2008 was a landmark year for the design research category of the International Design Excellence Awards, with a research project winning "best in show".
SizeChina, the ergonomic data research project focusing on Asian populations won a Gold for the research category and is sharing best in show honors with the Apple iPhone. SizeChina "assembled data from a representative cross section of people from mainland China to create the first-ever digital database of Chinese head and face shapes. Now, designers hoping to reach the two billion people in the Southeast Asian market will be able to create products that genuinely fit the needs of this audience."
I covered SizeChina last year after attending Roger Ball's presentation at the 2007 IDSA conference.
Coincidentally, the Silver winner (pictured) in the research category also has a Chinese connection - How the torch of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games came into being. According to the site "this project's approach infused a sleek and modern design with symbols of both Chinese culture and the spirit of the Olympic Games", although it's not apparent what research was done to support this.
Bronze award winners included three medical-related projects, a field where user research is typically a critical component. This year, the IDEA site not only lists the award winners, but all of the finalists, which range from color trends to condom dispensing projects.
You can also read more coverage of the awards at Businessweek, and learn about my experience as an IDEA juror this year (although not in the Research category).
