Design research: sorting your shoe walking from your talk talking « is a good piece on being realistic about design research and choosing the appropriate method from @skewiff (Mel Edwards). I liked this update of the old cliché:
Do I think this is the most overused collection of words in relation to research:
“To really understand people you have to walk a mile in their shoes. That means you have to take yours off first.”
Yes. In reality, when you go out and speak to people you need to think of them as Imelda Marcus – for they wear many shoes. And you need to find and walk in the right ones. But you need to wear your ones when you design. Your shoes matter too.
Most important, she asks the right questions in the first place including: “Why are we researching: to drive, inspire, inform?”