HSOC-100: Art of Research (ADT,GPK)

Increasingly, designers use research as a critical component of the design process to establish a strong problem foundation, to discover fresh, uncharted opportunities, and to test their design hypotheses. This course provides you with a toolbox of techniques and methods for design-centric research as an integral component of the design process that can be used throughout your career. Beginning with a short survey of how research has been used historically, the course quickly moves to hands-on projects that explore a variety of research methods and processes: from media surveys to interview techniques and the ethical considerations required with their use. The research methods explored in this class expose students to both non-discipline-specific and discipline-specific techniques, balancing the research process between form-making, community insight, and critical reflection.