Design Unfiltered: research is not a weapon
Somewhere along the way, research stopped being a tool and started being a weapon.
Disagreement on a design direction? Let’s validate it with users.
Engineer questions a pattern? Better check with users.
Candidate asked in an interview how they handled conflict? I took it to users to validate it.
I’ve done this myself when I was earlier in my career as a designer. Truthfully, most of us have. But treating research as the universal golden ticket is lazy. It cheapens research, it cheapens design, and it cements the perception that design only has a voice if it drags a user along to back it up.
Here’s the problem: research is not meant to be the referee for every debate. It’s meant to inform. To uncover problems and opportunities. To give shape to needs, behaviors, and contexts. When we reduce it to “validation,” we strip it of nuance, and we reduce design to nothing more than opinions that can’t stand on their own.
Good design doesn’t come from checking every pixel against a usability test. It comes from judgment, expertise, and principles layered on top of real understanding of users and their world. Research contributes to that understanding. It doesn’t replace it.
And what’s more, in the age of AI-generated research reports and automated insight tools, the temptation to weaponize data is even stronger. “The system said so” is no better than “the user validated it.” In both cases, the responsibility of design judgment gets dodged.
So how do we fix this?
Do the right research. Contextual inquiry, analytics, co-design sessions, A/B testing — know what methods to use and when to help understand the problems at hand is key. It’s not just a rubber stamp of intended solutions. Usability testing is useful. “Validation” is not.
Rely on design expertise. Principles, heuristics, and pattern knowledge exist for a reason. Know when to use them, and when to break them deliberately.
Tell the story. Don’t default to “the users said.” Show your reasoning. Show that you understand the problem space and context in which you’re working - that means bringing all of it together: business, technology, and user problems. Then weave together your expertise of design principles, problem understanding, and outcomes.
Research is not a weapon. It’s not a crutch. It’s not a replacement for design expertise. It’s a powerful tool—one of many—that makes us better at what we do.
Let’s stop outsourcing our judgment.
About Design Unfiltered
This series is my “design gets real” space where I share the messy truths about design and design leadership that don’t usually make it into case studies or conference decks. Think of it as tales from the trenches: unpolished, candid, useful, and hopefully even a bit cathartic if you’re a designer or leader navigating the same challenges.
