Informing Design

Informing Design will focus on research as it pertains to the interior design discipline. Dickinson and Marsden suggest a pedagogy in which design-decision making is informed by more than speculative hunches, preferences and intuition. The book consists of a collection of contributed chapters with leaders in both design practice and education sharing their expert knowledge with a building type in the specialty areas. Through exposure to actual interior design research studies, theories and trends that are geared to the specialty areas of design, students will be able to assess the credibility and quality of the information; distinguish between information that is based on empirical research, best practices, or opinion; and apply the findings of others. As design educators, the authors hope to provide students with the background necessary so they may become more fluent and comfortable with informed design.Features:-- Defines the term research, discusses the research process, defines interior design programming and explains the difference between research and programming-- Discusses data collection methods and research terminology to provide design students with background information necessary to read published investigations and use findings to inform design-- Chapter on sustainability used as an overall philosophy for approaching design-- Chapters address building types within the design specialty areas of corporate, retail, learning environments, hospitality, and healthcare-- Instructor's Guide provides suggestions for planning the course and using the text in the classroom