- Let's go through each problem scenario,
and I'll show you which method, or methods, I chose,
and explain a little bit about why.
Problem one: you're researching how
people commute to work in New York City.
You want to find out how many people
use public transportation to go to work in the morning.
I chose secondary and/or primary research.
In a place like New York City,
this kind of information may already exist,
so it's worth our time to hit the books,
check online and with the library,
to see if there are any sources out there
that have already been published on this information.
If we find it, great.
If not, then we'll have to do our own research to get it.
Quantitative research because we're looking at
how many people use public transportation.
So, I might make a survey to send out to city residents.
And generative research because this sort of information
will come in handy when helping to frame the problem
and to find the conceptual direction.
Problem two:
you've designed a few packaging prototypes for a client,
and you want to find out which design consumers prefer.
I chose primary research,
because in order to find out which design
consumers like the best,
I should test that design with them and get their feedback.
I might hold follow-up interviews or have a focus group,
this is our own original research.
And, evaluative research,
because testing a prototype informs
the details of the design,
and allows us to make any necessary iterations to it.
Problem three:
you've been tasked with designing a sign system.
Now, pedestrians and cyclists stay out of each others' way
on an existing walking path.
I chose primary research.
Because the path exists, I want to go straight to the source
and conduct my own research.
I can take notes as I watch people interact,
record where things break down,
and look for any successes in how
the two groups work together.
This sort of research is also ethnographic,
because I'm taking notes while observing human behavior.
How do the two groups interact?
Do they signal to each other,
yell at each other,
have any mutual respect,
you get the idea.
Problem four:
you're working on a marketing campaign for a small college,
and need to learn more about how young teenagers
view higher education.
I chose qualitative research.
We're looking to discover what young people
think about college, so this information is
highly subjective and likely rooted in beliefs.
Here I might set up some interviews
so I can have a chance to talk with these students
and learn more about their opinions.
Generative because learning more about
our target audience's beliefs
will help us to frame our problem.
And market research.
This is market research because we're
interviewing a particular demographic
and recording their thoughts towards higher education,
which is a service.
And these thoughts are psychographics.
Remember, psychographics are based in opinions and beliefs.
Problem five:
you've been asked to work on a system of visuals
to help communicate safe sanitation
to young children in African slums
who understand very few words, if any at all.
You know nothing about this context,
and very little about communicating to
low literacy groups of people.
You don't know where to begin.
I chose secondary research.
Any time I'm not sure where to begin,
I always start with secondary research.
I go to the library, research online,
and do whatever it takes to get some good resources.
It's a great way to learn more about
the general context of your problem,
and begin to draw more significant
insights for further research.
This is also generative research,
because again, this type of research is
often directed towards gaining a better understanding
of the problem you're dealing with.
So I hope this has helped you to begin to understand
how the different research methods work
in order to solve various kinds of problems.