Research at IDE TU Delft

Research Update 2005

Recently the Research Update 2005 ( pdf, 1.6 Mb) has been published, containing a summary of the status and a number of recent publications for each of the fourteen research programmes of the IDE faculty.

Research at IDE, TU Delft

Products matter

Products play an important role in modern life. They can give us enjoyment; make us feel part of a group. Products can set us free, but they also can restrict us.

We use our mobile phone to keep in touch with our friends. But the very same product annoys us when someone else is calling a friend while we are reading quietly. Products can make us feel frustrated when they don’t work, or scare us when they look complicated. They can infuriate us when they’re too expensive or even cause serious injuries when they malfunction.

Products deserve to be studied. We need to research products and how we develop and use them. After all, they make up such an important part of our lives.

This is research

We conduct research in many ways. We investigate new design principles by incorporating knowledge and by testing hypotheses through prototypes. We apply the latest insights and technology in ground-breaking designs. That is why you will see strange prototypes at our faculty. Or you might see something that looks like a product, ready to be sold. Next door you could be confronted with a user panel interview or people analysing a questionnaire on product perception.

These are methods, methods to keep theoretical development close to real-world applicability, methods in scientific research on products and product development. Make no mistake, this is research.