Design research is a valuable tool to help the designer understand the problem that he/she needs to solve. The purpose of design research is to help state or understand the problems better, which will lead to better solutions. Observational research is a design research method for helping the designer understand and define the problem. Observational research and how it is done is described through three case studies in this article. Observational research should be part of the design process that people practice, preach, and teach.