Design Research 2026 — Day 1, Session 3

My talk will focus on how design research is evolving from a tactical, project-based discipline into a strategic capability that shapes organisational decision-making. I will explore how leading organisations globally are embedding design research earlier in strategy formation, not only to test ideas but also to inform prioritisation, investment decisions, and risk management in increasingly complex digital and AI-enabled environments. Drawing on real-world examples from enterprise, government, and regulated industries, the session will unpack why traditional research models are no longer sufficient and what is changing in how research operates at scale. The presentation will also examine the specific implications of this shift for the Australian context. I will share emerging global practices, such as continuous research systems, AI-assisted synthesis, and integrated insight operating models, and discuss how these can be pragmatically adopted within Australian organisations. The talk is designed to be both reflective and practical, offering conference attendees a clear perspective on where design research is heading over the next five years, the strategic role researchers can play, and how organisations can elevate research from producing insights to influencing direction and outcomes.

Why do people really behave the way they do? Not because the UX was frictionless, but because the experience spoke to something about who they are, who they want to be, and what their choices mean within their world.

This talk applies anthropological thinking to design research, unpacking the cultural narratives, social performances, and identity tensions that shape human decision-making. The argument: understanding culture isn't a nice-to-have. It's the strategy.

Air travel remains one of the least understood and most stressful service environments for disabled people. While airlines often invest in accessibility improvements, they frequently do so without reliable baseline data grounded in disabled people’s lived experience. This presentation shares findings and reflections from a mixed‑method design research project undertaken with Air New Zealand to establish a baseline understanding of disabled travel across the trans‑Tasman route. The research was designed and led using a disability rights and participatory research lens. It combined an accessible online survey offered in multiple formats, in‑depth interviews, ethnographic travel research with 12 disabled people flying between Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, and a disability leadership workshop with advocates and sector leaders. Participants represented a range of physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychosocial impairments, as well as intersecting identities. The study focused on the end‑to‑end travel journey, including booking, check‑in, security, boarding, in‑flight experience, arrival, and recovery after travel. Rather than treating accessibility as a set of isolated problems, the research examined how systems, policies, staff practices, digital touchpoints, and social attitudes combine to either enable or restrict safe and dignified travel. This paper contributes three key outcomes to design research. First, it demonstrates how inclusive research methods can generate richer and more trustworthy data than standard customer research approaches. Second, it provides rare baseline evidence of common barriers and points of harm experienced by disabled travellers, including emotional labour, risk transfer, and loss of autonomy. Third, it reflects on the role of disabled leadership in shifting research from extractive consultation to shared authority. By situating disabled people as experts of their own experience, this research challenges deficit‑based models of accessibility and offers a replicable approach for designers and organisations working in complex service systems. The findings are relevant to design researchers, service designers, and industry practitioners seeking to move beyond compliance towards meaningful inclusion.