We need to be collaborators and co-creators with the communities and individuals we are researching

“What has been and always will be true about Design Research is its consideration of people. The future lies not in ignoring needs, but in broadening our horizons. We need to think about more than just insights. We need to be collaborators and co-creators not only with the companies we are designing for, but also the communities and individuals we are researching.” – Tara Mullaney

Tara’s quote summarizes her reflections on IIT’s 2010 Design Research conference in this Core77 article.

1. Deeply understanding customers allows companies to develop products that revolutionize the way we live our lives
2. Better connect with your customers by speaking like people, not like machines
3. Creating a shared reference with customers will drive business
4. It is our responsibility to to have an ironclad rationale to support our design decisions
5. Curiosity is the single greatest contributor to effective user research