Before becoming a student of Basak’s, I wasn’t too keen to the research aspect of design. I’ve found it at the time as less interesting to the conceptual process. However, I wasn’t aware to how important it was to design. As a junior student, it was time to step out of my comfort zone and improve on areas of my process where I was lacking interest and will. I was aware of Basak’s credentials and decided it was the best section for me. Eventually I took Basak’s senior research course the following year, which became the backbone to my design career. Through my courses under Basak, I’ve transformed from disliking the research process to becoming fond of it. I was introduced to a plethora of processes that provided methods of collecting qualitative information. This data led the class to a copious amount of solutions which were all unique yet informative ideas. In addition to learning how to achieve such data, I learned to work alongside others in a professional manner, which was a vital experience to us aspiring designers at the time. I’ve became collaborative and learned to efficiently managed project time between my team. Being a student under Basak was a valuable experience. Not only did I grow keen to design research, but I acknowledged how important data is to achieving great solutions and efficient workflows. Her credentials and values were apparent in the research methods she provided and in the in classroom environment she held. For students who are looking to sharpen their research abilities and streamline their workflows, I’d recommend taking a course through Basak. Knowing how to achieve the right data is the catalyst to creating great designs.

-Adrian Karaan, Industrial Designer at Western Digital.