Research question

• is the bare bone of Design research
• when developing research questions - think ahead of what will happen to answers - we receive since I know what comes next in the process after I have concluded it
  • i.e. don't do research just for the sake of doing research, think of how gathered Insights help us to move forward in the next phase
  • ask a question "How will the answer to this question help to generate a range of insights & ideas to create a new value?"
• Research question is often vague at the beginning but it gets precised over time
• helpful to come up with more to start with and then conclude with one
• should start with "How"
• clear, focused, and concise statement that conveys the objectives of the research and its potential findings
• Shoud meet Finer and PICO criteria
• A good research question is specific, actionable, and practical:
  • 1. It is possible to answer the question using the techniques and methods available to you
  • 1. It’s possible (but not guaranteed) that you can arrive at an answer with a sufficient degree of confidence to base decisions on what you’ve learned
• Dive deep into ]framing research questions
• Only after you have identified your research questions can you select the best way to answer the question.
  • first research question, then research plan and activities
• Research X Interview question
  • RQ - How do families with school-age children decide how to spend money on vacations?
  • IQ - Walk me through your last vacation from planning it until when you arrived back home.
• 4 main categories:
  • Generative/Exploratory: How will this activity yield the kind of deep understanding we seek?
  • Descriptive: How will this activity provide a detailed, truthful, and accurate picture of the situation or sequence of events?
    • Evaluative: How will this activity enable a reliable assessment based on a clear set of criteria?
  • Causal: How will this activity establish a cause and effect relationship, beyond simple correlation?
• 5 main characteristics:
  • Feasible. You need to have the resources and abilities to examine the question, collect the data, and give answers.
  • Interesting. Create research questions that offer fascinating insights into your industry.
  • Novel. Research questions have to offer something new within your field of study.
  • Ethical. The research question topic should be approved by the relevant authorities and review boards.
  • Relevant. Your research question should lead to visible changes in society or your industry.
    7 types of quali research questions:
  • Explanatory research questions investigate particular topic areas that aren't well known.
  • Contextual research questions describe the workings of what is already in existence.
  • Evaluative research questions examine the effectiveness of specific paradigms or methods.
  • Ideological research questions aim to advance existing ideologies.
  • Descriptive research questions describe an event.
  • Generative research questions help develop actions and theories by providing new ideas.
  • Emancipatory research questions increase social action engagement, usually to benefit disadvantaged people.