5. CONDUCTING RESEARCH
Most projects you work on—whether you are developing innovative new products, implementing a design, or recommending a solution to a problem—will require research. Research can save you time by determining what other similar designs/solutions have already been proposed, what has been tried and tested in the past and what the results were, what patents are already in place, what intended users need or expect, and so on. It also helps you to understand the background of your project and how it fits into a larger context. Finally, research is necessary to help you to develop and validate your ideas. Researching is one of the key elements in any design process.
Chapter 5 Learning Objectives
The chapter contains the following sections that will help you develop your research skills and meet the following learning objectives:
5.1 Defining Your Scope: understand how to use various methods to define and refine the scope of your project and create focused research questions to guide your research process
5.2 Research Terminology and Methodologies: understand conventional terminology related to conducting and disseminating various kinds of research.
5.3 Finding and Evaluating Sources: review various kinds of sources and how to determine their reliability, authority, and relevance as research sources in professional and academic contexts.
5.4 Synthesizing and Integrating Sources: Understand and apply conventional rhetorical moves when using sources; incorporate source material ethically and effectively using quotation, paraphrase and summary.
5.5 Citing Sources: Understand how to use correct and effective citational practice to give credit to your sources both in the body of your text and in the References section at the end.
5.5 Engagement and Consultation: Understand how to determine who the relevant parties are (individuals, organizations, and environments that might impact or be impacted by your project), and determine effective and meaningful ways of engaging and consulting with them.
5.7 Human Research Ethics: Understand the protocols involved when doing research (such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.) that collects data from human participants. Understand why it is important to abide by human research ethics guidelines.
