dan safer uses a very potent metaphor to illustrate the importance of design research. he asks the reader to envision a zoo wherein the builders and keepers knew nothing of the animals they were going to be caring for, shoved them all in little cages and didn't know how to feed them. this would be a terrible zoo full of dead animals, is the point. and the moral of the story is that if they had done research to first discern the needs of those being served, they could have, without wasting tons of money on a misguided shot in the dark, given the "animals" what they actually needed to live and thrive, rather than guessing and guessing poorly.
participatory design is when users/audience members/consumers/people are allowed to enter the design process to "help generate ideas, discuss concepts, and test prototypes" during the research stages.
a lot of design research has the tendency to be qualitative rather than quantitative. qualitative, or "soft," data refers to videos, photos, dialogue, and other non-empirical information gathered. the idea is for the designer to use their empathy for users and their context to better understand their needs and frustrations, rather than presuming to know what is needed and wasting energy on solutions that aren't appropriate or useful.
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