# Design Research

> Plan and conduct design research that informs experience decisions — from exploratory studies to evaluative testing. Use when you need evidence about user behavior, mental models, or design performance beyond analytics alone.

- Skill: `itsual/design-research` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add itsual/design-research`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/itsual/design-research/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Data & Analytics
- Author: itsual (https://skillmd.com/u/itsual)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/itsual/design-research

---


# Design Research

## Overview

Design research reduces uncertainty about people and experiences. It complements product research by focusing on how design choices affect understanding, emotion, and usability.

## When to Use

- Exploring new experience territories
- Evaluating design concepts and prototypes
- Understanding mental models and language
- Informing design systems and patterns

## Core Practices

- Tie research questions to design decisions
- Choose methods fit for purpose (interviews, diary, usability, diary, card sort, etc.)
- Sample participants who represent the target experience
- Synthesize into insights and design implications
- Socialize findings in usable artifacts (journey maps, principles, opportunity areas)

## Principles

- Research is only valuable if it changes design decisions
- Mix generative and evaluative research across the lifecycle
- Stay close to primary data — quotes, recordings, observations
- Ethical practice and consent are non-negotiable

## Verification

- [ ] Research questions map to decisions
- [ ] Insights are evidenced and actionable for design
- [ ] Findings reach the people who need them in time