CHAPTER 9
 RESEARCH PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY

 The desire to further explore my initial creative proposal was the acknowledgement of a

lack of identity in my life. Regardless of one's life within a specific culture, usually there is a

disconnection to what the reality of one's purpose due to the proximity one is to that culture. At

times, it is beneficial to step backwards and see from afar the constituents of that culture in order

to better understand it. Once distance is established, whether be physical, mental, emotional or

all, one must understand what kind of design research is involved in the project. Many

individuals and schools have attempted to define what design research is, most notably, Laszl6

Moholy-Nagy from the Bauhaus, Dreyfuss, and Frayling in the early 1990's. In its most recent

definition design research is identified in three modes: research into design, research through

design, and researchfor design (Laurel 2003.) Research into design refers to the historical and

aesthetic value of the content. Research through design refers to the project, materials and its

development. Lastly, research for design refers to the purpose to create and then display the

research and prove its value. The last one is by far the most difficult to attain, but one that I feel

was attained with this creative project. Therefore, the sense of emptiness for not knowing the

"into" and the "for" of the design of what I had lived, permitted me to seek for answers or

perhaps raise other questions. The exploration of oneself in the urban landscape can lead to a

compilation of ideas, theories and discoveries of not only the individual but also the

agglomeration of people that occupy a cosmopolitan area. Design research is anything but

traditional, and in my project, I needed to practice more than one model in order to reach a level

of not only completion but also authenticity. It is the authenticity, in my opinion, what adds the

"for" of the creative project. From focus groups, participatory methods and ethnography, the

project involved many facets but there was one that was uncontrollable, the city. Due to the