I found Universal Methods of Design an invaluable resource for research, so I wanted to take a look at The Pocket Universal Methods of Design the moment I heard about it. Despite being a ‘pocket’ reference edition, this new version actually includes 25 research techniques that weren’t in the original edition. There may be a touch less detail on each technique, but there’s still more than enough to get started on a new project.

I should note that I’m not primarily a designer and that I still find Universal Methods of Design useful. When planning a content or marketing project, these research techniques routinely help me find new approaches, respond to audiences’ needs, and implement successful projects. I rely on ebooks, so pocket-sized editions are a little less of a priority for me, but the updated nature of the new edition still makes it worth consideration.

This book is exactly as described, an overview of methods to design effective solutions for complex problems. Among the topics covered are behavioral mapping, content analysis, data visualizationm, crowdsourcing, and many more. All together, one hundred and twenty-five are covered along with illustrations to show how these methods work. The authors Hanington and Martin wisely include keywords for further study and recomment toolkits and workshops. So, choose your problem, work out some ideas that might be relevant, and use this little book to pave the way toward a viable solution.