
“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
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 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
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
Associate Professor, School of Industrial Design, Carleton University
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 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.
Author of Design Research Mastery

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).
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:
Build trust with stakeholders by connecting research to real goals and outcomes
Plan and run core research methods, including interviews, diary studies, observations, and workshops
Navigate logistics with confidence using practical templates and checklists
Analyze and synthesize data into clear, evidence-based insights
Tell compelling stories that inspire action and shape design decisions
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:

Download 25+ free templates, checklists, and guides created by Sara Fortier from 14+ years in the field — your practical companions to Design Research Mastery.
How to analyze research rigorously and turn data into meaningful insights
(Spoiler: AI can’t do everything for you here.)
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).

| For Design Leaders |
For Practitioners
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