Q: How do I convince my client to pay for research?
Allowing a designer to do research means opening assumptions up to scrutiny. Research is necessary for a successful design project because it gives you a shared basis for decision-making, grounded in evidence rather than in sheer authority or tenacity. And this saves time and money. While learning new stuff is great, the most important function of research is not necessarily to learn new stuff. Academic research is successful when it uncovers new knowledge, but we’re not talking about academic research. Our goal is getting good work into the world.









