MYP Design Year 1 · Unit 1 · Lesson 5
Introduction to Design
L05 · 01

Research for Designers

Research helps designers make decisions with evidence instead of guesses.

Student Materials
Four simple research moves
A
ASKTalk to a person who experiences the situation.
O
OBSERVEWatch what actually happens.
M
MEASURE / TESTCollect simple first-hand evidence.
L
LOOK UPUse reliable existing information when needed.
Use ← → / Space to navigate. Lesson 5 · Research questions
Learning Focus
Ask questions that change decisions
L05 · 02

By the end of today, students can…

01

Ask

a useful question about a design problem.

02

Choose

a reasonable way to gather evidence for that question.

03

Prioritize

what a designer needs to know first.

PRIORITIZEPut the most important research first.
Criterion A.ii introduction Question quality + evidence
Mini-Lesson
Research prevents guessing
L05 · 03

Guess

“I think the holder should be about this big.”

Evidence

“I measured the item. It is 12 cm long, so the holder must support at least that length.”

RESEARCH HAS A JOB

A useful piece of research should help you make a later design decision.

Keep evidence concrete. Research → decision
Research Moves
How can we find out?
L05 · 04

ASK

Interview or question a user.

OBSERVE

Watch a user, object, or situation.

MEASURE / TEST

Collect dimensions or simple performance data.

LOOK UP

Use books, teacher-selected sources, or reliable references.

Formal primary/secondary terminology comes later. Build intuitive research habits first.
Question Quality
Will the answer help?
L05 · 05

Less useful right now

“What is the coolest color?”

More useful

“How wide is the item the solution must hold?”

Specific

Can we tell what information we need?

Useful

Will the answer affect a design decision?

Possible

Can we reasonably gather the evidence?

Not every interesting question is a priority. Design-relevant research
Workshop
Research Question Sort
L05 · 06
Workshop

Sort questions by priority.

Design situation

Loose sticky notes often become bent or scattered on a shared classroom table. A simple tabletop solution could help keep a small stack together and easy to use.

MUST KNOW

Information needed before making useful ideas.

HELPFUL

Useful information, but not the first priority.

NOT USEFUL YET

Interesting, but unlikely to guide the core solution now.

One cut-card set per group Main workshop
Build a Research Plan
Question → evidence
L05 · 07

For each useful question, choose a way to find out.

QuestionWhat do I need to know?
→
MethodAsk · observe · measure/test · look up
→
DecisionWhat design choice could this evidence affect?
Students complete the research organizer. A.ii preparation
Exit Reflection
Research that matters
L05 · 08

Finish one sentence.

“A research question is useful when _______.”

Next lesson

Students launch the Classroom Solution Mini-Challenge and generate several possible ideas.

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