SECONDARY INFORMATION

It is always dangerous to discuss stereotypes, but some for information sources
are worth noting. Information derived by governments or government-sponsored
groups (such as the National Research Council—Canada—Construction,
for workplace-design-related information) is rigorously conducted and wellrespected
in academic circles. Government labs generally work very hard
to be impartial and hire well-skilled researchers. Studies conducted in the
United States and funded by the National Science Foundation or the National
Institutes of Health also are very credible. Statistical information from census
bureaus and maps and information about the natural environments provided
by geological surveys are also very strong. Additional government agencies
that release reliable, design-related information include the General Services
Administration (www.gsa.gov), cabinet departments, and special commissions
appointed to investigate specific topics. In the European Union, the Community
Research and Development Information Service (http://cordis.europa.eu)
reports on all EU-sponsored research.
Sources of Secondary Information
There are a slew of study centers affiliated with reputable, not-for-profit universities
that are trusted information providers, including:
• Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley
(www.cbe.berkeley.edu)
• Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (www.irc
.rpl.edu)
• Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium, Carnegie Mellon
University (www.cmu.edu/architecture/research/centers.html)
• Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan (www.isr.umich.edu)
• MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (www.media.mit.edu)
• The PlaceLab, House_n, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (http://
architecture.mit.edu/house_n/placelab.html)
• Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, Georgia Institute
of Technology (www.catea.gatech.edu)
• Architecture Research and Design Center, Texas Tech University (http://
arch.ttu.edu/wiki/ARDC)
• Institute on Aging and Environment, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
(www4.uwm.edu/iae)
• Open University (http:/libeprints.open.ac.uk)
Many schools of architecture and interior design also have strong research
programs and share their findings with individuals who contact them.
It can be tricky to determine the value of information from not-for-profit
organizations. A good rule of thumb is that the more professors that are on the
board of directors of a group, the more likely it is that the information they provide
has been thoroughly vetted and is both reliable and valid. It is also a good
sign if a paper on a not-for-profit’s website can be clearly identified as being
authored by a faculty member at a reputable, not-for-profit university or someone
who has published books with a commercial publisher (not a vanity press).
Some organizations that are good sources of information include:
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) (www.aia.org)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) (www.ashrae.org)
• American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) (www.asid.org)
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) (www.asla.org)
• Center for Health Design (www.healthdesign.org)
• Cyburbia (urban planning; www.cyburbia.org)
• Human Centred Design Institute (http://hcdi.brunel.ac.uk)
• International Interior Design Association (IIDA) (www.iida.org)
• Public Library of Science (www.plos.org)
• Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org)
• Society of College and University Planning (www.scup.org)
Again, this is only a partial list of nonprofit organizations that conduct
reputable research and/or share research with their members or the general
public.
Association websites are key sources of the information that can be used
for competitive advantage—because they show you what your competition will
be presenting. To be distinctive, you need to be clever and move beyond these
standard precedents and insights to those that will really set you apart—using
the techniques presented in this book.

Cautions When Using Secondary Information
Organizations might have an agenda that they are trying to further, which
casts suspicion on the information they are sharing. Sometimes, such a motivation
is readily identifiable because of a group’s name, logo, or material on
its website, for example. If an organization has a reason to potentially distort
research findings (it sells a product that is heavily used in an environment being discussed, most generally), it will be clear from text and links on its
website. Look for connections to literature published either by academic
researchers or by well-respected, commercial publishers. Being an advocacy
group does not mean information presented is incorrect; just that it should be
verified through another source.
If you cannot determine who originally did research that you find mentioned
on websites or other sources that would be useful to you as you answer
design questions, it would be best not to use that material. The potential problems
that could result from being embarrassed by that data later outweigh
potential usefulness to its use.
Reports become more credible when important research is referenced or
when information provided about the writers indicates that they have been
exposed to, and know how to use, the body of literature in a field. An advanced
degree from a reputable university provides that credibility. Reports that are
well-reviewed by objective sources are also highly credible.
When groups advance individuals as experts, independently investigate
their credibility by doing online searches of a few of their publications and
speaking engagements, for example, and by networking with your colleagues.
Look for a track record of quality performance and beware of associations to
sources that might be motivated to present biased information. More information
on vetting an expert is included in the “Expert Interviews” section of Chapter 5.
When reviewing data on a website, also consider the following factors,
which influence the credibility of the information reported:
• Are the writers identified? Do they seem professionally qualified? Is there
any way to contact the author?
• What is the apparent audience for the website?
• Does the information agree with that from other sources? Always look for
more than one data source when working to reach a design solution.
• Are references or a bibliography of some sort available so the sources of
the information provided can be assessed? Are the references recent?
• It is generally a good idea to judge a website by its appearance—people
who take care to present a good impression on their web pages can usually
be counted on to be meticulous about the information they provide as well.
Websites that seem to be designed (as opposed to haphazard) are more
likely to be good sources of information than those whose owners haven’t
taken care in their preparation.
• Does the site make a good impression in terms of being organized and free
from grammatical and spelling errors? Is the writing clear?
• Who owns the server where the information is found? This can be determined
using metatags and Whois tools.