Secondary Research
Secondary research provides a foundation of knowledge before engaging directly with users. It involves gathering existing data and insights to understand the context of a design challenge, identify potential solutions, and formulate informed questions for primary research.
Use this method when you need to gain a deeper understanding of the problem space before conducting user interviews or generating solutions. It's particularly useful when tackling complex social sector challenges or when you need to identify existing solutions and best practices.
Solves: Lack of context or understanding of the problem space; reinventing the wheel; asking uninformed questions during user research.
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Step 1: Define your research focus based on your design challenge. (15 minutes)
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Step 2: Identify relevant sources, including online databases, academic journals, news articles, and industry reports. (30 minutes)
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Step 3: Conduct a thorough search and gather relevant information, taking detailed notes and citing sources. (120-360 minutes)
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Step 4: Analyze and synthesize your findings, identifying key trends, insights, and gaps in knowledge. (30-60 minutes)
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Step 5: Summarize your research in a clear and concise format, highlighting the implications for your design challenge. (15-30 minutes)
- Encourage the team to explore a wide range of sources, including both quantitative and qualitative data.
- Help the team to stay focused on the research questions and avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant information.
- Divide the research tasks among team members to cover more ground.
- Conduct a literature review to identify key themes and research gaps.