Do You Do Market Research Before Creating Web Designs?

A web design should bring you closer to your customers. To do this effectively, your web designer must understand who they’re building the website for. In the end, you may want your site for you, but if you’re running a business, it’s really for your customers, right?

As a side note, another way to bring you close to your customers is by taking advantage of the nonverbal cues that influence your website visitors.

What i would say is: YES. Market research would give you an extra edge.
This article here would give you a better understanding of why it is so important.

I would like to quote this situation with what someone wise had said,

Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.

If you want the customer to come back to you with more work. You should make him know that both of you (the client and the solution provider) can sync together to work towards the betterment of the client's brand.

If the client fails, it means the hard truth. YOU FAIL. In order to avoid this kind of situation you should always go for research of your clients’ requirement. No matter how good you are with the understanding of the requirement, research will always give you more insight as well as more ideas to work and showcase your client. It will give you the competitive edge that you always looked for.

Here is a resource for further reading.

A website can be considered as "product" or as "marketing tool" (depending if the website is really the core of the business as facebook or just a information/marketing tool for companies) and thus it must be designed to attract/please the company customers.

In the two cases, tangible product or perhaps an ad, everybody makes a market research to be in line with the targed group. Everybody finds it obvious. And for a website it should be the same. And it concerns the design (colors, "features",...) and usability (web for seniors?).

One example for all: a website for attorney's association probably doesn't require a "like" button...

My advice: If you are doing your own web (or preparing the information for the webbuilder) do the research... And if you are a webbuilder for others, convince them to do it as well or do it on their place - that may represent the "plus" you bring to the customer and he will be happy. Which is good!