DESIGN RESEARCH AS A SOURCE OF VALUE

Design research also helps designers qualify and quantify design’s value.
There is increasing focus in the client world on the return on investments in
design, and research provides a way to establish that value.
Design research can support the process of creating a project-specific
design agenda that is aligned with an organization’s stated and perceived
goals. This process can then be used to identify the appropriate performance
measures or benchmarks to establish for a project and a framework that allows
the design and client team to later assess whether those objectives have been
attained.
Integrating pre- and post-occupancy analyses into a design research
process is key for validating the design product. The research process and
the information obtained through that analysis not only increase the designers’
knowledge base with data about outcomes, measures, and performance
but also give stakeholders an opportunity to evaluate their investment and
the value of the services provided. Publicizing the value to be gained through
effective design transforms increased client value into increased firm earnings.