Investigating Design

Investigating Design: A Review of Forty Years of Design Research
by Nigan Bayazit

Design has evolved and changed over the past 40 years. As has research. The research has to keep up with the change of design, technology and society to work and to use that researched data to draw a conclusion.

The history of design research with reference to design methodologies, as well as design science, is a wide and comprehensive subject that needs additional extensive research. Design research and its relevance to design methodology, as well as scientific research, are reviewed. Most design research studies were made in architecture because of the requirements of the societies after World War II. Scientific developments during the war, and the shortage of resources in postwar societies obviously necessitated and gave impetus to the creation of new ways to solve existing problems. Future studies in various design disciplines may benefit from the experience and progress in disciplines concerned with building as well as engineering.