Designer’s Pocket Book for Basic Research

Designers of the built environment too often complete projects and swiftly shift their attention to the next undertaking, without formally assessing the strengths and shortcomings of their just-completed design. This research is key to improving human well-being.Sound and useful research need not be expensive nor time-intensive; much can be learned by simply knowing what questions to ask and how to avoid common mistakes.This book provides basic principles of social science research for design and simple tools to execute research projects.Readers will come away from the book familiar with research approaches (correlational, experimental, qualitative), simple statistical tests (t-test, ANOVA, correlation, chi square), standard surveys (e.g., scales for such constructs as privacy and situational awareness) and where to find them, simple software tools that are available to gather, what ethical principles should be followed in using human participants, and when formal IRB (Institutional Re