Skip to main content
Test-1

DESIGN
RESEARCH MASTERY

Turn insights into action, and future-proof your place in the design process.

 

A Practical Guide by Sara Fortier

What Leading Voices Say About This Book

“Alongside a fresh perspective on research in the age of AI, this book shows you how to drive change, build stakeholder trust and navigate the politics of design.”

Jim Kalbach

Jim Kalbach

Author of The Jobs To Be Done Playbook and Chief Evangelist at Mural

“With Design Research Mastery, Sara Fortier has given us frank and actionable advice to propel design researchers forward in a pivotal moment for design and technology, where research is more critical (and misunderstood) than ever.” 

UX Mag

UX Magazine

“This is the book to read when you’re ready to conduct exploratory and generative UX research that makes a difference — adding value to both your organisation and your career.

Cory Lebson

Cory Lebson

UX Research Consultant and Author, The UX Careers Handbook, 2nd Edition

“This book is an excellent and accessible overview of what it takes to drive success in design research. It serves as an invaluable guide for applying a user-centered approach in real-world contexts.”

Bjarki Hallgrimsson

Bjarki Hallgrimsson

Associate Professor, School of Industrial Design, Carleton University
DRM Book Cover 5

What’s DRM About?

Design Research Mastery teaches readers to plan, execute and advocate for qualitative discovery research that builds stakeholder trust, transforms products and services, and pulls ROI. It focuses on:

Earning trust and stakeholder buy-in using soft skills and business-savvy strategy

Developing compelling insights and artefacts through sound methodology, creative synthesis and impeccable storytelling

Turning user research into organisational impact, from aligning research with organisation goals, to creating actionable deliverables

Owning successful design research projects end-to-end, with the help of real-life examples, step-by-steps and expert advice across four core methods

Sara - Website-2

Who is the Author?

Sara Fortier is a Silicon Valley-trained design strategist and solopreneur-turned-CEO with 14+ years of experience in design, research and digital transformation.

She has:

Received a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Design from Carleton University

Founded a UX and service design talent company in 2016

Grew the company to $10M+ in annual revenue

Led projects for Fortune 100 companies in healthcare, finance, government and SaaS

With this debut, she's sharing the playbook that has shaped products and services used by millions. Along with real-life examples of her mistakes and triumphs.

“We can run around interviewing users, but it won’t matter, if our insights and recommendations aren’t actionable, feasible, AND heard. That’s why I want to help.”

Sara Fortier

Author of Design Research Mastery

DRM Book Interior 4-2

What Makes This Book Different?

UXers and service designers know the power of robust, qualitative user research. But few stakeholders take it seriously. They see it as soft and vague — too uncertain to drive business strategy. That’s why insights are so often ignored, and gaining buy-in is a struggle.

Design Research Mastery helps you flip that script. 

It’s Sara Fortier’s roadmap to making your work indispensable (and irreplaceable, even by robots).

What You’ll Learn

Sara Fortier shows you how to turn research into a strategic catalyst — winning over skeptics and inspiring innovative products and services. 

Through a step-by-step approach, you’ll master how to:

What Youll Learn 1

Build trust with stakeholders by connecting research to real goals and outcomes

What Youll Learn 2

Plan and run core research methods, including interviews, diary studies, observations, and workshops

What Youll Learn 3

Navigate logistics with confidence using practical templates and checklists

What Youll Learn 4

Analyze and synthesize data into clear, evidence-based insights

What Youll Learn 5

Tell compelling stories that inspire action and shape design decisions

What Youll Learn 6

Adapt to an AI-driven future by focusing on critical thinking, context, and human-centred insights

Better experiences make for a better world. But there’s a gap between our formal training and the actual demands of the industry:

Screenshot 2025-10-20 at 5.06.20 PM

Ready to use the methods from the book?

Download 25+ free templates, checklists, and guides created by Sara Fortier from 14+ years in the field — your practical companions to Design Research Mastery.

 

“I’m giving you every piece of advice I’ve collected over the course of my career, so you can do the work you love AND ensure that it has impact — whether AI-assisted or not”

— Sara Fortier

Get a Free Sample Chapter of the DRM Book

Chapter 12: Making Sense of Data 

How to analyze research rigorously and turn data into meaningful insights

(Spoiler: AI can’t do everything for you here.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Intermediate to senior-level designers, researchers, product managers, and UX and service design leaders who want to level up their research practice, gain buy-in, and deliver business impact. 

It’s also a great fit for educators preparing learners as they navigate design research in today’s world.

Consider it a hybrid! These days, people in UX and service design have to wear many hats, including project wrangler, stakeholder whisperer and makeshift change management specialist.

The step-by-step guides, examples and takeaways highlighted in Design Research Mastery will benefit any practitioner looking to step up their game, whether that’s in a formal learning environment or one that’s on fire. 

Yes — Sara positions research in a world where execution tasks are increasingly automated — and highlights approaches that use critical thinking, synthesis and organizational navigation, to help you influence the future of design (and not the other way around).

Skip to main content

Build trust, lead research and create products that truly matter.

 

Already bought it?
Don’t forget to leave a review!

Star - Black-1

Ready to discover Outwitly Academy?

Skip to main content
Skip to main content
Skip to main content
Skip to main content