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Friday, March 6, 2026

UNT Design Professors Publish New Book Exploring the Role of Research in Contemporary Design

Book cover of "Navigating the Landscapes of Design Research with abstract designs.
"Navigating the Landscapes of Design Research: Finding Your Way"
Two professors in the UNT College of Visual Arts and Design’s Department of Design have co-authored and edited a new book examining how research informs contemporary design practice.
 
Michael R. Gibson and Keith M. Owens recently released "Navigating the Landscapes of Design Research: Finding Your Way," published by Routledge, a global publisher of academic books, journals and online resources in the humanities and social sciences. The book will be available worldwide on March 13, 2026.
 
It’s been written to help designers, educators, and their project partners understand how design research works and why it matters, Gibson said. 
 
The 180-page volume explores how design research functions across disciplines and why evidence-based inquiry plays an increasingly important role in shaping effective design outcomes.
 
Written with contributions from five guest authors, the book is intended as a guide for designers, educators and the collaborators who often work alongside them, including clients, developers and project managers. The authors frame the text as a journey through the evolving terrain of design research, offering readers a structured introduction to the ideas, methods and goals that shape the field.
 
Michael Gibson is facing forward and smiling. He has light brown hair and wears a navy blue jacket.
Michael Gibson, M.F.A., professor and coordinator for the M.A. in Interaction Design Program.
The book also stresses the following key point: good design in the second quarter of the 21st century should be based on broadly informed, deeply examined inquiries and analyses, rather than merely on what "looks cool." Today’s world faces many complicated challenges — social, technological, environmental, economic, and political. Because problems rooted in and around these areas are so complex, designers need strong evidence and unfiltered understandings to create work outcomes that truly help specific groups of people and that meet client and stakeholder goals, Gibson said.
 
Gibson and Owens said the book aims to make design research more accessible to those who may be new to planning and conducting research-driven projects. By outlining how designers gather and analyze evidence, the publication demonstrates how research can guide clearer thinking and support more informed decision-making in the development of products, services and systems.
 
The book also traces the development of design research as a discipline, connecting historical perspectives with current approaches used across design fields.
 
A central theme of the publication is the growing importance of research in addressing complex challenges in the 21st century. Social, technological, environmental and economic issues increasingly intersect with design practice, the authors note, requiring designers to move beyond decisions based solely on aesthetics or intuition.
Keith is facing forward and smiling. He is bald, wears black glasses and has a white beard.
Keith M. Owens, M.F.A. professor, and coordinator for the Communication Design: User-Experience Design program.
Instead, effective design processes rely on rigorous inquiry and careful analysis to better understand users, contexts and constraints.
 
As expectations rise for evidence-based outcomes, designers are being asked to justify decisions with credible data rather than relying only on personal preference or perceived cost efficiency. The book outlines ways designers can discover, construct and apply that evidence within their creative processes.
 
"Navigating the Landscapes of Design Research" is intended for design researchers, educators, students and professional designers seeking a clearer understanding of how data collection and analysis inform successful design work. By emphasizing research as a foundation for practice, the authors argue that designers can make decisions that are more meaningful, resilient and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.
 
Find the book on Amazon, Routledge.com or Bigger Books.