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Why designing with research, not assumption, is what makes things work.
June 18, 2020
Shaan Fulton
When a new product is flung into the world, it's difficult for one to predict how it will perform. However, there's a way to change that. There's a way to be certain of a product's success. Here's how:
Research based design
It's the design philosophy of building a product where you repeatedly prototype, test, and rebuild to ensure that the product works as intended.
It's a simple concept–until you start doing it. Real research based design isn't about scrolling through a website looking for bugs. Real research based design is getting in touch with fifty people to use your site as a real user, and politely let you know everything that sucks about it. Then, going back to the drawing board, fixing everything that sucks, and getting a new group of people to tell you there are about one hundred more things left to fix. Then doing this ten times over.
In the past, while research based design was somewhat prevalent in web design, it was expensive. And difficult. The point is, nobody wanted to do it. It's still difficult, but it's definitely become easier, thanks to fast-paced prototyping tools as well as user testing websites that herd people who have enough time to get paid five bucks an hour to test out your site.
Since we do web design, we're going to talk about how research based design can help in the digital design world. This doesn't mean research based design only applies to digital design–it just means we're biased.
The primary benefit of research based design in the web design field is that it allows you to build sites that actually accomplish the goal they set out to accomplish.
Sites built using research based design get results. The process filters designs so that all that is left in the final product is what truly works, not what the designers think will work.
To put it simply, untested design is often based on assumption. Research based design is based on results. Therefore, research based design gets results.
Most of the industry leaders in technology, such as Microsoft, Adobe, and others, all implement some form of research based design into their design process.
If you want to join the club, it would be good to get a grasp of the general concepts behind research based design:
Build. Test. Repeat.
You might not be a product designer. That doesn't mean you just wasted the last five minutes reading this rather hastily put together article.
Research based design is a concept, that at it's core, is fundamental to everything we do in life. Research based design is about relentless revision based on observation.
Whether it's how you think, talk, or design, everything you do will cause a reaction. You must observe these reactions, and revise.
Having a drive to never stop revising is about as close as you'll get to perfection.
