Research Photography | Institute of Design

In 2026, after nearly 90 years, the Institute of Design was folded into Illinois Tech's School of Design & Society.
This website is an archive of the impactful and inspirational work produced by the ID community before that transition.

László Moholy-Nagy opened the New Bauhaus in Chicago in 1937, treating design as a discipline that was teachable, testable, and consequential. Nine decades on, its scope had widened from the things people use to the systems they depend on: hospitals, government agencies, classrooms, supply chains, digital platforms. Along the way, ID community members developed the published research, methods, and frameworks that designers rely on every day.

Chief among them is human-centered design: close attention to how people actually live, and advocacy for what that research reveals. It shaped designers who are comfortable with complexity and ambiguity: curious, rigorous, inclusive, and stubbornly optimistic about design's ability to change the systems that shape our lives.

To every one of them, who taught, studied, built, critiqued, and stayed late in the studio: thank you, and keep designing.

Show archive notice

We use technologies, such as cookies, to customize content and advertising, to provide social media features, and to analyze traffic to the site. By using or registering on any portion of this site, you agree to our privacy and cookie statement.

Privacy Statement

institute
of desiGn

Research Photography

Explores the use of photographic imagery in design-led, user research and related activities.

“

I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.

—Gilles Peress

Objective & Outcomes

This course introduces students to using photographic imagery in design-led, user research and related activities. Photography is critical throughout innovation and design processes and is particularly important during upfront discovery research. Students will focus on building image making skills needed to succeed in research photography for user-based research and in aiding in design work for clients in innovation projects.

Upon completing this course, students will be able to analyze images to inform a deeper understanding of user behaviors and needs.

Typical Schedule

Session 1: Introduction to Research Photography & Photo Basics
Session 2: Preparing & Conducting Field Research
Session 3: Using Photography in Professional Qualitative Research
Session 4: Thinking of Ethnography as Storytelling
Session 5: Structuring Your Work for a Deliverable
Session 6: Photographing Events & People
Session 7: Final Presentation