constant change as media and technology provide capabilities that had not been possible are quickly adopted by people who are trying to integrate the needs of people and business within the constraints of what is technically feasible.