This workshop will outline the history of data-driven design and it’s exclusive use by entities with the resources required to conduct large-scale studies, citing scientific literature. In collaboration with findings from a technological partnership between Neurable and Hollman Inc., this workshop will offer insight into new, user-friendly, medical-grade, brain-reading technology that has the capability to positively impact design research in new ways. We will outline the scenario in which the technology was adopted and how it fits into the landscape, briefly touching plans for driving physical design. The workshop will review the implications of how now-accessible technology, traditionally exclusive to industry giants, changes the landscape of the field, and some additional technologies worth exploring for similar reasons. Attendees are invited to a creative exercise to imagine mock research scenarios across industries using the technology. We will review the attendees proposed studies and end on basic design strategy when collecting data, and the balancing act it plays with anecdote and intuition between these new technologies and traditional design research methods for informing design directions.