A Designer's Research Manual, 2nd edition, Updated and Expanded: Succeed in design by knowing your clients and understanding what they really need

Good book , easy to read

Moving my company to the next level and this book helps me explain the research process to clients. A good read for newbies and experienced people alike.

This came recommended by some coworkers, and it does a good job of breaking down research tasks as far as when they should be done and what kind of insights they will yield. Would be a good pairing with the book UX Team of One.

Item was as described and was at a great price! So happy to have bought this from this seller.

Great book, good price... arrived with the spine broken though from poor packaging. Not a huge deal, but could have been avoided with better packaging for transit. This book is a great resource book for designers!

Great book, great resource!

Fundamental reading for taking your design practice to the next level. Accessible, informative, practical.

'A Designer's Research Manual' provides a wealth of valuable research insights and methods in a well-designed format. Unfortunately, it contains a lapse of historical memory. In context of presenting IBM as stellar example of a corporate culture currently committed to design research and customer experience, the text is misleading. While credit is duly given to IBM for having a storied history of investing in design, the following assertion by the authors regarding the state of pre-2012 IBM design is woefully inaccurate: "While IBM already had some designers on staff, there was no common or systematic practice of design." Au contraire…the IBM Design Program begun in the mid-1950s, is cited as the first comprehensive effort of an American corporation to successfully transform itself into a modern corporate brand identity with a systemic human-centric design process. The IBM maxim “Good Design in Good Business” fostered by CEO Thomas Watson, Jr., (1956-1971) conveyed the message that IBM is not simply a technology-driven company with design being a styling afterthought. Mr. Watson’s point was the practice of design is a strategic human-centric business asset rightly infused into the corporate culture. The IBM Design Program encompassed a corporate HQ design management staff that systematically coordinated 15 global Design Centers across Europe, Asia and North America. Each global Design Center included design management and the practice of industrial design collaborating with human factors specialists on the design of IBM products. In parallel, graphic designers focused on the quality of communications material. The systemic practice of the IBM Design Program was initially built by preeminent corporate design consultant Eliot Noyes, together with Paul Rand and Charles Eames. IBM design consultants over the years, that included Richard Sapper and Edward Tufte, served as leaders, mentors and critics, as well as designers of specific brand deliverables. This collaborative IBM internal-external design practice has been well-documented for decades across mass media, including the recent 2023 film ‘Modernism, Inc.’ I have the utmost respect for the successful effort by IBM President, CEO and Chairman Ginny Rometty (2012-2020) and IBM General Manager of Design Phil Gilbert (2012-2022) to instill the ‘design thinking’ process of professional designers as a common problem-solving practice across multiple disciplines in the software and service business of IBM. However, the pioneering systemic practice of design management and human-centric design within the IBM culture that began 56 years earlier should have been accurately credited by the authors.

This book shares research practices written for designers. Other books about research are more academic but this one illustrates and has a language that is easy to grip. I wish it had short examples (real or fake) linked to each method explained, besides describing it.

This is an excellent book! Very useful content and worth every penny. Vital for anyone looking to write a disitation or personal research project...

I truly loved this book because educational programs often do not cover in detail the importance of research methods as designers. This book is a great resource for beginners and advanced designers to learn about the research process and tactics used to create effective designs. This book is one that will be beneficially throughout your career as a designer. This book provides great case studies and has amazing examples of how brands have used research in the creation of their design. From discussing audiences, demographics, competition etc. this book goes into great detail of the creative process of research that designers are required to do before producing work. Truly amazing! If I could find the older version in a sale/bargain section I would pick that one up too. truly one of the best books I have read on creative research strategy

great book

Jenn and Ken have done a wonderful job updating their original effort. I have kept the original book on my desk since it came out–10 years. This revised edition will simply go right beside it. You may know all about design, or think you know. Ken and Jenn make it simple for you to recap and become better informed about your client and the decisions you make as a designer… kudos