Initial stages of discovery in experience design require an understanding of prospective users, and conducting research to understand their contextual needs, expectations, current practices, and mental models.

Students learn to conduct and analyze exploratory research, to effectively identify appropriate design opportunities, and to empower end-users to guide design.

Course topics may include framing and researching design-specific problem spaces, designing protocols for user studies, identifying appropriate methods of exploratory data collection and analysis, operationalizing user research findings, communicating research outcomes through diverse formats, and formulating guidelines for impactful design.