Research through Design is a term that is used primarily in academic work in the design communities, especially in interaction design and HCI, but it shares more than is usually discussed with other arts and engineering disciplines and with design practice.

• Utilizing the design process as a reflective research activity to enhance design practices
• This examines the tools and processes of design thinking and making within the design project, bridging theory, and building knowledge.
• It is constituted by the design process itself, including the critical act of recording and communicating the steps, experiments, and iterations of the design.
• Designers utilize their work, including sketches, drawings, models, and prototypes to interrogate ideas, test hypotheses, and pose new questions.
• As an approach to interaction design, this method integrates models and theories with technical knowledge in the design process.
• Designers who conduct their research through creative, critically reflective practice may at once be responding to a design brief and a set of larger questions.
• Documentation is critical to contextualize and communicate design action, advance scholarship, and enhance the inventory of design resources.