Investigate

Overview

Research is the foundation of intentional design. Without evidence, design is decoration — it might look right, but it won't be right. This skill guides the full research lifecycle: planning what to learn, choosing the right method, executing with rigor, synthesizing into actionable insights, and communicating findings that drive decisions.

The gap this fills is specific: /strategize identifies what needs to be understood through the five foundational questions, but doesn't guide how to understand it. /investigate owns that how. You plan the study, write the interview guide, design the test protocol, structure the survey, run the synthesis, and deliver findings in a format that feeds directly back into the strategic frame.

Research is not a phase you pass through once. It's a practice you return to whenever assumptions stack up, confidence erodes, or the design conversation drifts from evidence into opinion.

Skill family

/investigate connects to the full Intent skill system: