Book Review – “Universal Methods of Design” by Cyd Harrell.
From the review:
I’ve never been one to use a lot of inspirational tools, like decks of design method cards. Day to day, I figure I have a very solid understanding of core practices and can make others up if I need to. But I’ve also been the leader of a fast-paced team that has been asked to solve all kinds of difficult problems through research and design, so sticking to my personal top five techniques was never an option. After all, only the most basic real-world research goals can be attained without combining and evolving methods.
So I was quite intrigued when I received a copy of Bella Martin and Bruce Hanington’s Universal Methods of Design, which presents summaries of 100 different research and analysis methods as two-page spreads in a nice, large-format hardback. Could this be the ideal reference for a busy research team with a lot of chewy problems to solve?
In short: yes. It functions as a great reference when we hear of a method none of us is familiar with, but more importantly it’s an excellent “unsticker” when we run into a challenge in the design or analysis of a study. I have a few quibbles with organization that I’ll get to in a minute, but in general this is a book that every research team should have on hand.
See the review for Cyd’s quibble.
For a copy near you, see: “Universal Methods of Design.”