An essential introduction to applying research for busy architects and designers

The competitive design market and the need to create enduring value place high demands on architects and designers to expand their knowledge base to be able to digest and utilize multiple sources of information. Expected by their clients to be well versed on all aspects of a project, time-constrained architects and designers need quick responses in the face of daily challenges. As a result, these professionals must—more than ever—rely on, and apply, readily accessible information culled from sound research to gain a competitive advantage.

The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research serves as an introductory guide on the general concepts and processes that define “good” research. Organized logically with the practical tools necessary to obtain research for all facets of the designer’s workflow, this book offers:

• Material written in an accessible format specifically for practitioners
• Reliable content by experienced authors—a noted environmental psychologist and an interior design educator who is also a practitioner and writer
• Tools for planning, executing, and utilizing research presented in an easy-to-follow format along with case studies, sources, and applications

Written for all practices and people concerned with the built environment, from architects and interior designers to facility managers, landscape architects, and urban planners, this book serves as an invaluable starting point for gathering and implementing research effectively.

"The author advises is on the best research techniques to use at each stage of the design process, with helpful chapters on research instruments, data collection techniques, and rules of thumb. With contributions from prominent design researchers, The Designer's Guide to Doing Research is an indispensable read for any student of design research who wants to spring into action." (Contract Magazine, June 2012)

"The book offers a tremendous assortment of research tools, ranging from finely-tuned versions of familiar client survey preference forms to plans for innovative on–site charrettes and keenly focused post–occupancy evaluations." (ArchNewsNow.com, February 2012)

SALLY AUGUSTIN, PHD, is a practicing environmental psychologist, a principal at Design with Science, and the editor of Research Design Connections. She is regularly invited to speak at schools, research institutions, conferences, and on National Public Radio. Sally is the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley). Learn more about using environmental psychology at Sally’s websites, www.placecoach.com (for residential applications), www.designwithscience.com (for commercial applications), and www.researchdesignconnections.com.

CINDY COLEMAN is a design strategist with Gensler and the editor of the Interior Design Handbook of Professional Practice (published by Interior Design magazine and McGraw-Hill). She is an assistant professor in the Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a contributing editor to both Interior Design magazine and the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) journal, Chicago Architect.