ABSTRACT
In design, as in other fields, research begins with a question that reflects a desire to know something or something that arises from an observation that some situation is unresolved or could benefit from deeper understanding. In addition to the distinction between research intended to expand knowledge in the discipline and research focused on practical application, there are different philosophical approaches to research. Another approach to design research seeks meaning in the lived experiences of individuals in an effort to understand a particular phenomenon. Design research often addresses ‘grand challenges’ in which solutions are in the public interest. Researchable issues range from interdisciplinary collaboration, to the role of prototyping, to materials testing and manufacturing, and to the design of service ecologies. The search for original and meaningful territory is not the problem in design research, as it often is in the sciences and humanities.
