Designers of mass produced products require knowledge about anticipated users of their designs in order to make reasonable predictions about how users will interact with a product and how that product will satisfy users??? needs. However, there is little reported study of how industrial designers get the information they need about users, or to what extent they adapt and use information available from fields of study such as ergonomics or market research. Study in this area is important, in order to have a knowledge base that will support development of methods and data sources that may help designers and others bring a better understanding of users into the product design process. In this study, group interviews and a questionnaire were used to ask industrial designers how and where they get information about users, and about their perceptions of the role and value of user research in design. The group discussions involved a total of 45 participants from nine companies in Sydney. A questionnaire that followed was completed by 35 respondents representing at least 15 different design consultancy companies throughout Australia. Results showed that the designers surveyed used many of the methods promoted in the literature of ergonomics, design and market research, but often in a cut-down form. For example, there was widespread use of work colleagues and family members as test subjects. Designers used quantitative information where it was applicable but often sought qualitative information that would provide insights or enable them to develop empathic understanding of the users. Time and cost constraints limited the extent to which designers could engage in user research activity but there was general agreement that user research was a necessary part of design and that in the future designers will require a stronger capability in user research. Further research could focus on the evaluation of user research methods used in design and the potential for further collaboration between designers and other specialists in this area.

Designers of mass produced products require knowledge about anticipated users of their designs in order to make reasonable predictions about how users will interact with a product and how that product will satisfy users??? needs. However, there is little reported study of how industrial designers get the information they need about users, or to what extent they adapt and use information available from fields of study such as ergonomics or market research. Study in this area is important, in order to have a knowledge base that will support development of methods and data sources that may help designers and others bring a better understanding of users into the product design process. In this study, group interviews and a questionnaire were used to ask industrial designers how and where they get information about users, and about their perceptions of the role and value of user research in design. The group discussions involved a total of 45 participants from nine companies in Sydney. A questionnaire that followed was completed by 35 respondents representing at least 15 different design consultancy companies throughout Australia. Results showed that the designers surveyed used many of the methods promoted in the literature of ergonomics, design and market research, but often in a cut-down form. For example, there was widespread use of work colleagues and family members as test subjects. Designers used quantitative information where it was applicable but often sought qualitative information that would provide insights or enable them to develop empathic understanding of the users. Time and cost constraints limited the extent to which designers could engage in user research activity but there was general agreement that user research was a necessary part of design and that in the future designers will require a stronger capability in user research. Further research could focus on the evaluation of user research methods used in design and the potential for further collaboration between designers and other specialists in this area.