Research in interior design--what is it really?

As a practicing interior designer in graduate school I have recently stumbled upon the concept that research, as we have been taught for years, is not all that it might be cracked up to be.

We are taught in early schooling that research is merely looking up information in a book to get the facts you need to write a paper, or do another assignment. For some reason they do not bother to tell you that what you think is research is really just fact finding. True research is expanding the body of knowledge that exists. It is finding new information to be added to the astronomical pile of knowledge we as humans have discovered.

I swear this does apply to interior design...

Here's how:
We as designers are taught in a method that further reinforces fact finding to be considered as research. Until grad school I knew of no difference between the two. Now I am realizing that there is a distinct difference. Part of what influenced this blog is a great book called "Informing Design." It explicitly explains the differences between these two activities and how it applies to interior design.

Fact finding in interiors is fully necessary for any project. It includes programming with client interviews and space analysis. It also includes looking at products best suited for your design, finding in, and past designs which might be similar and successful. But research is something we are not always taught in school.

Research in interiors is the same as in any other field. It includes many things such as testing hypotheses, or analyzing past research. Emphasizing true research in this field is what might finally bring it up to being seen at the same level as any other reputable field instead of being seen as a "pretty career" or something else frivolous.

We as designers need to take on the responsibility of using true research from sites such as GoogleScholar and InformeDesign to make evidence-based design. Utilizing research that has been proven through testing is a much better way to design your project than just picking what YOU like. We are not in this field to just pick the colors we personally are most attracted to. We are in this business to do what is best for our client. By using research to design we can achieve the best outcomes for life safety, environmental psychology, quality design, and sustainability. In this aspect we are no different from others such as doctors who use research and testing to pick the best diagnosis and treatment for their patients. We should use this same mentality to pick the best design solution.

This is all not to say that we should make ugly designs. That is also part of our responsibility, and part of some of the many things that have been researched. Aesthetics should also be vitally important to any project, especially when combined with proven design information.

We as designers need to be as responsible in our approach to creating the spaces people live, work, and play in as any other field. we need to get over this "pretty" HGTV reputation we have and show what we are really out there doing.